123-585: A national flag is a flag that represents and symbolizes a given nation . It is flown by the government of that nation, but can also be flown by its citizens . A national flag is typically designed with specific meanings for its colours and symbols, which may also be used separately from the flag as a symbol of the nation. The design of a national flag is sometimes altered after the occurrence of important historical events. Historically, flags originated as military standards , used as field signs . Throughout history, various examples of such proto-flags exist:
246-625: A heraldic device in battle, allowing easier identification of a knight over only the heraldic icon painted on the shield. Already during the high medieval period, and increasingly during the Late Middle Ages , city states and communes such as those of the Old Swiss Confederacy also began to use flags as field signs. Regimental flags for individual units became commonplace during the Early Modern period . During
369-679: A Danish victory. In a third account, also by Petrus Olai, in Danmarks Tolv Herligheder ("Twelve Splendours of Denmark"), in splendour number nine, the same story is retold almost verbatim, with a paragraph inserted correcting the year to 1219. Now, the flag is falling from the sky in the Battle of Lindanise , also known as the Battle of Valdemar (Danish: Volmerslaget ), near Lindanise (Tallinn) in Estonia , of 15 June 1219. It
492-576: A battle of 10 September 1217 near Alcazar in which it is said that a golden cross on white appeared in the sky and brought victory to the Christians. In Swedish national historiography of the 18th century, there is a tale paralleling the Danish legend, in which a golden cross appears in the blue sky during a Swedish battle in Finland in 1157. The white-on-red cross emblem originates in the age of
615-492: 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, West Germany and East Germany , with East Germany's flag being defaced with Communist symbols, 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
738-456: A closed beach (in the UK also other dangers), yellow signifies strong current or difficult swimming conditions, and green represents a beach safe for general swimming. In Ireland, a red and yellow flag indicates that it is safe to swim; a red flag that it is unsafe; and no flag indicates that there are no lifeguards on duty. Blue flags may also be used away from the yellow-red lifesaver area to designate
861-670: 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. The flag that indicates nationality on a ship is called an ensign . As with the national flags, there are three varieties: the civil ensign ( [REDACTED] ), flown by private vessels; state ensigns (also called government ensigns ; [REDACTED] ), flown by government ships; and war ensigns (also called naval ensigns ; [REDACTED] ), flown by naval vessels. The ensign
984-562: A few dozen companies and institutions over the years. Furthermore, the Orlogsflag is described as such only if it has no additional markings. Any swallow-tail flag, no matter the colour, is called a Splitflag provided it bears additional markings. The current version of the royal standard was introduced on 16 November 1972 when the Queen Margrethe II adopted a new version of her personal coat of arms. The royal standard
1107-564: A horizontal crossbar from which it is hoisted, either by a vertical pole (no. 5a) or a horizontal one (no. 5b). The topmost stripe on the horizontal version of the flag normally faces to the left. Flags can play many different roles in religion. In Buddhism , prayer flags are used, usually in sets of five differently coloured flags. Several flags and banners including the Black Standard are associated with Islam . Many national flags and other flags include religious symbols such as
1230-448: A list of exceptions including non-national flags. 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
1353-577: A military fort, base, station or post and at sea at the stern (rear) or main top mast of a warship, a Naval Jack flag and other maritime flags , pennants and emblems are flown at the bow (front). In times of war waving a white flag is a banner of truce, talks/negotiations or surrender. Four distinctive African flags currently in the collection of the National Maritime Museum in Britain were flown in action by Itsekiri ships under
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#17327648137631476-495: A military or naval context began with the rise of nationalism by the end of the 18th century, although some flags date back earlier. The flags of countries such as Austria, Denmark or Turkey have legendary origins while many others, including those of Poland and Switzerland, grew out of the heraldic emblems of the Middle Ages. The 17th century saw the birth of several national flags through revolutionary struggle. One of these
1599-472: A mystery, the oldest flag discovered is made of bronze: a Derafsh or 'flag-like' Shahdad, which was found in Shahdad , Iran, and dates back to c. 2400 BC . It features a seated man and a kneeling woman facing each other, with a star in between. This iconography was found in other Iranian Bronze Age pieces of art. Flags made of cloth were almost certainly the invention of the ancient peoples of
1722-494: A national flag can be common in the flag's upper left quarter, or canton. A third of the world's 196 countries currently have national flags that include religious symbols. This has led to controversy in some secular states in regard to the separation of church and state , when the national symbol is officially sanctioned by a government . The most common colours in national flags are red, white, green, dark blue, yellow, light blue, and black. The only national flag not to include
1845-480: A zone for surfboarding and other small, non-motorised watercraft. Reasons for closing the beach include: A surf flag exists, divided into four quadrants. The top left and bottom right quadrants are black, and the remaining area is white. Signal flag "India" (a black circle on a yellow square) is frequently used to denote a "blackball" zone where surfboards cannot be used but other water activities are permitted. The United States uses beach warning flags created by
