List of national flags by design

Flags of member nation-states flying outside the Headquarters of the United Nations in New York (2007)

Parts of a flag

A national flag is a flag that represents and symbolizes a country. Flags come in many shapes and designs, which often represent something about the country or people that the flag represents. Common design elements of flags include shapes — such as crescent moons, crosses, stars, stripes, and suns — layout elements such as including a canton (a rectangle with a distinct design, such as another national flag), and the overall shape of a flag, such as the aspect ratio of a rectangular flag — whether the flag is square or rectangle, and how wide it is — or the choice of a non-rectangular flag. Sometimes these flags are used as a short-hand guide to represent languages on say, tourist information or versions of websites on internet.

Many countries with shared history, culture, ethnicity, or religion have similarities in their flags that represent this connection. Sets of flags in this list within the same category may represent countries' shared connections, or the design similarity may be a coincidence.

For clarity, unless stated, all flags shown are the civil flag of the nation state / country recognised as such by the United Nations — the state flags, (usually of the government), along with the flags of autonomous countries, regions, and territories of a UN nation state will be annotated in italics as such.

Circle

One circle in center

• Belize
• Brazil
• Burundi
• Christmas Island (external territory of Australia)
• the Commonwealth of Nations (from 2013 — supra-national political inter-governmental organization)
• the Commonwealth of Nations (1976→2013)
• Dominica
• Ethiopia
• Grenada
• India
• Japan
• Kazakhstan
• South Korea
• Laos
• Niger
• North Macedonia
• Paraguay
• Tunisia
• Uganda
• The United Nations (supra-national political inter-governmental organization)
• Zaire (1971→1997)

One circle off-centre

• Bangladesh
• Bonaire (Netherlands Caribbean)
• Cocos Islands (external territory of Australia)
• Greenland (overseas autonomous territory of Denmark)
• North Korea
• Namibia
• New Caledonia (overseas self-governing collectivity of France to be concurrently displayed with the Tricoleur français)
• Palau
• Portugal — an armillary sphere plus 25 white "plate" roundel discs in quincunces on five escutcheoned shields
• Rwanda
• Tasmania (Australian state)

One broken or implied circle

• Afghanistan (2013–2021)
• Cape Verde — ten stars in a circle
• Cook Islands (self-governing island nation in free association with New Zealand) — 15 stars in a circle
• Eritrea — wreath
• East Germany (1959–1990) — wreath of wheat
• European Union and the Council of Europe (supra-national political and economic union) — twelve stars in a circle
• French Polynesia (overseas self-governing collectivity of France to be concurrently displayed with the Tricoleur français)
• Northern Mariana Islands (unincorporated organized US territory) — garland of flowers

National coat of arms

See also: Coat of arms

Civil flags

• Alderney (Crown dependency of the UK under the self-governing Bailiwick of Guernsey)
• Andorra
• Anguilla (overseas self-governing territory of the UK)
• Ascension Island (overseas self-governing territory of the UK)
• The Azores (Autonomous Region of Portugal)
• Belize
• Bermuda (overseas self-governing territory of the UK)
• The British Antarctic Territory (overseas territory of the UK)
• The British Virgin Islands (overseas self-governing territory of the UK)
• The Cayman Islands (overseas self-governing territory of the UK)
• Croatia
• Ecuador
• Egypt
• Equatorial Guinea
• The Falkland Islands (overseas self-governing territory of the UK)
• Fiji
• Haiti
• Herm (Crown dependency of the UK under the self-governing Bailiwick of Guernsey)
• Jersey (self-governing Crown dependency of the UK)
• Mayotte (unofficial flag of the overseas department of France)
• Moldova
• Montenegro
• Montserrat (overseas self-governing territory of the UK)
• Nicaragua
• Paraguay
• Portugal
• The Pitcairn Islands (overseas self-governing territory of the UK)
• Saint Barthélemy (unofficial flag of the overseas self-governing collectivity of France)
• Saint Helena (overseas self-governing territory of the UK)
• Saint-Martin (unofficial flag of the overseas self-governing collectivity of France)
• Sint Maarten
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (overseas territory of the UK)
• Spain
• Tristan da Cunha (overseas self-governing territory of the UK)
• The Turks and Caicos Islands (overseas self-governing territory of the UK)
• The US Virgin Islands

State flags only

See also: state flag

The following are the government / state flag only — the national civil flag is without the arms.

• Austria
• Bolivia
• The Canary Islands (Autonomous community of Spain)
• Costa Rica
• The Dominican Republic
• El Salvador
• Finland
• Germany
• Guatemala
• Hungary (1920→1946 and 1995→ — unofficial flag)
• Liechtenstein
• Nigeria
• Palestine
• Peru
• Poland
• San Marino
• Serbia
• Venezuela

National emblem / seal

See also: National emblem

• Afghanistan (2013–2021)
• British Indian Ocean Territory (overseas territory of the UK)
• Brunei
• Christmas Island (external territory of Australia)
• the Commonwealth of Nations (from 2013 — supra-national political inter-governmental organization)
• the Commonwealth of Nations (1976→2013)
• Dominica
• East Germany (1959–1990)
• Eritrea
• Ethiopia
• French Polynesia (overseas self-governing collectivity of France to be concurrently displayed with the Tricoleur français)
• Gibraltar (UK overseas territory)
• Guam
• India
• Lesotho — a mokorotlo
• Mexico
• New Caledonia (overseas self-governing collectivity of France to be concurrently displayed with the Tricoleur français) — a flèche faîtière / carved rooftop finial
• New Caledonia (unofficial flag of the overseas self-governing collectivity of France) — (Tricoleur français defaced with the emblem of New Caledonia
• The Northern Mariana Islands (unincorporated organized US territory)
• Mongolia — Soyombo symbol
• Uganda
• The United Nations (supra-national political inter-governmental organization)
• Vatican City
• Zimbabwe — a Zimbabwe Bird

