National flag
A national flag is a flag that symbolises a country. The flag is flown by the government, but usually can also be flown by citizens of the country.
Both public and private buildings such as schools and courthouses may fly the national flag. In some countries, the national flags are only flown from non-military buildings on certain flag days.
History
Historically, flags originate as military standards, used as field signs. The practice of flying flags indicating the country of origin outside of the context of warfare emerges with the maritime flag, introduced during the age of sail, in the early 17th century. The origins of the Union Jack flag date back to 1603, when James VI of Scotland inherited the English and Irish thrones (as James I), thereby uniting the crowns of England, Scotland and Ireland in a personal union (which remained separate states). On 12 April 1606, a new flag to represent this regal union between England and Scotland was specified in a royal decree, according to which the flag of England (a red cross on a white background, known as St George's Cross), and the flag of Scotland (a white saltire on a blue background, known as the Saltire or St Andrew's Cross), would be joined together, forming the flag of Great Britain and first Union Flag.
With the emergence of nationalist sentiment from the late 18th century the desire was felt to display national flags also in civilian contexts,[1] notably the US flag, in origin adopted as a naval ensign in 1777, which after the American Revolution[year needed] began to be displayed as a generic symbol of the United States, and the French Tricolore which became a symbol of the Republic in the 1790s.
Most countries of Europe adopted a national flag in the course of the 19th and early 20th centuries, often based on older (medieval) war flags. The specifications of the flag of Denmark were codified in 1748, based on a 14th-century design.[2] The flag of Switzerland was introduced in 1889, also based on medieval war flags. The Netherlands introduced two national flags in 1813 (either an orange-white-blue or a red-white-blue tricolour; the final decision in favour of red was made in 1937). The non-European powers followed the trend in the late 19th century, the flag of Japan being introduced in 1870, that of Qing China in 1890. Also in the 19th century, most countries of South America introduced a flag as they became independent (Peru in 1820, Bolivia in 1851, Colombia in 1860, Brazil in 1822, etc.) Afghanistan had more changes of its national flag during the 20th and 21st centuries than any other country in the world, having 21 flags from 1901 to the present.[3]
Disputes
Sometimes countries change flag after a change in regime or government, and the various sides in civil wars may use different flags. The flag of Germany, for instance, was a tricolour of black-white-red under the German Empire. The Weimar Republic that followed adopted a black-red-gold tricolour. Nazi Germany went back to black-white-red in 1933, and black-red-gold was reinstituted by the two successor states, the West Germany and East Germany following World War II. Similarly the flag of Libya introduced with the creation of the Kingdom of Libya in 1951 was abandoned in 1969 with the coup d'état led by Muammar Gaddafi. It was used again by National Transitional Council and by anti-Gaddafi forces during the Libyan civil war in 2011 and officially adopted by the Libyan interim Constitutional Declaration. In such cases national flags may acquire meaning as political symbols.
Usage
There are three distinct types of national flag for use on land, and three for use at sea, though many countries use identical designs for several (and sometimes all) of these types of flag.
On land
On land, there is a distinction between civil flags (FIAV symbol 
), state flags (
), and war or military flags (
). State flags are those used officially by government agencies, whereas civil flags may be flown by anyone regardless of whether he/she is linked to government. War flags (also called military flags) are used by military organisations such as Armies, Marine Corps, or Air Forces.
In practice, many countries (such as the United States and the United Kingdom) have identical flags for these three purposes; national flag is sometimes used as a vexillological term to refer to such a three-purpose flag (
). In a number of countries, however, and notably those in Latin America, there is a distinct difference between civil and state flags. In most cases, the civil flag is a simplified version of the state flag, with the difference often being the presence of a coat of arms on the state flag that is absent from the civil flag.
Very few countries use a war flag that differs from the state flag. The People's Republic of China, the Republic of China (Taiwan), and Japan are notable examples of this. Swallow-tailed flags are used as war flags and naval ensigns in Nordic countries and charged versions as presidential or royal standards. The Philippines does not have a distinctive war flag in this usual sense, but the flag of the Philippines is legally unique in that it is flown with the red stripe on top when the country is in a state of war, rather than the conventional blue.
At sea
The flag that indicates nationality on a ship is called an ensign. As with the national flags, there are three varieties: the civil ensign (
), flown by private vessels; state ensigns (also called government ensigns; 
), flown by government ships; and war ensigns (also called naval ensigns; 
), flown by naval vessels. The ensign is flown from an ensign-staff at the stern of the ship, or from a gaff when underway. Both these positions are superior to any other on the ship, even though the masthead is higher. In the absence of a gaff the ensign may be flown from the yardarm. (See Maritime flags.) National flags may also be flown by aircraft and the land vehicles of important officials. In the case of aircraft, those flags are usually painted on, and those are usually to be painted on in the position as if they were blowing in the wind.