1968-478: Is a Danish flag ending in a swallow-tail, it is Dannebrog red and is used on land. The Orlogsflag is an elongated Splitflag with a deeper red colour and is used only at sea. The Orlogsflag with no markings may be used only by the Royal Danish Navy , but there are a few exceptions. A few institutions have been allowed to fly the clean Orlogsflag . The same flag with markings has been approved for
2091-478: Is a distinction between civil flags ( FIAV symbol [REDACTED] ), state flags ( [REDACTED] ), and war or military flags ( [REDACTED] ). Civil flags may be flown by anyone regardless of whether they are linked to government, whereas state flags are those used officially by government agencies. War flags (also called military flags ) are used by military organizations such as Armies, Marine Corps, or Air Forces. In practice, many countries (such as
2214-402: 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: Most flags are hung vertically by rotating
2337-514: 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. Italian naval ensign bears the arms of the Italian Navy : a shield , surmounted by a turreted and rostrum crown , which brings together in four parts the arms of four ancient maritime republics ( Republic of Venice , Republic of Genoa , Republic of Pisa and Republic of Amalfi ). There
2460-423: Is a vertical form of the standard flag. The flag's design may remain unchanged (No. 2a) or it may change, e.g. by changing horizontal stripes to vertical ones (no. 2b). If the flag carries an emblem, it may remain centred or may be shifted slightly upwards. The vertical flag for hoisting from a beam (German: Auslegerflagge or Galgenflagge ; no. 3) is additionally attached to a horizontal beam, ensuring that it
2583-521: Is black-red-gold" (art. 22.2 Die Bundesflagge ist schwarz-rot-gold ), but its proportions were regulated in a document passed by the government in the following year. The Flag of the United States is not defined in the constitution but rather in a separate Flag Resolution passed in 1777. Minor design changes of national flags are often passed on a legislative or executive level, while substantial changes have constitutional character. The design of
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#17327648137632706-674: Is challenging (such as the maritime environment , where semaphore is used). Many flags fall into groups of similar designs called flag families . The study of flags is known as " vexillology " from the Latin vexillum , meaning "flag" or " banner ". National flags are patriotic symbols with widely varied interpretations that often include strong military associations because of their original and ongoing use for that purpose. Flags are also used in messaging , advertising , or for decorative purposes. Some military units are called "flags" after their use of flags. A flag (Arabic: لواء )
2829-412: Is done on both the state flag of Maryland and the flag of Kiribati . The de jure flag of Libya under Muammar Gaddafi , which consisted of a rectangular field of green, was for a long period the only national flag using a single colour and no design or insignia. However, other historical states have also used flags without designs or insignia, such as the short-lived Soviet Republic of Hungary and
2952-544: Is due to the fact that the first 13 states of the U.S. were formerly colonies of the United Kingdom. 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. Also, several former colonies of the United Kingdom, such as Australia , Fiji and New Zealand include
3075-616: Is equivalent to a brigade in Arab countries. In Spain, a flag (Spanish: bandera ) is a battalion -equivalent in the Spanish Legion . The origin of the flag is unknown and it remains unclear when the first flag was raised. Ships with vexilloids were represented on predynastic Egyptian pottery c. 3500 BC . In antiquity, field signs that can be categorised as vexilloid or "flag-like" were used in warfare, originating in ancient Egypt or Assyria . Examples include
3198-474: 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
3321-409: Is fully displayed even if there is no wind. The vertical flag for hoisting from a horizontal pole (German: Hängeflagge ; no. 4) is hoisted from a horizontal pole, normally attached to a building. The topmost stripe on the horizontal version of the flag faces away from the building. The vertical flag for hoisting from a crossbar or banner (German: Bannerflagge ; no. 5) is firmly attached to
3444-399: Is given in the regulation of 11 June 1748, which says: "A red flag with a white cross with no split end. The white cross must be 1 ⁄ 7 of the flag's height. The two first fields must be square in form and the two outer fields must be 6 ⁄ 4 lengths of those". The proportions are thus: 3:1:3 vertically and 3:1:4.5 horizontally. This definition are the absolute proportions for
3567-408: Is not symmetric and should be read in the same direction, regardless of whether the hoist is to the viewer's left or right. These cases can be divided into two types: Common designs on flags include crosses, stripes, and divisions of the surface, or field , into bands or quarters—patterns and principles mainly derived from heraldry . A heraldic coat of arms may also be flown as a banner of arms , as
3690-404: Is red with a white Nordic cross , which means that the cross extends to the edges of the flag and that the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side. A banner with a white-on-red cross is attested as having been used by the kings of Denmark since the 14th century. An origin legend with considerable impact on Danish national historiography connects the introduction of the flag to
3813-527: Is since 1625. A 1748 regulation, which is still in force, defines the flag as constructed of two squares of 4 ⁄ 4 , with a white cross 1 ⁄ 7 the height of the flag and the two rectangular fields as 6 ⁄ 4 . Multiplying the proportions by three to get whole numbers gives the proportions in the construction sheet below (28 divided by 4 being 7 for the white cross). No official definition of "Dannebrog rød" exists. The private company Dansk Standard , regulation number 359 (2005), defines