Crescent

See also: Star and crescent

Facing up

• Brunei
• Mauritania
• Mayotte (unofficial flag of the overseas department of France)
• Mongolia
• Nepal

Facing fly

• Algeria
• Azerbaijan
• Bangsamoro (autonomous region in the Philippines)
• The Cocos Islands (external territory of Australia)
• The Comoros
• Karakalpakstan (autonomous republic of Uzbekistan)
• Libya
• Malaysia
• Maldives
• Northern Cyprus (autonomous self-governing nation state recognized only by Turkey, not recognized by the UN)
• Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (partially recognized autonomous self-governing nation state of the Western Sahara not recognized by the UN)
• Singapore
• Tunisia
• Turkey
• Uzbekistan

Facing diagonally

• Croatia
• Moldova
• Pakistan
• Turkmenistan

Cross

Quadrilateral division — four rectangles meeting at center

• Panama

Upright centred cross

See also: Christian cross variants

• Cornwall (county of the UK) — the Cross of St Pyran / St Perran
• Dominica — a gamma cross
• The Dominican Republic — a cross
• Georgia — a Cross of Jerusalem
• Madeira (Autonomous Region of Portugal) — the Cross of the Order of Christ
• Switzerland — a Greek cross

Saint George's Cross

Further information: St George's Cross

• Alderney (Crown dependency of the UK under the self-governing Bailiwick of Guernsey)
• England (constituent country of the UK)
• Guernsey (self-governing Crown dependency of the UK)
• Herm (Crown dependency of the UK under the self-governing Bailiwick of Guernsey)
• Northern Ireland (unofficial flag of Northern Ireland based on the Ulster flag — former flag of UK constituent province — not in current use)
• Sark (Crown dependency of the UK under the self-governing Bailiwick of Guernsey)
• Ulster (historical flag from 1264 of the Province of Ulster — former flag of UK constituent province — not in current use)
• The United Kingdom
• The United Kingdom of Great Britain (1707→1801)

Nordic Cross

Further information: Nordic Cross

Nordic Cross in two colors

• Denmark
• Denmark (government/state flag only — national civil flag is oblong)
• Finland
• Finland (government/state flag only — national civil flag is without the arms)
• The Kalmar Union (1397→1523 — United Kingdom of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden)
• Sweden

Nordic Cross fimbriated in three colors

• Åland (autonomous region of Finland)
• The Faroe Islands (overseas autonomous territory of Denmark)
• Iceland
• Iceland (government/state flag only — national civil flag is oblong)
• Norway
• Norway (government/state flag only — national civil flag is oblong)

Quadrilateral division — four triangles meeting at center

• Grenada

Diagonal cross / Saltire cross of SS. Andrew and Patrick

Further information: Saltire

• The Kingdom of Burgundy (from the 15th century) — the raguly Cross of Burgundy
• Burundi
• Ireland (1783→1922 — Saint Patrick's Saltire flag of Ireland — former flag of constituent country of the UK, not in current use)
• Jamaica
• Jersey (self-governing crown dependency of the UK)
• Scotland (Saint Andrew's Saltire flag of constituent country of the UK)
• Seychelles (1976–1977)
• The United Kingdom
• The United Kingdom of Great Britain (1707→1801)

Upright and diagonal centred crosses

• Basque Country (autonomous community of Spain) — the ikurrina of superimposed crosses of Guernica and God
• North Macedonia — the rays of a Vergina Sun variant
• Spain — golden chains cross-linked in an orle border of the Kingdom of Navarre
• The United Kingdom — the Union Jack of superimposed crosses of SS. Andrew, George, and Patrick
• The United Kingdoms of Great Britain (1606→1801 — unofficial "King's Colour" of the "Banner of the Union of the two Crosses of England and Scotland", with the name "Union Jack" coined in the mid-17th century, until officially adopted with the Act of Union 1707) — superimposed crosses of SS. Andrew and George

The Union Jack in the canton

See also: British ensign and Flags of the British Empire

• Australia
• Anguilla (overseas self-governing territory of the UK)
• Ascension Island (overseas self-governing territory of the UK)
• Bermuda (overseas self-governing territory of the UK)
• British Antarctic Territory (overseas territory of the UK)
• British Indian Ocean Territory (overseas territory of the UK)
• British Virgin Islands (overseas self-governing territory of the UK)
• Cayman Islands (overseas self-governing territory of the UK)
• Cook Islands (self-governing island nation in free association with New Zealand)
• Falkland Islands (overseas self-governing territory of the UK)
• Fiji
• Heard Island and McDonald Islands (Australian external territory)
• Montserrat (overseas self-governing territory of the UK)
• New Zealand
• Niue (self-governing island nation in free association with New Zealand)
• Pitcairn Islands (with Henderson, Ducie, and Oeno Islands — overseas self-governing territory of the UK)
• the Ross Dependency of Antarctica (unofficial flag of the overseas territory of the UK)
• South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (UK overseas territory)
• Saint Helena (overseas self-governing territory of the UK)
• Tristan da Cunha (overseas self-governing territory of the UK)
• Turks and Caicos Islands (overseas self-governing territory of the UK)
• Tuvalu

Historically

• Canada (1868–1921)
• Canada (1921–1957)
• Canada (1957–1965)
• The Kingdom of Hawaiʻi (1795→1893 — The Sandwich Islands)
• The Republic of Hawaiʻi (1893→1959 — unincorporated and unorganized territory of the US)
• South Africa (1928–1994)
• United States (1776–1777)

Notably, the Union Jack features in many territorial and sub-national flags usually based on the Red Ensign, (e.g. Bermuda), or Blue Ensign, (e.g. New South Wales). The British Ensign is used in a few cases with backgrounds of other colours, (e.g. British Antarctic Territory and Niue), or a unique pattern in the field, (e.g. British Indian Ocean Territory and Hawaii). Some flags use the Union Jack other than at the canton, (e.g. British Columbia). Unofficial flags also use it, (e.g. the Ross Dependency of Antarctica).