In some countries, such as the United States and Canada (except for the Royal Canadian Navy's Ensign), the national ensign is identical to the national flag, while in others, such as the United Kingdom and Japan, there are specific ensigns for maritime use. Most countries do not have a separate state ensign, although the United Kingdom is a rare exception, in having a red ensign for civil use, a white ensign as its naval ensign, and a blue ensign for government non-military vessels.
Protocol
There is a great deal of protocol involved in the proper display of national flags. A general rule is that the national flag should be flown in the position of honour, and not in an inferior position to any other flag (although some countries make an exception for royal standards). The following rules are typical of the conventions when flags are flown on land:
- When a national flag is displayed together with any other flags, it must be hoisted first and lowered last.
- When a national flag is displayed together with the national flags of other countries, all the flags should be of approximately equal size and must be flown at an equal height, although the national flag of the host country should be flown in the position of honour (in the centre of an odd number of flagpoles or at the far right — left from an observer's point of view — of an even number of flagpoles).
- When a national flag is displayed together with flags other than national flags, it should be flown on a separate flagpole, either higher or in the position of honour.
- When a national flag is displayed together with any other flags on the same flagpole, it must be at the top, though separate flagpoles are preferable.
- When a national flag is displayed together with any other flag on crossed flagpoles, the national flag must be on the observer's left and its flagpole must be in front of the flagpole of the other flag.
- When a national flag is displayed together with another flag or flags in procession, the national flag must be on the marching right. If there is a row of flags, it should be in the position of honour.
- When a national flag, with some exceptions, is flown upside down it indicates distress. This however is merely tradition. It is not a recognised distress signal according the International regulations for preventing collisions at sea. Further, a nation's flag is commonly flown inverted as a sign of protest or contempt against the country concerned. As of now, only the flag of the Philippines recognises the distress symbolism of the reverse flag.
Hanging a flag vertically
Most flags are hung vertically by rotating the flag pole. However, some countries have specific protocols for this purpose or even have special flags for vertical hanging; usually rotating some elements of the flag — such as the coat of arms — so that they are seen in an upright position.[4]
Examples of countries that have special protocol for vertical hanging are: Canada, Czech Republic, Greece, Israel, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and the United States (reverse always showing); and the United Kingdom (obverse always showing).
Examples of countries that have special designs for vertical hanging are: Austria, Germany, Hungary, Mexico, Poland, and Slovakia (coat of arms must be rotated to normal position); Cambodia (coat of arms must be rotated and blue strips are narrowed); Dominica (coat of arms must be rotated and reverse always showing); Liechtenstein (crown must be rotated).
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Vertical variation of the flag of Slovakia. -
Vertical variation of the flag of Greece. -
Vertical variation of the flag of the United States. -
Vertical variation of the flag of Germany.
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Design
The art and practice of designing flags is known as vexillography. The design of national flags has seen a number of customs become apparent.
All national flags are rectangular, except for the flag of Nepal. The ratios of height to width vary among national flags, but none is taller than it is wide, again except for the flag of Nepal. The flags of Switzerland and the Vatican City are the only national flags which are exact squares.
The obverse and reverse of all national flags are either identical or mirrored, except for the flag of Paraguay.
As of 2011, all national flags consist of at least two different colours. In many cases, the different colours are presented in either horizontal or vertical bands. It is particularly common for colours to be presented in bands of three.
It is common for many flags to feature national symbols, such as coats of arms. National patterns are present in some flags. Variations in design within a national flag can be common in the flag's upper left quarter, or canton.
Colours
The most popular colours in national flags are red, white, green, dark blue, yellow, light blue, and black.[5] The graph on the right shows the proportion of the surface colour across all national flags. The occurrence of each colour in all the flags is listed in detail in the table below.[5] The table shows that the colours light brown, dark brown and grey only occur in very small quantities. In fact, they only occur in the symbols of flags, such as in the Spanish flag.
| Colour | % Surface | Count of flags |
|---|---|---|
| red | 0.3032 | 155 |
| white | 0.1826 | 144 |
| green | 0.1494 | 97 |
| dark blue | 0.1101 | 68 |
| yellow | 0.0956 | 102 |
| light blue | 0.0920 | 44 |
| black | 0.0512 | 69 |
| orange | 0.0092 | 12 |
| purple | 0.0053 | 6 |
| light brown | 0.0007 | 12 |
| dark brown | 0.0004 | 10 |
| grey | 0.0003 | 7 |
Similarities
Although the national flag is meant to be a unique symbol for a country, many pairs of countries have highly similar flags. Examples include the flags of 
Monaco and 
Indonesia, which differ only slightly in proportion; the flags of the 
Netherlands and 
Luxembourg, which differ in proportion as well as in the tint of blue used; and the flags of 
Romania and 
Chad, which differ only in the tint of blue.