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3936-461: 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 and the partially recognized Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic . See Flags whose reverse differs from the obverse for
4059-747: Is the flag of Denmark with a swallow-tail and charged with the monarch's coat of arms set in a white square. The centre square is 32 parts in a flag with the ratio 56:107. Greenland and the Faroe Islands are autonomous territories within the Kingdom of Denmark. They have their own official flags. Some areas in Denmark have unofficial flags. While they have no legal recognition or regulation, they can be used freely. The regional flags of Bornholm and Ærø are occasionally used by locals of those islands and in tourist-related businesses. The proposal for
4182-466: Is this third account that has been the most influential, and some historians have treated it as the primary account taken from a (lost) source dating to the first half of the 15th century. In Olai's account, the battle was going badly, and defeat seemed imminent. However the Danish bishop, Anders Sunesen , was on top of a hill overlooking the battle and prayed to God with his arms raised. The Danes moved closer to victory as prayed. When he raised his arms,
4305-404: Is used instead of the horizontal flag for Malaysia . The art and practice of designing flags is known as vexillography . The design of national flags has seen a number of customs become apparent. Most national flags are rectangular, or have a rectangular common variant, with the most notable exception being the flag of Nepal . The ratios of height to width vary among national flags, but none
4428-401: Is used to mark the limits of the bathing area on a beach, usually guarded by surf lifesavers . If the beach is closed, the poles of the flags are crossed. The flags are coloured with a red triangle and a yellow triangle making a rectangular flag, or a red rectangle over a yellow rectangle. On many Australian beaches there is a slight variation with beach condition signalling. A red flag signifies
4551-439: The 5 October 1910 revolution which brought this party to power. Throughout history, monarchs have often had personal flags (including royal standards ), representing the royal person, including in personal union of national monarchies. Flags are often representative of an individual's affinity or allegiance to a country, team or business and can be presented in various ways. A popular trend that has surfaced revolves around
4674-466: The Battle of Lindanise of 1219. The elongated Nordic cross, which represents Christianity , reflects its use as a maritime flag in the 18th century. The flag became popular as a national flag in the early 16th century. Its private use was outlawed in 1834 but again permitted by a regulation of 1854. The flag holds the Guinness world record of being the oldest continuously used national flag, that
4797-696: The Crusades . In the 12th century, it was also used as war flag by the Holy Roman Empire . In the Gelre Armorial , dated c. 1340–1370, such a banner is shown alongside the coat of arms of the king of Denmark . This is the earliest known undisputed colour rendering of the Dannebrog. About the same time, Valdemar IV of Denmark displays a cross in his coat of arms on his Danælog seal ( Rettertingsseglet , dated 1356). The image from
4920-521: The Dannebrog miraculously fell from the sky. The King took it and showed it to the troops, their hearts were filled with courage, and the Danes won the battle. The possible historical nucleus behind this origin legend was extensively discussed by Danish historians in the 19th to 20th centuries. One such example is Adolf Ditlev Jørgensen , who argued that Bishop Theoderich was the original instigator of
5043-577: The Indian subcontinent or the Zhou dynasty of Ancient China . Chinese flags had iconography such as a red bird, a white tiger, or a blue dragon, and royal flags were to be treated with a level of respect similar to that given to the ruler. Indian flags were often triangular and decorated with attachments such as a yak 's tail and the state umbrella. Silk flags either spread to the Near East from China or it
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5166-602: The International Life Saving Federation and endorsed and conditionally approved by the United States Lifesaving Association . Railways use a number of coloured flags. When used as wayside signals they usually use the following meanings (exact meanings are set by the individual railroad company): Flag of Denmark The flag of Denmark ( Danish : Dannebrog , pronounced [ˈtænəˌpʁoˀ] )
5289-661: The Moldovan coat of arms (which is part of the Romanian coat of arms ) was placed in the centre of the flag. All Nordic countries , with the exception of Greenland , use the Nordic Cross design ( Iceland , Denmark , Norway , Sweden , Finland , in addition to the autonomous regions of the Faroe Islands and Åland ), a horizontal cross shifted to the left on a single-coloured background. The United States and United Kingdom both have red, white, and blue. This similarity
5412-574: The Sassanid battle standard Derafsh Kaviani , and the standards of the Roman legions such as the eagle of Augustus Caesar 's Xth legion and the dragon standard of the Sarmatians ; the latter was allowed to fly freely in the wind, carried by a horseman, but depictions suggest that it bore more similarity to an elongated dragon kite than to a simple flag. While the origin of the flag remains
5535-659: The Splitflag except for ships sailing in the East Indies , the West Indies or along the coast of Africa . In 1741, it was confirmed that the regulation of 1690 was still very much in effect that merchant ships were not allowed to use the Splitflag . At the same time, the Danish East India Company was allowed to fly the Splitflag past the equator . Some confusion must have existed regarding
5658-515: The Splitflag was given to individual institutions and private companies, especially after 1870. In 1886, the war ministry introduced a regulation indicating that the flag should be flown from military buildings on thirteen specified days, including royal birthdays, the date of the signing of the Constitution of 5 June 1849 and days of remembrance for military battles. In 1913, the naval ministry issued its own list of flag days. On 10 April 1915,