Other crosses in the canton or on the charged coat of arms / emblem

• Greece — a Greek cross in the canton
• Malta — a George Cross, the highest medal for gallantry and valour awarded in 1942 by the British Crown to the nation's people in its defence and repulsion of the Axis Powers during the Siege of Malta (World War II), replacing the Cross of Malta emblem.
• Moldova
• Montenegro
• San Marino (government/state flag only — national civil flag is without the arms)
• Serbia — a Serbian cross with four Cyrillic letters 'S' on the charged coat of arms
• Slovakia — a patriarchal cross on the charged coat of arms
• Spain
• Tonga — a Greek cross in the canton
• Vatican City

Living organism

Human and body parts

• Abkhazia (unrecognized breakaway state from Georgia under military occupation by Russia) — a hand
• Argentina — a heraldic Sun of May in splendour
• Belize — two agricultural workers
• British Virgin Islands (UK overseas territory) — Vestal Virgin
• Brunei — two hands
• Ecuador — a heraldic Sun of May
• Herm (UK Crown dependency under the Bailiwick of Guernsey) — three Benedictine monks
• Malta — St George fighting a dragon
• Isle of Man (self-governing crown dependency of the UK) — three conjoined legs as a triskelion
• Montserrat (UK overseas territory) — a woman
• Uruguay — heraldic Sun of May in splendour
• Zaire (1971–1997) — a hand holding a flaming torch

Animal

Bird

• Ascension Island (UK overseas territory) — three sea gulls on the coat of arms
• Bolivia — an Andean condor
• British Antarctic Territory (UK overseas territory) — an emperor penguin
• Christmas Island (external territory of Australia) — a flying golden bosun
• Dominica — a perching sisserou parrot
• Ecuador — an Andean condor
• Fiji — a flying white dove of peace
• Guatemala — a quetzal
• Kiribati — a flying yellow frigatebird
• Papua New Guinea — a displaying yellow Raggiana bird-of-paradise
• Saint Barthélemy (unofficial flag of the overseas department of France) — two pelicans
• Saint Helena (UK overseas territory) — Saint Helena plover
• Saint-Martin (unofficial flag of the overseas self-governing collectivity of France) — a flying pelican
• Sint Maarten (constituent country of the Netherlands) — a pelican
• South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (UK overseas territory) — a macaroni penguin as a supporter of the coat of arms
• Tristan da Cunha (UK overseas territory) — four albatrosses on the coat of arms
• Uganda — a grey crowned crane
• Zimbabwe — a Zimbabwe Bird

Eagle

• Albania — double-headed eagle
• American Samoa (unincorporated organized US territory) — a bald eagle
• Austria (government/state flag only — national civil flag is without the arms) — an eagle
• Egypt — an Eagle of Saladin
• Germany (government/state flag only — national civil flag is without the arms) — an eagle
• Kazakhstan — a steppe eagle
• Mexico — an eagle eating a snake
• Moldova — an eagle
• Montenegro — double-headed eagle
• Poland (government/state flag only — national civil flag is without the arms) — an eagle
• Serbia — a double-headed eagle
• United States Virgin Islands (unincorporated organized US territory) — an eagle
• Zambia — a African fish eagle

Lion

• Alderney (UK Crown dependency under the Bailiwick of Guernsey) — a yellow rampant lion
• Bermuda (UK overseas territory) — a lion
• Croatia — three crowned lion heads
• Fiji — a yellow passant guardant lion
• Jersey (self-governing crown dependency of the UK) — three passant guardant lions
• Montenegro — a passant lion
• Paraguay — a lion
• Sark (UK Crown dependency under the Bailiwick of Guernsey) — two yellow passant guardant lions
• South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (UK overseas territory) — a rampant lion
• Spain — the pale red rampant lion of the Kingdom of León
• Sri Lanka — a golden lion
• Tasmania (Australian state) — a red passant lion

Livestock

• Andorra — two cattle
• Bolivia — a llama
• Croatia — a goat
• Falkland Islands (UK overseas territory) — a sheep
• Malta — St George on a horse, fighting a dragon
• Moldova — an aurochs head
• Venezuela (government/state flag only — national civil flag is without the arms) — a horse

Other

• Anguilla (UK overseas territory) — three leaping dolphins
• Ascension Island (UK overseas territory) — two turtles as supporters
• Bhutan — an Oriental dragon
• Croatia — a marten
• Herm (UK Crown dependency under the Bailiwick of Guernsey) - two dolphins
• Malta — St George fighting a dragon
• Mayotte (unofficial flag of the overseas department of France) — two seahorses
• Mexico — a snake being eaten by an eagle
• Peru (government/state flag only) — a vicuna
• South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (UK overseas territory) — a reindeer and a fur seal as the crest and a supporter of the coat of arms
• Tristan da Cunha (UK overseas territory) — two Tristan / St Paul rock lobster supporters
• Turks and Caicos Islands (UK overseas territory) — a Caribbean spiny lobster and a queen conch sea mollusc
• Wales (UK constituent country) - a Welsh Dragon

Historically

• Canada (1868→1921) — lion, fish
• Canada (1921→1957) — lion
• Canada (1957→1965) — lion
• China (1862→1889) — Qing Dynasty dragon
• China (1889→1912) — Qing Dynasty dragon
• Iran (1848→1979) — lion and sun in various styles