The flags of 
Ireland and 
Côte d'Ivoire and the flags of 
Mali and 
Guinea are (aside from shade or ratio differences) vertically mirrored versions from each other. This means that the reverse of one flag matches the obverse of the other. Other than horizontal mirrored flags (like 
Poland and Indonesia) the direction in which these flags fly are crucial to identify them.
There are three colour combinations that are used on several flags in certain regions. Blue, white, and red is a common combination in Slavic countries such as the 
Czech Republic, 
Slovakia], 
Russia, 
Serbia, 
Slovenia, and 
Croatia] as well as among Western nations including 
Australia, 
France, 
Iceland, 
Norway, 
New Zealand, the 
United Kingdom, the Netherlands and the 
United States of America. Many African nations use red, yellow, and green, including 
Ghana, 
Cameroon, Mali and 
Senegal. Flags containing red, white, and black can be found particularly among the Arab nations such as 
Egypt, 
Iraq and 
Yemen.
While some similarities are coincidental, others are rooted in shared histories. For example, the flags of 
Colombia, of 
Ecuador, and of 
Venezuela all use variants of the 
Gran Colombia, the country they composed upon their independence from Spain, created by the Venezuelan independence hero Francisco de Miranda; and the flags of Egypt, of Iraq, of 
Syria, and of Yemen are all highly similar variants of the flag of the Arab revolt of 1916–1918. The flags of Romania and 
Moldova are virtually the same, because of the common history and heritage. Moldova adopted the Romanian flag during the declaration of independence from the USSR in 1991 (and was used in various demonstrations and revolts by the population) and later the Moldovan coat of arms (which is part of the Romanian coat of arms) was placed in the centre of the flag. The Nordic countries all have the same design ( Iceland, 
Denmark, Norway, 
Sweden, 
Finland], in addition to the autonomous regions of the 
Faroe Islands and 
Åland), a horizontal cross on a single-coloured background. The United States and United Kingdom both have red, white, and blue. This similarity is due to the fact that the first 13 states of the U.S. were former colonies of the United Kingdom. Also, Australia and New Zealand share a very similar flag, which stems from their joint British heritage. Both of these flags feature the Union Jack in one corner, both have royal blue background, and both have the Southern Cross as a prominent feature. The only differences between these flags is that the Australian flag has the Commonwealth Star below the canton, and that on the New Zealand flag, just four stars in the Southern Cross are presented, and they are five-pointed red stars with white borders. On the other hand, all five stars of the Southern Cross are presented on the Australian flag, and they are white with seven points, except for the additional smaller fifth star in the Southern Cross which has only five points on this flag. Some similarities to the United States flag with the red and white stripes are noted as well such as the flag of 
Malaysia and the flag of 
Liberia, the latter of which was an American resettlement colony.
Many other similarities may be found among current national flags, particularly if inversions of colour schemes are considered (e.g., compare the flag of Senegal to that of Cameroon and Indonesia to Poland. Still more identical or closely similar pairs exist comparing present day and historical flags; for example, the current 
Albania was the war flag of the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire.
See also
References
- ^ "Flags" in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
- ^ Dannebrog (in Danish). Den Store Danske. 2014. Retrieved 2014-06-13.
- ^ http://flagspot.net/flags/af_his.html
- ^ Nelson, Phil (2005-12-31), Hanging Flags Vertically, Flags of the World.
- ^ a b Bartneck, Christoph; Adrian Clark (2014). "Semi-Automatic Color Analysis For Brand Logos". Color Research and Application. doi:10.1002/col.21853.
External links
- Flags of the World, a massive online vexillological database on national and many other kinds of flags
- The World All Countries Flags, a website about national symbols
- World Flag Database reverse search for ID by colour and layout
- Collection of Sovereign State Flags for web and software developers
- [1] for flag construction diagrams, flags of subnational entities, historical flags and country subdivisions
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| National coats of arms | |