5781-519: The Splitflag . In 1696 the Admiralty, presented the King with a proposal for a standard regulating both size and shape of the Splitflag . In the same year, a royal resolution defined the proportions of the Splitflag , which was called Kongeflaget (the King's flag), as follows: "The cross must be 1 ⁄ 7 of the flags height. The two first fields ,ist be square in form with the sides three times
5904-794: The States-General of the Dutch Republic , making the Dutch flag perhaps the oldest tricolour flag in continuous use, although standardisation of the exact colours is of a much later date. During the Age of Sail in the early 17th century, the Union Jack finds its origins, when James VI of Scotland inherited the English and Irish thrones (as James I). On 12 April 1606, the new flag representing this regal union between England and Scotland
6027-428: The Union Jack in the top left corner. Flag A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular) with distinctive colours and design. It is used as a symbol , a signalling device, or for decoration. The term flag is also used to refer to the graphic design employed, and flags have evolved into a general tool for rudimentary signalling and identification, especially in environments where communication
6150-582: The United Kingdom , and the United States . Many African nations use the Pan-African colours of red, yellow, and green, including Cameroon , Ethiopia , Ghana , Guinea , Mali and Senegal . Flags containing red, white, and black (a subset of the Pan-Arab colours ) can be found particularly among the Arab nations such as Egypt , Iraq , Syria and Yemen . Due to the common arrangement of
6273-619: 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 , Cambodia (coat of arms must be rotated 90° and blue strips are narrowed), Dominica (coat of arms must be rotated and reverse always showing), Germany , Hungary , Liechtenstein (crown must be rotated 90°), Mexico , Montenegro (coat of arms must be rotated 90° to normal position), Nepal , Slovakia (coat of arms must be rotated 90° to normal position), and Saudi Arabia ( shahada must be rotated 90°). A vertical banner
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#17327648137636396-463: 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 ( [REDACTED] ). 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
6519-568: The cross , the crescent , or a reference to a patron saint. Flags are also adopted by religious groups and flags such as the Jain flag , Nishan Sahib ( Sikhism ), the Saffron flag ( Hindu ) and the Christian flag are used to represent a whole religion. Because of their ease of signalling and identification, flags are often used in sports . Some countries use diplomatic flags, such as
6642-462: The flag of Denmark , based on a flag that was in continuous use since the 14th-century, were codified in 1748, as a rectangular flag with certain proportions, replacing the variant with a split. The flag of Switzerland was introduced in 1889, also based on medieval war flags. In Europe, the red-white-blue tricolour design of the flag of the Kingdom of the Netherlands became popular, since it
6765-585: The flag of Senegal to that of Cameroon and Indonesia to Poland and Monaco . Also the flag of Italy and the flag of Hungary use the same colours, although the order and direction differ (the Italian flag is vertical green-white-red and the Hungarian flag is horizontal red-white-green). The same goes for the flag of France and the flag of the Netherlands (the French flag is vertical blue-white-red and
6888-426: The flag of Serbia omitting the communist star of the flag of Yugoslavia was a decision made in the 1992 Serbian constitutional referendum , but the adoption of a coat of arms within the flag was based on a government "recommendation" in 2003, adopted legislatively in 2009 and again subject to a minor design change in 2010. The flag of the United States underwent numerous changes because the number of stars represents
7011-563: The flag of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta . According to the regulation of 11 June 1748, the colour was simply red, which is common known today as "Dannebrog rød" ("Dannebrog red"). The only red fabric dye then available was made of madder root , which can be processed to produce a brilliant red dye and was used historically for British and Danish and soldiers' jackets. A regulation of 4 May 1927 once again stated that Danish merchant ships had to fly flags according to
7134-520: The national flag . Other countries' armed forces (such as those of the United States or Switzerland) use their standard national flag ; in addition, the U.S. has alongside flags and seals designed from long tradition for each of its six uniformed military services/military sub-departments in the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security . The Philippines' armed forces may use their standard national flag , but during times of war
7257-674: The rainbow flag was adopted as a symbol of the LGBT social movements . Its derivatives include the Bisexual pride and Transgender pride flags . Some of these political flags have become national flags, such as the red flag of the Soviet Union and national socialist banners for Nazi Germany . The present Flag of Portugal is based on what had been the political flag of the Portuguese Republican Party previous to
7380-563: The 1218 inquiry from Bishop Albert of Buxhoeveden to King Valdemar II which led to the Danish participation in the Baltic crusades. Jørgensen speculates that Bishop Theoderich might have carried the Knight Hospitaller's banner in the 1219 battle and that "the enemy thought this was the King's symbol and mistakenly stormed Bishop Theoderich tent. He claims that the origin of the legend of the falling flag comes from this confusion in
7503-490: The 13th to the 15th centuries and even earlier and show simlar heraldic designs similar, alongside the royal coat of arms (three blue lions on a golden shield.) There is a record suggesting that the Danish Army had a "chief banner" ( hoffuitbanner ) in the early 16th century. Such a banner is mentioned in 1570 by Niels Hemmingsøn in the context of a 1520 battle between Danes and Swedes near Uppsala as nearly captured by