Plants

• Bolivia — palm, laurel and olive branches
• British Indian Ocean Territory (UK Overseas Territory) — palm tree
• Canada — maple leaf
• Cocos Islands (external territory of Australia) - palm tree
• Cyprus — olive branches
• Grenada — clove of nutmeg
• Eritrea — olive branch
• Equatorial Guinea — silk-cotton tree
• Fiji — sugarcane, coconut palm, and banana
• Guatemala — a laurel wreath
• Haiti — royal palm tree
• Hong Kong (special administrative region in China) — Hong Kong orchid
• Lebanon — Cedar of Lebanon
• Macao (special administrative region in China) — lotus flower
• Mayotte (unofficial flag of the overseas department of France) — two ylang-ylang flowers
• Mexico — cactus
• Norfolk Island (Australian external territory) - a Norfolk Island pine
• Northern Mariana Islands (unincorporated organized US territory) — a garland of flowers
• Peru (government/state flag only) — Holm oak, palm branch, laurel, Cinchona officinalis
• Saint-Martin (unofficial flag of the overseas self-governing collectivity of France) — flamboyant and coralita flowers
• San Marino (government/state flag only — national civil flag is without the arms) — a wreath of laurel and oak
• Spain — pomegranate fruit
• Sri Lanka — leaves of bodhi tree
• The United Nations (supra-national political inter-governmental organization) — a wreath of olive branches
• Vanuatu — leaves of namele tree
• Venezuela (government/state flag only — national civil flag is without the arms) — wheat, laurel, olive branch, palm

Historically

• Canada (1868→1921) — maple leaf, thistle, and fleur-de-lis
• Canada (1921→1957) — maple leaf and fleur-de-lis
• Canada (1957→1965) — maple leaf and fleur-de-lis
• East Germany (1959–1990) - wreath of wheat
• Republic of the Congo (1970→1991) — palm leaf wreath
• Myanmar (1974–2010) — rice plant

Fleur-de-lis

• Guadeloupe (unofficial flag of the overseas department of France)
• Quebec (province of Canada)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992–1998)
• Saint-Barthélemy (unofficial flag of the overseas collectivity of France)
• Serbia
• Spain

Objects

Astronomical

Sun

• Antigua and Barbuda
• Argentina
• Bangladesh
• Bolivia (government/state flag only — national civil flag is without the arms)
• Costa Rica (state flag)
• Ecuador
• El Salvador
• Greenland (autonomous territory of Denmark)
• Guadeloupe (unofficial flag of the French overseas department)
• Japan
• Kazakhstan
• Kiribati
• Kurdistan (partially recognized autonomous self-governing nation state not recognized by the UN)
• Kyrgyzstan
• Macedonia (three administrative regions of Greece) — a Vergina Sun
• North Macedonia — a Vergina Sun variant
• The Republic of Macedonia (1992→1995) — a Vergina Sun
• Malawi
• The Marshall Islands
• Namibia
• Nauru
• Nepal
• New Caledonia (overseas self-governing collectivity of France to be concurrently displayed with the Tricoleur français)
• Niger
• The Philippines
• Rwanda
• Saint-Martin (unofficial flag of the overseas self-governing collectivity of France)
• Sint Maarten
• Taiwan (partially recognized autonomous self-governing nation state not recognized by the UN)
• Uruguay

Moon

Full Moon

• Laos
• Mongolia
• Palau
• Zaire (1971–1997)

Crescent Moon

• Algeria
• Mauritania
• Northern Cyprus (autonomous self-governing nation state recognized only by Turkey, not recognized by the UN)
• Pakistan
• Tunisia
• Turkey

Star

Five-pointed star

See also: Five-pointed star

One five-pointed star in center

• Algeria
• Angola
• Burkina Faso
• Cameroon
• Ethiopia
• Ghana
• Libya
• Mauritania
• Morocco
• Myanmar
• Northern Cyprus (autonomous self-governing nation state recognized only by Turkey, not recognized by the UN)
• Northern Mariana Islands (unincorporated organized US territory)
• Pakistan
• Paraguay
• Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (partially recognized autonomous self-governing nation state not recognized by the UN)
• Senegal
• Somalia
• Somaliland (partially recognized autonomous self-governing nation state not recognized by the UN)
• Suriname
• Tigray (national regional state of Ethiopia)
• Tunisia
• Turkey
• Vietnam
• Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1946–1992)

One five-pointed star on hoist

• Central African Republic
• Cuba
• Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Djibouti
• East Timor
• Guinea-Bissau
• Mozambique
• North Korea
• Puerto Rico (unincorporated organized US territory)
• South Sudan
• Transnistria (unrecognized breakaway state from Moldova under military occupation by Russia)
• West Papua (proposed nation state and member of UNPO)
• Zimbabwe

One five-pointed star on canton

See also: Canton (flag)

• Chile
• Liberia
• Togo

Many equal five-pointed stars

• Abkhazia (unrecognized breakaway state from Georgia under military occupation by Russia) — seven stars
• The Azores (Autonomous Region of Portugal) — nine stars
• Bolivia (government/state flag only — national civil flag is without the arms) — ten stars
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — seven full stars and two half-stars
• Comoros — four stars
• Costa Rica (government/state flag only — national civil flag is without the arms) — seven stars
• Gagauzia — three stars
• Honduras — five stars
• Hong Kong (special administrative region of China) — five stars
• Karakalpakstan (autonomous republic of Uzbekistan) - five stars
• Kosovo (partially recognized autonomous self-governing nation state inc. all G7 nations and administered by the UN) — six stars
• The Federated States of Micronesia — four stars
• Panama — six stars
• The Philippines — three stars
• Saint Kitts and Nevis — two stars
• São Tomé and Príncipe — two stars
• Singapore — five stars
• The Solomon Islands — five stars
• Syria — three stars
• Tajikistan — seven stars
• Turkmenistan — five stars
• Tuvalu — nine stars
• The United States — 50 stars
• Uzbekistan — twelve stars
• Venezuela — eight stars

