Flag With Blue Patch and One Star Red and White Stripe

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 stars, stripes, and crosses, 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 to represent languages.

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.

Flags of uncommon shapes [edit]

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

Star [edit]

One five-pointed star in center [edit]

See also the list of flags featuring crescents, below, many of which include a five-pointed star in the crescent.

One five-pointed star on hoist [edit]

One five-pointed star on canton [edit]

Multiple five-pointed stars of equal size [edit]

Circle of five-pointed stars [edit]

Multiple five-pointed stars in different sizes [edit]

National flag of People's Republic of China

Six-pointed [edit]

Many-pointed [edit]

One many-pointed star [edit]

National seal of the Marshall Islands

Multiple many-pointed stars [edit]

National flag of Azerbaijan

Australia (one 5-pointed star, five 7-pointed)

Southern Cross [edit]

Stars and stripes [edit]

flag of the United States of America

Crescents [edit]

Facing up [edit]

Facing fly [edit]

Facing diagonally [edit]

National flag of Pakistan

Circle [edit]

One circle in center [edit]

One circle on hoist [edit]

National flag of Bangladesh

One broken or implied circle [edit]

Triangle [edit]

Triangle(s) in centre [edit]

National flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Triangle(s) on hoist [edit]

National flag of the Czech Republic

Horizontal stripes in two colors [edit]

Two horizontal stripes [edit]

Equal [edit]

National flag of Indonesia

Unequal [edit]

Three horizontal stripes [edit]

Equal [edit]

National flag of Argentina

Thin-and-thick [edit]

National flag of Cambodia

Fimbriated thin-and-thick [edit]

National flag of North Korea

Many equal horizontal stripes [edit]

Flag	Number of stripes	Status
Abkhazia	7	(unrecognized)
Cuba	5
Greece	9
Liberia	11
Malaysia	14
Puerto Rico	5	(unincorporated territory of the United States)
Seborga	18	(micronation)
Togo	5
Uruguay	9
United States	13
Republic of West Papua	13	(unrecognized) (Morning Star Flag)

Horizontal stripes in three colors [edit]

Three horizontal stripes [edit]

Equal [edit]

Unequal [edit]

Five unequal horizontal stripes [edit]

Horizontal stripes in more colors [edit]

Four equal horizontal stripes in four colors [edit]

Five equal horizontal stripes in five colors [edit]

China (1912-1928)

Vertical stripes [edit]

Two equal vertical stripes in two colors [edit]

Two unequal vertical stripes in two colors [edit]

Two unequal serrated vertical stripes in two colors [edit]

Three equal vertical stripes in two colors [edit]

National flag of Guatemala

Three equal vertical stripes in three colors [edit]

Three unequal vertical stripes [edit]

Cross flags [edit]

Nordic Cross flag [edit]

Saint George's Cross [edit]

Diagonal stripes [edit]

Two diagonal stripes [edit]

National flag of Papua New Guinea

Three fimbriated diagonal stripes [edit]

National flag of Tanzania

Many radiating diagonal stripes [edit]

National flag of the Marshall Islands

Pall [edit]

National flag of South Africa

Cross [edit]

Upright centred cross [edit]

National flag of the Dominican Republic

Saint George's Cross [edit]

Nordic Cross [edit]

Nordic Cross in two colors [edit]

Nordic Cross in three colors [edit]

One cross in emblem [edit]

National flag of Slovakia

Diagonal cross [edit]

St. Andrew's Cross [edit]

Upright and diagonal centred crosses [edit]

National flag of the United Kingdom

Union Jack [edit]

flag of South Africa (1928–1994)

National flag of Canada 1957–1965

Additionally, the Union Jack features in many territorial and sub-national flags. These are often Red Ensigns (e.g., Bermuda) or Blue Ensigns (e.g., New South Wales and Anguilla). A small number have backgrounds of other colors (e.g. British Antarctic Territory and Niue) or a unique pattern in the field (e.g. British Indian Ocean Territory and Hawaii). A small number put the Union Jack somewhere other than the canton (e.g. British Columbia). Unofficial flags, such as Ross Dependency also use it.

Historically [edit]

Divisions [edit]

Upper left divided from rest of flag [edit]

National flag of the Republic of China (Taiwan)

A canton in a flag is a rectangular area at the top hoist corner of a flag, occupying up to a quarter of the flag's area. The canton of a flag may be a flag in its own right. For instance, British ensigns have the Union Jack as their canton, as do their derivatives such as the national flags of Australia and New Zealand. Following the practice of British ensigns, a canton sometimes contains a symbol of national unity such as the blue field and white stars of the U.S. flag. In these cases, the canton may be called simply the union.

The U.S. flag's canton derives from the British use of the Union Jack in the canton of its possessions (including, historically, the early United States). Subsequently, many New World nations (and other later countries and regions, such as Liberia or Malaysia) that were inspired by the U.S. incorporated elements likewise inspired by the U.S. flag. As a result, many extant uses of a prominent canton derive either from British territorial history, or U.S. influence and inspiration.

Historically [edit]

One vertical stripe on hoist [edit]

Four equal rectangles meeting at center [edit]

Four equal triangles meeting at center [edit]

St. Andrew's Cross

United Kingdom

Cross of Burgundy

United Kingdom

Other symbols and pictures [edit]

Sun [edit]

Moon [edit]

National flag of Bangladesh

Human and Body Parts [edit]

Animal [edit]

Bird [edit]

Eagle [edit]

Livestock [edit]

Lion [edit]

Historically

Coat of arms [edit]

Weaponry [edit]

Ships [edit]

Agricultural and industrial tools [edit]

National flag of the Soviet Union (1955-1991), bright red used in 1980.

Plants [edit]

Fleur-de-lis [edit]

Map [edit]

Building [edit]

Square [edit]

National flag of Switzerland

Other symbols [edit]

Text [edit]

Country name [edit]

National flag of Paraguay

Country name and motto [edit]

National flag of the Dominican Republic

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 "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 the motto "Dios, Unión, Libertad" (Spanish for "God, Unity, Freedom") inside.
Dominican Republic – the motto "Dios, Patria, Libertad" (meaning "God, Homeland, Freedom" in Spanish) can be read above the coat of arms at the center, below is the name of the country.

Motto [edit]

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 – "VIRTVS VNITA FORTIOR", Classical Latin for "United virtue is stronger".
Belize – "Sub Umbra Floreo", meaning "Under the Shade I Flourish" in Latin.
Brazil – "Ordem e Progresso", meaning "Order and Progress" in Portuguese.
Equatorial Guinea – "Unidad, Paz, Justicia", meaning "Unity, Peace, Justice" in Spanish
Iran – the Takbir ("Allahu akbar", which means "God is [the] greatest") written in the Kufic script 11 times.
Iraq – the Takbir written in the Kufic script.
San Marino – "LIBERTAS", Latin for "Freedom".
Saudi Arabia – the Shahada (an Islamic creed meaning "There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his Prophet") written in the Thuluth script.
Somaliland – the Shahada
Spain – "PLVS VLTRA", Latin for "Further beyond".