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#17327648137637626-604: The Armorial Gelre is nearly identical to an image found in a 15th-century coat of arms book now located in the National Archives of Sweden ( Riksarkivet ). The seal of Eric of Pomerania (1398) as king of the Kalmar Union displays the arms of Denmark's chief dexter, three lions. In this version, the lions hold a Dannebrog banner. The reason that the kings of Denmark in the 14th century began displaying
7749-476: The Danes surged forward, but when his arms grew tired, and he let them fall, the Estonians turned the Danes back. Attendants rushed forward to raise his arms once again, and the Danes again surged forward, but for a second time he grew so tired that he dropped his arms, and the Danes again lost the advantage and became closer to defeat. He needed two soldiers to keep his hands up. When the Danes were about to lose,
7872-480: The Danish national flag to this day, for both the civil version of the flag ( Stutflaget ), as well as the merchant flag ( Handelsflaget ). The civil flag and the merchant flag are identical in colour and design. A regulation passed in 1758 required Danish ships sailing in the Mediterranean to carry the royal cypher in the center of the flag to distinguish them from Maltese ships because of its similarity of
7995-473: The Dutch flag is horizontal red-white-blue). While some similarities are coincidental, others are part of a flag family, flags rooted in shared histories. For example, the flags of Colombia , of Ecuador , and of Venezuela all use variants of the flag of Gran Colombia , the country they composed upon their independence from Spain , created by the Venezuelan independence hero Francisco de Miranda ; and
8118-566: The Swedes but saved by the heroic actions of the banner-carrier Mogens Gyldenstierne and Peder Skram . The legend attributing the miraculous origin of the flag to the campaigns of Valdemar II of Denmark (r. 1202-1241) was recorded by Christiern Pedersen and Petrus Olai in the 1520s. Hans Svaning 's History of King Hans from 1558 to 1559 and Johan Rantzau 's History about the Last Dithmarschen War , from 1569, record
8241-533: The United Kingdom (see image of the Embassy flag ) and the Kingdom of Thailand (see image of the Embassy flag ). The socialist movement uses red flags to represent their cause. The anarchist movement has a variety of different flags, but the primary flag associated with them is the black flag . In the Spanish Civil War , the anarchists used the red-and-black bisected flag. In the 20th century,
8364-490: The alphabet. Each flag or pennant has a specific meaning when flown individually. As well, semaphore flags can be used to communicate on an ad hoc basis from ship to ship over short distances. Another category of maritime flag flown by some United States government ships is the distinctive mark . Although the United States Coast Guard has its own service ensign, all other U.S. government ships fly
8487-467: The banner captured in 1500 was brought to the church in Wöhrden and hung there for the next 59 years until it was returned to the Danes as part of the peace settlement in 1559. Used as a maritime flag since the 16th century, the Dannebrog was introduced as a regimental flag in the Danish army in 1785, and for the militia (landeværn) in 1801. From 1842, it was used as the flag of the entire army. During
8610-436: The battle of Hemmingstedt make no reference to the loss of the original Dannebrog, although the capitulation state that all Danish banners lost in 1500 was to be returned. In a letter dated 22 February 1500 to Oluf Stigsøn , King John describes the battle but does not mention the loss of an important flag. In fact, the entire letter gives the impression that the lost battle was of limited importance. In 1598, Neocorus wrote that
8733-618: The battle". The Danish church-historian L. P. Fabricius (1934) ascribes the origin to the 1208 Battle of Fellin, not the Battle of Lindanise in 1219, based on the earliest source available about the story. Fabricius speculated that it might have been Archbishop Andreas Sunesøn 's personal ecclesiastical banner or perhaps even the flag of Archbishop Absalon under whose initiative and supervision several smaller crusades had already been conducted in Estonia. The banner would then already be known in Estonia. Fabricius repeats Jørgensen's idea about
8856-459: The colors red, white, or blue is Jamaica's . The occurrence of each colour in all the flags is listed in detail in the table below. The table shows that the colours light brown, dark brown and grey are only present in very small quantities. To be more precise these colours are currently only present in some of the symbols found within a few flags, such as in the case of the Spanish flag . Although
8979-532: The control of Nana Olomu during the conflict in the late 19th century. One is the flag generally known as the Benin Empire flag and one is referred to as Nana Olomu's flag. Among international flags are the United Nations , Europe , Olympic , NATO and Paralympic flags . Flags are particularly important at sea, where they can mean the difference between life and death, and consequently where
9102-559: The cross banner in their coats of arms is unknown. Caspar Paludan-Müller (1873) suggested that it may reflect a banner sent by the pope to support the king during the Livonian Crusade . Adolf Ditlev Jørgensen (1875) identifies the banner as that of the Knights Hospitaller , an order that had a presence in Denmark from the later 12th century. Several coins, seals and images exist, both foreign and domestic, from
9225-498: The cross width. The two outer fields are rectangular and 1 + 1 ⁄ 2 the length of the square fields. The tails are the length of the flag". Those numbers are still the base for the Splitflag and the Orlogsflag though the numbers have been slightly altered. The term Orlogsflag dates from 1806 and denotes its use in the Danish Navy. From about 1750 to the early 19th century, a number of ships and companies in which