Many equal five-pointed stars in circle pattern

•  Cape Verde — ten stars
• Cook Islands (self-governing island nation in free association with New Zealand) — 15 stars
• Dominica — ten stars
• The European Union (supra-national political and economic union) and The Council of Europe (from 1955 — inter-governmental organisation) — twelve stars

Many unequal five-pointed stars

• Brazil — 27 stars
• Curacao (constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands) — two stars
• Grenada — seven stars
• Macau (special administrative region of China) — five stars
• New Zealand — four stars
• Niue (self-governing island nation in free association with New Zealand) — five stars
• Papua New Guinea — five stars
• People's Republic of China — five stars
• Samoa — five stars
• Tokelau (dependent territory of New Zealand) — four stars

Six-pointed star

One six-pointed star

• Bonaire (Netherlands Caribbean)
• Israel
• Northern Ireland (unofficial flag of Northern Ireland based on the Ulster flag — former flag of UK constituent province — not in current use)

Many equal six-pointed stars

• Burundi — three stars
• Equatorial Guinea — six stars
• Falkland Islands (UK overseas territory) — five stars
• Slovenia — three stars

Many-pointed star

One many-pointed star

• Bangsamoro (autonomous region of the Philippines) — seven-pointed star
• Jordan — seven-pointed star
• Malaysia — 14-pointed star
• Marshall Islands — 24-pointed star
• Namibia — twelve-pointed star
• Nauru — twelve-pointed star
• Azerbaijan — eight-pointed star

Many many-pointed stars

• Australia — one 5-pointed star and five 7-pointed stars

Stars and stripes

Stars and alternating stripes

• Cuba
• Liberia
• Malaysia
• Puerto Rico (unincorporated organized US territory)
• Togo
• United States
• West Papua (proposed nation state and member of UNPO)

Stars and varying stripes

• Aruba (constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
• Azerbaijan
• Cape Verde
• Chile
• Comoros
• Croatia
• Djibouti
• Gagauzia / Gagauz-Yeri (an Autonomous Territorial Unit of Moldova)
• Ghana
• Guinea-Bissau
• Honduras
• Jordan
• North Korea
• Libya
• Myanmar
• Nauru
• Philippines
• Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (partially recognized autonomous self-governing nation state not recognized by the UN)
• São Tomé and Príncipe
• Singapore
• Slovenia
• Somaliland (partially recognized autonomous self-governing nation state not recognized by the UN)
• South Sudan
• Suriname
• Syria
• Tajikistan
• Uzbekistan
• Venezuela

Stars in southern cross pattern

• Australia
• Brazil
• Cocos Islands (external territory of Australia)
• Christmas Island (external territory of Australia)
• New Zealand
• Papua New Guinea
• Samoa
• Tokelau (dependent territory of New Zealand)

Book

• Dominican Republic — Bible
• Mozambique — book

Building

• Afghanistan (2013–2021) — mosque
• Bolivia (government/state flag only — national civil flag is without the arms) — church (Chapel of the Sacred Heart of Jesus)
• Cambodia — the Temple of Angkor Wat
• Gibraltar (UK overseas territory) — castle
• Kyrgyzstan — sun with the roof of the traditional Kyrgyz yurt
• Portugal — seven castles
• San Marino — three castles
• Sint Maarten (constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands) — courthouse
• Spain — castle

Headgear

Cap / hat

• Bolivia (government/state flag only — national civil flag is without the arms) — a Phrygian cap
• El Salvador — a Phrygian cap
• Haiti — a Phrygian cap
• Lesotho — a mokorotlo
• Nicaragua — a Phrygian cap
• Paraguay reverse side — a Phrygian cap

Crown / tiara

• Alderney (UK Crown dependency under the Bailiwick of Guernsey) — a crowned lion
• Austria (government/state flag only — national civil flag is without the arms) — a crown
• Free City of Danzig (1920–1939) — a crown
• British Indian Ocean Territory (UK Overseas Territory) — the St Edward's Crown
• Liechtenstein — a crown
• Montenegro — a crown
• San Marino (government/state flag only — national civil flag is without the arms) — a crown
• Seborga (unrecognized micronation) — a crown
• Serbia — a crown
• Spain — a crown
• Vatican City — the Papal tiara

Map

• Bangladesh (1971 — flag of the war of independence)
• Antarctica
• Christmas Island (external territory of Australia)
• Cyprus
• Kosovo (partially recognized autonomous self-governing nation state inc. all G7 nations and administered by the UN)
• The United Nations (supra-national political inter-governmental organization) — a map of the world

Ships

• Ascension Island (UK overseas territory) — ship as the crest on the coat of arms
• Belize — on the coat of arms
• Bermuda (UK overseas territory) — foundering on rocks on the coat of arms
• British Antarctic Territory (UK overseas territory) — RRS Discovery as the crest on the coat of arms
• Costa Rica (government/state flag only — national civil flag is without the arms)
• Ecuador
• Falkland Islands (UK overseas territory) — on the coat of arms
• French Polynesia (overseas self-governing collectivity of France to be concurrently displayed with the Tricoleur français) — a twin-hulled Polynesian canoe / catamaran
• Saint Helena (UK overseas territory) — on the coat of arms
• Tokelau (dependent territory of New Zealand) — a Tokelauan oceanic canoe
• Tristan da Cunha (UK overseas territory) — ship as the crest and naval crown on the coat of arms

Tool, instrument, or device

• American Samoa (unincorporated organized US territory) — fly-whisk
• Angola — half-gear and a machete
• Austria (government/state flag only — national civil flag is without the arms) — broken chain, hammer and sickle (non-communist)
• Belize — axes and a saw
• British Antarctic Territory (UK overseas territory) — a flaming torch
• Ecuador — a fasces (a bound bundle of wooden sticks around an axe), the ancient symbol representative of a state bound to its leader
• Gibraltar (UK overseas territory) — a key
• India — Ashoka Chakra or a wheel of Dharma
• Montserrat — a harp
• Mozambique — a hoe
• New Caledonia (overseas self-governing collectivity of France to be concurrently displayed with the Tricoleur français) — a flèche faîtière / carved rooftop spire or finial
• Portugal — armillary sphere
• Sikkim (royal state flag from 1877→1975) — a wheel of Dharma
• Sikkim (1967→1975) — a wheel of Dharma
• Spain — golden chains cross-linked in an orle border
• Transnistria (unrecognized breakaway state from Moldova under military occupation by Russia) — crossed hammer and sickle emblem
• Vatican City — the two crossed Papal keys of St Peter / Heaven

Historically

• Burma (1974–2010) — gear wheel
• Republic of the Congo (1970→1991) — a hammer and a hoe
• East Germany (1959–1990) – a hammer and a compass
• Soviet Union (1917–1991) — a hammer and sickle crossed
  •  Armenian SSR
  •  Azerbaijan SSR
  •  Byelorussian SSR
  •  Estonian SSR
  •  Georgian SSR
  •  Kazakh SSR
  •  Kirghiz SSR
  •  Latvian SSR
  •  Lithuanian SSR
  •  Moldavian SSR
  •  Russian SFSR
  •  Tajik SSR
  •  Turkmen SSR
  •  Ukrainian SSR
  •  Uzbek SSR

Weaponry

• American Samoa (unincorporated organized US territory) — mace / war club
• Angola — machete
• Bangsamoro (autonomous region of the Philippines) — kris sword
• Barbados — trident-head
• Bolivia — cannon, rifles with bayonets and an axe
• Eswatini — assegai spears and nguni shield
• Guatemala — two crossed sabres and two crossed Remington rifles
• Haiti — cannon
• Kenya — Maasai spears and shield
• Mozambique — Avtomat Kalashnikova AK-47 assault rifle with a bayonet
• Oman — swords and Khanjar dagger
• Saudi Arabia — sword
• Sri Lanka — sword
• Venezuela (government/state flag only — national civil flag is without the arms) — sword, sabre, and three lances

Other symbols

• Mongolia — Soyombo symbol
• Peru (government/state flag only)) — cornucopia
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines — three lozenges in a close V formation
• South Korea — a Taegeuk and four black trigrams
• Venezuela (government/state flag only — national civil flag is without the arms) — cornucopia
• Zaire (1971–1997) — a hand holding a flaming torch,

Text

Main article: List of inscribed flags

Country name

• Bolivia (government/state flag only — national civil flag is without the arms)
• Costa Rica (government/state flag only — national civil flag is without the arms)
• Egypt – the text reads: Jumhūriyyat Miṣr al-ʿArabiyyah in Arabic meaning "Arab Republic of Egypt".
• Guam (unincorporated organized US territory)
• Mayotte (unofficial flag of the overseas department of France)
• Nicaragua
• Paraguay
• Rwanda (1962–2001) — the letter 'R' for Rwanda
• Venezuela (government/state flag only — national civil flag is without the arms)

Motto

• Afghanistan (under an unrecognized government) – the Shahada (an Islamic creed meaning "There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his Prophet") written in the Thuluth script
• Andorra – Virtus unita fortior, Latin for "United virtue is stronger"
• Belize – Sub Umbra Floreo, Latin for "Under the shade I flourish"
• British Antarctic Territory (UK overseas territory) — "Research and Discovery"
• Brazil – Ordem e Progresso, Portuguese for "Order and Progress".
• Equatorial Guinea – Unidad, Paz, Justicia, Spanish for "Unity, Peace, Justice"
• Iran – the Takbir (Allahu akbar, meaning "God is great") in the Kufic script 11 times in each fimbriated strip.
• Iraq – the Takbir written in the Kufic script.
• South Korea — a Taegeuk and four black trigrams representing four-fold fundamental principles of universal harmony
• San Marino – Libertas, Latin for "Freedom".
• Saudi Arabia – the Shahada, the Islamic creed meaning "There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his prophet", written in the Thuluth script.
• Somaliland (partially recognized autonomous self-governing nation state not recognized by the UN) – the Shahada
• Spain – Plus ultra, Latin for "Further beyond"

Country name and motto

• Afghanistan (2013–2021) — the lowest line of text reads Afghanistan in the Pashto alphabet, and the calligraphic text at the top is the Shahada with the Takbir written beneath it.
• Brunei — the line of text on the crescent reads: Sentiasa Membuat Kebajikan Dengan Petunjuk Allah, meaning "Always render service with God's guidance", while the lower line reads Brunei Darussalam, both in the Jawi script.
• El Salvador — the name of the country encircles the coat of arms, which features inside the motto Dios, Unión, Libertad, Spanish for "God, Unity, Freedom"
• Dominican Republic — the motto Dios, Patria, Libertad, Spanish for "God, Homeland, Freedom", can be read above the coat of arms at the center, below is the name of the country.

Other texts

• California – the name of the short lived and unrecognized state of the "California Republic", which preceded California's admission into the US
• Dominican Republic – the Bible is opened to the Gospel of John, chapter 8, verse 32, which reads Y la verdad los hará libres, which translates to "And the truth shall set you free" from Spanish.
• Guatemala – Libertad 15 de septiembre de 1821, a combination of the Spanish word for "Freedom" and the date of independence of the former Federal Republic of Central America from Spain.
• Haiti – L'union fait la force, French for "Union makes strength", which differs from the country's official motto Liberté, égalité, fraternité
• Malta – "For Gallantry" can be read at the George Cross carried in the canton.