9348-399: The design of their own flags. Some prominent examples include: National flag designs are often used to signify nationality in other forms, such as flag patches . A civil flag is a version of the national flag that is flown by civilians on non-government installations or craft. The use of civil flags was more common in the past, in order to denote buildings or ships that were not crewed by
9471-608: The direction in which these flags fly is 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 , the Netherlands , New Zealand , Norway ,
9594-561: The effective date of the legislative union of Great Britain and Ireland, when the Cross of St. Patrick (a red diagonal cross on white) was incorporated into the flag, giving the Union Jack its current design. With the emergence of nationalist sentiment from the late 18th century national flags began to be displayed in civilian contexts as well. Notable early examples include the US flag , which
9717-399: The face of a foreign warship traditionally indicates a willingness to fight, with cannon , for the right to do so. As of 2009 , this custom is still taken seriously by many naval and port authorities and is readily enforced in many parts of the world by boarding, confiscation and other civil penalties. In some countries yacht ensigns are different from merchant ensigns in order to signal that
9840-461: The first half of the 19th century, in parallel to the development of Romantic nationalism in other European countries, the military flag increasingly came to be seen as representing the nation itself. Poems of the period invoking the Dannebrog were written by B.S. Ingemann, N.F.S. Grundtvig, Oehlenschläger, Chr. Winther and H.C. Andersen. By the 1830s, the military flag had become popular as an unofficial national flag, and its use by private citizens
9963-484: The flag being planted in front of Bishop Theodorik's tent, which the enemy mistakenly attacked believing it to be the tent of the King. A different theory is briefly discussed by Fabricius and elaborated more by Helge Bruhn (1949). Bruhn interprets the story in the context of the widespread tradition of the miraculous appearance of crosses in the sky in Christian legend, specifically comparing such an event attributed to
10086-400: The flag is turned upside down. Bulgaria's flag is also turned upside down during times of war. These are also considered war flags, though the terminology only applies to the flag's military usage. Large versions of the war flag flown on the warships of countries' navies are known as battle ensigns . In addition, besides flying the national standard or a military services' emblem flag at
10209-469: 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. Examples of countries that have special protocol for vertical hanging are: Canada , Czech Republic , Greece , Israel , the Philippines , South Africa , and
10332-538: The flag's height. The two first fields must be square in form with the height of 3 ⁄ 7 of the flag's height. The two outer fields are rectangular and 5 ⁄ 4 the length of the square fields. The tails are 6 ⁄ 4 the length of the rectangular fields". Thus, if compared to the standard of 1696, both the rectangular fields and the tails have decreased in size. The Splitflag and Orlogsflag have similar shapes but different sizes and shades of red. Legally, they are two different flags. The Splitflag
10455-522: The flags of Kuwait , of Jordan , and of Palestine 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
10578-433: The flags of several polities depicted – although these are not uniformly "national flags", as some were likely the personal standards of the respective nation's rulers. The practice of flying flags indicating the country of origin outside of the context of warfare became common with the maritime flag . During the 13th century, the republics of Genoa and Venice both used maritime flags; William Gordon Perrin wrote that
10701-447: The further fate of the Danish hoffuitbanner : According to the tradition, the original flag from the Battle of Lindanise was used in the small campaign of 1500, when King Hans tried to conquer Dithmarschen (in western Holstein in northern Germany ). The flag was lost in a devastating defeat at the Battle of Hemmingstedt , on 17 February 1500. In 1559, King Frederik II recaptured it during his own Dithmarschen campaign. In 1576,
10824-439: The government has interests received approval to use the Splitflag . In the royal resolution of 25 October 1939 for the Danish Navy, it was stated that the Orlogsflag is a Splitflag with a deep red ( dybrød ) or madder red ( kraprød ) colour. As for the national flag, no shade was given, but it is now stated as 195U. Furthermore, the size and the shape were corrected in the new resolution: "The cross must be 1 ⁄ 7 of
10947-442: The hoisting of any other flag on Danish soil was prohibited. The prohibition was lifted on 24 June 2023, after a Supreme Court ruling. From 1939 to 2012, the yearbook Hvem-Hvad-Hvor included a list of flag days. As of 2019, flag days can be viewed at the "Ministry of Justice (Justitsministeriet)" as well as "The Denmark Society (Danmarks-Samfundet)" . The size and shape of the civil ensign ( Koffardiflaget ) for merchant ships
11070-424: The idea of the 'mobile' flag in which an individual displays their particular flag of choice on their vehicle. These items are commonly referred to as car flags and are usually manufactured from high strength polyester material and are attached to a vehicle via a polypropylene pole and clip window attachment. In Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the Philippines, Ireland and the United Kingdom, a pair of red-yellow flags
11193-560: The military. In some countries the civil flag is the same as the war flag or state flag , but without the coat of arms, such as in the case of Spain , and in others it is an alteration of the war flag. Several countries, including the Royal Air Force , British Army and the Royal Navy ( White Ensign ) of the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union have had unique flags flown by their armed forces separately, rather than
11316-573: The more recent Sultanate of Muscat and Oman , whose flags were both a plain field of red. Colours are normally described with common names, such as "red", but may be further specified using colourimetry . The largest flag flown from a flagpole worldwide, according to Guinness World Records, is the flag of the United Arab Emirates flown in Sharjah . This flag was 2,448.56 m (26,356.1 sq ft). The largest flag ever made
11439-610: The national ensign as their service ensign, following United States Navy practice. To distinguish themselves from ships of the Navy, such ships historically have flown their parent organisation's flag from a forward mast as a distinctive mark. Today, for example, commissioned ships of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) fly the NOAA flag as a distinctive mark. Flags are usually rectangular in shape (often in
11562-556: The national flag and its connection to political ideology ( form of government , monarchy vs. republic vs. theocracy, etc.) remains visible. In such cases national flags acquire the status of a political symbol . The flag of Germany , for instance, was a tricolour of black-white-red under the German Empire , inherited from the North German Confederation (1866). The Weimar Republic that followed adopted
11685-400: The national flag is meant to be a unique symbol representing a nation, many countries have highly similar flags. Examples include the flags of Monaco and Indonesia , which differ only slightly in proportion and the tint of red; the flags of the Netherlands and Luxembourg , which differ in proportion as well as in the tint of blue used; the flags of Romania and Chad , which differ only in
11808-458: The number of states, proactively defined in a Flag Act of 1818 to the effect that "on the admission of every new state into the Union, one star be added to the union of the flag"; it was changed most recently in 1960 with the accession of Hawaii . A change in national flag is often due to a change of regime, especially following a civil war or revolution . In such cases, the military origins of
11931-437: The peak of the sailing age , beginning in the early 17th century, it was customary (and later a legal requirement) for ships to fly flags designating their nationality; these flags eventually evolved into the national flags and maritime flags of today. Flags also became the preferred means of communications at sea, resulting in various systems of flag signals; see, International maritime signal flags . Use of flags beyond
12054-487: 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 , India , Italy and Japan , there are specific ensigns for maritime use. Most countries do not have a separate state ensign, although the United Kingdom
12177-547: The principles of liberty, equality, and fraternity as embodied in the French flag. The Ottoman flag (now the flag of Turkey ) was adopted in 1844. Other non-European powers followed the trend in the late 19th century, the flag of Great Qing being introduced in 1862, that of Japan being introduced in 1870. 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.) Currently, there are 193 national flags in
12300-459: The ratio 2:3, 1:2, or 3:5), but may be of any shape or size that is practical for flying, including square, triangular, or swallow tailed. A more unusual flag shape is that of the flag of Nepal , which is in the shape of two stacked triangles. Other unusually shaped flags include the civil flags of Ohio (a swallowtail ); Tampa, Florida ; and Pike County, Ohio . Many flags are dyed through and through to be inexpensive to manufacture, such that
12423-535: The red colour of the flag as Pantone 186c. A tradition recorded in the 16th century traces the origin of the flag to the campaigns of Valdemar II of Denmark (r. 1202–1241). The oldest of them is in Christiern Pedersen 's Danske Krønike , which is a sequel to Saxo Grammaticus 's Gesta Danorum , which was written in 1520 to 1523. Here, the flag falls from the sky during one of Valdemar's military campaigns overseas. Pedersen also states that
12546-502: The regulation of 1748. The first regulation regarding the Splitflag dates from 27 March 1630, in which King Christian IV ordered that Norwegian Defensionskibe (armed merchants ships) were allowed to use only the Splitflag if they were in Danish war service. In 1685, an order was distributed to a number of cities in Slesvig and stateed that all ships had to carry the Danish flag, and in 1690, all merchant ships were forbidden to use
12669-461: The republic of Genoa was "one of the earliest states to adopt a national flag". The current design of the flag of the Netherlands originates as a variant of the late 16th century orange-white-blue Prinsenvlag ("Prince's Flag"), that was used in the Dutch War of Independence (1568–1648), evolving in the early 17th century as the red-white-blue Statenvlag ("States Flag"), the naval flag of
12792-415: The reverse side is the mirror image of the obverse (front) side, generally the side displayed when, from the observer's point of view, the flag flies from pole-side left to right. This presents two possibilities: Some complex flag designs are not intended to be shown on both sides, requiring separate obverse and reverse sides if made correctly. In these cases there is a design element (usually text) which
12915-412: The rules and regulations for the flying of flags are strictly enforced. A national flag flown at sea is known as an ensign . A courteous, peaceable merchant ship or yacht customarily flies its ensign (in the usual ensign position), together with the flag of whatever nation it is currently visiting at the mast (known as a courtesy flag ). To fly one's ensign alone in foreign waters, a foreign port or in
13038-576: The same colours, at first sight, it seems that the only difference between the Italian and the Mexican flag is only the coat of arms of Mexico present in the latter; in reality the Italian tricolour uses lighter shades of green and red, and has different proportions than the Mexican flag—those of the Italian flag are equal to 2:3, while the proportions of the Mexican flag are 4:7. The similarity between
13161-466: The son of Johan Rantzau, Henrik Rantzau , also writes about the war and the fate of the flag, noting that the flag was in a poor condition when returned. He records that the flag after its return to Denmark was placed in the cathedral in Slesvig . Slesvig historian Ulrik Petersen (1656–1735) confirms the presence of such a banner in the cathedral in the early 17th century and records that it had crumbled away by about 1660. Contemporary records describing