Bordering stripe

See also: Bordure

• Grenada
• Guam
• Maldives
• Montenegro
• Nepal
• Sri Lanka

Hoist variants

Vertical band on hoist

See also: Side (heraldry)

• Belarus
• Benin
• Guinea-Bissau
• Kazakhstan
• Madagascar
• Oman
• Pakistan
•  The Russian SFSR (1917→1991 — constituent republic of the Soviet Union)
• Saudi Arabia (1744→1818; 1822→1913, hoist at right)
• Seborga (unrecognized micronation)
• South African Republic (1852→1902)
• Republic of Texas (1839→1845)
• Turkmenistan
• United Arab Emirates
• Valencia (autonomous community of Spain)
• West Papua (proposed nation state and member of UNPO)

Canton — upper left quarter

See also: Canton (flag)

• Chile
• Greece
• Liberia
• Malaysia
• Republic of China (Taiwan)
• Samoa
• Togo
• Tonga
• United States
• Uruguay

Historically

• Georgia (1918–1921)
•  Georgian SSR (1951–1990) (Constituent republic of the Soviet Union)
• Georgia (1990–2004)
• Burma (1974–2010)

Triangle(s) on hoist — pile

See also: Pile (heraldry)

• Bahamas
• Comoros
• Cuba
• Czech Republic
• Djibouti

• 

  Al-Muwaḥḥidūn / Druze people of the Levant (A major Levantine religious and cultural group, resident across many nations without their own nation state)
• East Timor
• Eritrea
• Equatorial Guinea
• Guyana
• Jamaica
• Jordan
• Mozambique
• Martinique (overseas department of France to be concurrently displayed with the Tricoleur français)
• Palestine
• Philippines
• Puerto Rico (unincorporated organized US territory)
• The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (partially recognized autonomous self-governing nation state of the Western Sahara not recognized by the UN)
• São Tomé and Príncipe
• Sint Maarten (constituent country of the Netherlands)
• South Africa
• South Sudan
• Sudan
• Tigray (national regional state of Ethiopia)
• Tuva (republic of Russia)
• Vanuatu
• Zimbabwe

Triangle(s) on hoist — pall

See also: Pall (heraldry)

• South Africa
• Tuva (republic of Russia)
• Vanuatu

Triangle(s) pointing towards hoist

• American Samoa (unincorporated organized US territory)

Diagonal divisions and stripes

Diagonally divided field

See also: Division of the field § Common divisions of the field

• Bhutan
• China (1862→1889)
• Christmas Island (external territory of Australia)
• Papua New Guinea

Diagonal stripes

• Bonaire (Netherlands Caribbean) - single broad off-center diagonal stripe
• Brunei - two diagonal stripes
• The Solomon Islands - single thin diagonal stripe

• 

  Wiphala (alternative recognised flag of Bolivia used since 2009 for the native Incan peoples of South America in Bolivia and surrounding nations) — implied 13 diagonals of squares in a rainbow pattern of seven colours in a seven-by-seven square

Fimbriated diagonal stripes

See also: Bend (heraldry)

• Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Namibia
• Saint Kitts and Nevis
• Tanzania
• Trinidad and Tobago

Many radiating diagonal stripes

• Marshall Islands — two radiating stripes on a navy field
• Seychelles — five radiating stripes

Horizontal divisions and stripes

Horizontal bi-color divisions and stripes

One horizontal bi-color division — equal

• Angola
• Burkina Faso
• Greenland (overseas autonomous territory of Denmark)
• Haiti
• Indonesia
• Liechtenstein
• Monaco
• Poland
• Singapore
• San Marino
• Ukraine
• Wales (UK constituent country)

One horizontal bi-color division — unequal

• The Azerbaijan SSR (1951–1991) (constituent republic of the Soviet Union)
• Gibraltar (UK overseas territory)
• The Ukrainian SSR (1950–1992) (constituent republic of the Soviet Union)

One horizontal bi-color division with a band or a triangle at the hoist

• Belarus
• The Byelorussian SSR (1951–1991) (constituent republic of the Soviet Union)
• Benin
• The Czech Republic
• Djibouti
• Guinea-Bissau
• Madagascar
• Martinique (overseas department of France to be concurrently displayed with the Tricoleur français)
• The Philippines
• Sint Maarten

Three horizontal bi-color stripes — equal

See also: triband (flag) and fess

• Argentina
• Austria
• Belarus (1918–1919, 1991–1995)
• El Salvador
• Honduras
• Nicaragua

Three horizontal bi-color stripes — thin-and-thick

• The Armenian SSR (1952→1992) (constituent republic of the Soviet Union)
• Belize
• Cambodia
• Curacao (constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
• French Polynesia (overseas collectivity of France)
• The Georgian SSR (1951→1991) (constituent republic of the Soviet Union)
• Guam (unincorporated organized US territory)
• Israel
• The Kazakh SSR (1953→1992) (constituent republic of the Soviet Union)
• Laos
• Latvia
• Lebanon
• Mauritania
• The Moldavian SSR (1952→1992) (constituent republic of the Soviet Union)
• Northern Cyprus (autonomous self-governing nation state recognized only by Turkey, not recognized by the UN)
• Nauru
• Spain
• Transnistria (unrecognized breakaway state from Moldova under military occupation by Russia)

Three horizontal bi-color stripes with a band or a triangle at the hoist

• Bahamas
• São Tomé and Príncipe

Three horizontal bi-color stripes — fimbriated thin-and-thick

See also: Fimbriation

• Botswana
• The Estonian SSR (1940→1990) (constituent republic of the Soviet Union) — wavy
• Eswatini
• The Kirghiz SSR (1952→1992) (constituent republic of the Soviet Union)
• North Korea
• The Latvian SSR (1953→1990) (constituent republic of the Soviet Union) — wavy
• The Lithuanian SSR (1940→1990) (constituent republic of the Soviet Union)
• Suriname
• The Uzbek SSR (1952→1992) (constituent republic of the Soviet Union)

Many horizontal bi-color stripes — equal

• Catalonia (autonomous community of Spain) — nine stripes

Many horizontal bi-color stripes with a band, a canton, or a triangle at the hoist

• Abkhazia (partially recognized) — seven stripes
• Cuba — five stripes
• Greece — nine stripes
• Liberia — eleven stripes
• Malaysia — fourteen stripes
• Puerto Rico (unincorporated organized US territory) — five stripes
• Seborga (unrecognized micronation) — eighteen stripes
• Togo — five stripes
• United States — thirteen stripes
• Uruguay — nine stripes
• Valencia (autonomous community of Spain) — nine stripes
• West Papua (partially recognized) — thirteen stripes

Many horizontal bi-color stripes — unequal

• Aruba (constituent country of the Netherlands) — five
• The Turkmen SSR (1953→1992) (constituent republic of the Soviet Union)
• South Vietnam (1949–1975) — seven

Horizontal tri-color stripes

Three horizontal tri-color stripes — equal

See also: tricolor

• Armenia
• Republic of Artsakh (1992→2023 — partially recognized autonomous self-governing Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan, not recognized by the UN)
• Azerbaijan
• Bangsamoro (autonomous region in the Philippines)
• Bolivia
• Bulgaria
• Croatia
• Egypt
• Estonia
• Ethiopia
• Gabon
• Germany
• Ghana
• Hungary
• India
• Iran
• Iraq
• Kurdistan (partially recognized autonomous self-governing nation state of Iraq not recognized by the UN)
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Malawi
• Myanmar
• Netherlands
• New Caledonia (overseas collectivity of France)
• Niger
• Paraguay
• Russia
• Sierra Leone
• Serbia
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Somaliland (partially recognized autonomous self-governing nation state not recognized by the UN)
• South Ossetia (unrecognized breakaway state from Georgia under military occupation by Russia)
• Syria
• Venezuela
• Yemen
• Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1946→1992)
• Zanzibar (semi-autonomous region in Tanzania)

Three horizontal tri-color stripes — unequal

• Afghanistan (1974→1978)

• 

  Chagos Islands (territory in negotiated transfer process from the UK to Mauritius)
• Colombia
• Crimea (unrecognized breakaway state from Ukraine under military occupation by Russia)
• Ecuador
• Gagauzia / Gagauz-Yeri (an Autonomous Territorial Unit of Moldova)
• Gambia
• Lesotho
• Libya
• Rwanda
• Tajikistan

Three horizontal tri-color stripes with a band or a triangle at the hoist

• Antigua and Barbuda
• Equatorial Guinea
• Jordan
• Kuwait
• Mozambique
• Oman
• Palestine
• Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (partially recognized autonomous self-governing nation state not recognized by the UN)
• The South African Republic (1852→1902)
• South Sudan
• Sudan
• The United Arab Emirates

Three horizontal tri-color stripes — fimbriated

See also: Fimbriation

• Eswatini
• Kenya
• Uzbekistan

Five horizontal tri-color stripes — unequal

• Cape Verde
• Costa Rica
• Suriname
• Thailand

Many horizontal tri-color stripes — equal

• Uganda - 6 stripes

Horizontal stripes in many colors

Four horizontal stripes in four colors — equal

• Central African Republic
• Comoros
• Mauritius

• 

  Al-Muwaḥḥidūn / Druze people of the Levant (A major Levantine religious and cultural group, resident across many nations without their own nation state)

Five horizontal stripes in five colors — equal

• Republic of China (1912–1928) (Taiwan)
• Manchukuo (Manchurian puppet state controlled by Japan — 1932→1945)

Vertical divisions and stripes

Vertical bi-color divisions and stripes

One vertical bi-color division — equal

• Algeria
• Malta
• Vatican City

One vertical bi-color division — unequal

• Pakistan
• Portugal
•  The Russian SFSR (1954→1991) (constituent republic of the Soviet Union)

One vertical bi-color division — unequal serrated

• Bahrain
• Qatar

Three vertical bi-color stripes — equal

See also: triband and pale

• Barbados
• Guatemala
• Mongolia
• Nigeria
• Peru

Three vertical bi-color stripes — unequal

Further information: Canadian pale

• Canada
• Norfolk Island (Australian external territory)

Vertical tri-color stripes

Three vertical tri-color stripes — equal

See also: tricolor

• Afghanistan (2013–2021)
• Belgium
• Cameroon
• Chad
• France
• Guinea
• Ireland
• Italy
• Ivory Coast
• Mali
• Mexico
• Moldova
• Romania
• Rwanda (1962–2001)
• Senegal

Triangle

Triangle(s) in center — chevron

See also: chevron (insignia)

• Antigua and Barbuda
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Saint Lucia

Unique aspect ratio

Most common aspect ratio is 2:3, followed by 1:2.

The following flags have a distinctive aspect ratio:

• Belgium: Aspect ratio of 13:15
• El Salvador: Aspect ratio of 189:335
• Monaco: Aspect ratio of 4:5
• Nepal: The only national flag that is not rectangular, being made with 5 sides, and the only one that is higher than wide. Bordering aspect ratio of ~ 6:5
• Niger: Aspect ratio of 6:7
• Qatar: The largest aspect ratio of any national flag, the flag's width 2.545 times as large as the height. Aspect ratio of 11:28
• Switzerland: (Square-shaped) Aspect ratio of 1:1
• Togo: The aspect ratio is of Fibonacci's golden ratio that is approximately 1:1.618 ≈ 13:21
• Vatican City: Undefined. The aspect ratio is usually defined around 1:1. However, it is not exactly 1:1.

See also

• List of flags by design
• Flag families
• Gallery of sovereign state flags
• Vexillology

External links

• Extensive list of similar flags from around the world