13284-514: The standard horizontal flag in central and eastern Europe, particularly in the German-speaking countries. This practice came about because the relatively brisk wind needed to display horizontal flags is not common in these countries. The standard horizontal flag (no. 1 in the preceding illustration) is nonetheless the form most often used even in these countries. The vertical flag (German: Hochformatflagge or Knatterflagge ; no. 2)
13407-489: 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. Taiwan , Japan , and China 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
13530-434: The tint of blue, and the flags of Cuba and Puerto Rico , which differ only in proportion, placement and tint of colors. The flags of Ireland and Ivory Coast 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. Unlike horizontally mirrored flags (like Poland and Indonesia )
13653-675: The two flags posed a serious problem in maritime transport, given that originally the Mexican mercantile flag was devoid of arms and therefore was consequently identical to the Italian Republican tricolour of 1946; to obviate the inconvenience, at the request of the International Maritime Organization , both Italy and Mexico adopted naval flags with different crests. Many other similarities may be found among current national flags, particularly if inversions of colour schemes are considered, e.g., compare
13776-488: The very same flag was taken into exile by Eric of Pomerania in 1440. The second source is the writing of the Franciscan friar Petrus Olai (Peder Olsen) of Roskilde (died c. 1570 ). This record describes a battle in 1208 near Fellin during the Estonia campaign of King Valdemar II . The Danes were all but defeated when a lamb-skin banner depicting a white cross fell from the sky and miraculously led to
13899-569: The white cloth banners of the Zhou dynasty 's armies in the 11th century BC, the vexillum standards flown by the armies of the Roman Empire , the Black Standard famously carried by Muhammad which later became the flag of the Abbasid Caliphate , and the various " Raven banners " flown by Viking chieftains. Angelino Dulcert published a series of comprehensive Portolan charts in the 14th century AD, which famously showcased
14022-626: The world flown by sovereign states that are members of the United Nations . The national flag is often mentioned or described in a country's constitution , but its detailed description may be delegated to a flag law passed by the legislature, or even secondary legislation or in monarchies a decree . Thus, the national flag is mentioned briefly in the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany of 1949 "the federal flag
14145-459: The yacht is not carrying cargo that requires a customs declaration. Carrying commercial cargo on a boat with a yacht ensign is deemed to be smuggling in many jurisdictions. Traditionally, a vessel flying under the courtesy flag of a specific nation, regardless of the vessel's country of registry, is considered to be operating under the law of her 'host' nation. There is a system of international maritime signal flags for numerals and letters of
14268-697: Was associated with a republican form of government through that country's long war of independence against the Spanish Crown . That association was greatly reinforced after the French Revolution (1789), when France used the same colours, but with vertical instead of horizontal stripes. Other countries in Europe (like Ireland , Italy , Romania and Estonia ) and in South and Central America selected tricolours of their own to express their adherence to
14391-599: Was first adopted as a naval ensign in 1777 but began to be displayed as a generic symbol of the United States after the American Revolution , and the French Tricolor , which became a symbol of the Republic in the 1790s. Most countries of Europe standardised and codified the designs of their maritime flags as national flags, in the course of the 19th and early 20th centuries. The specifications of
14514-558: Was just the silk itself, later fashioned by people who had independently conceptualized a rectangular cloth attached to a pole. Flags were probably transmitted to Europe via the Muslim world , where plainly coloured flags were used due to Islamic proscriptions . They are often mentioned in the early history of Islam and may have been copied from India. In Europe, during the High Middle Ages , flags came to be used primarily as
14637-478: Was outlawed in a circular enacted on 7 January 1834. In the national enthusiasm sparked by the First Schleswig War from 1848 to 1850, the flag was still very widely displayed, and the prohibition of private use was repealed in a regulation of 7 July 1854 that for the first time allowed Danish citizens to display the Dannebrog (but not the swallow-tailed Splitflag variant. Special permission to use
14760-472: 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, forming the flag of Great Britain and first Union Flag - but then without the red Cross of St. Patrick . It continued in use until 1 January 1801,
14883-539: Was the flag of Qatar ; the flag, which measures at 101,978 m (1,097,680 sq ft), was completed in December 2013 in Doha . The general parts of a flag are: canton (the upper inner section of the flag), field or ground (the entire flag except the canton), the hoist (the edge used to attach the flag to the hoist), and the fly (the furthest edge from the hoist end). Vertical flags are sometimes used in lieu of
15006-530: Was the flag of the Netherlands, which appeared during the 80-year Dutch rebellion which began in 1568 against Spanish domination. Political change and social reform, allied with a growing sense of nationhood among ordinary people, led to the creation of new nations and flags all over the world in the 19th and 20th centuries. One of the most popular uses of a flag is to symbolise a nation or country . Some national flags have been particularly inspirational to other nations, countries, or subnational entities in
15129-519: 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 . 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, there
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