72-512: The national flag of Tibet ( བོད་ཀྱི་རྒྱལ་དར། ), also unofficially known as the Snow Lion Flag , depicts a white snow-covered mountain, a yellow sun with red and blue rays emanating from it, two Tibetan snow lions, a multi-coloured jewel representing Buddhist values, a taijitu and a yellow border around three of its four sides. The flag was used as the national flag of the independent country of Tibet from 1916 until 1951, when Tibet
144-618: A Pandora's box of similar requests from other unrecognised states and independence movements. In 2012, Tibetan Prime Minister Lobsang Sangay was photographed with the flag of Tibet in Ladakh, India, prompting the Chinese government to issue a statement criticising the public display of the flag. The Indian government had previously promised the Chinese government that it would not allow anti-China political activities by Tibetan exiles on Indian territory. National flag A national flag
216-554: A Tibetan government building during the 1917–1918 hostilities between Sichuan and Tibet: "Over the Kalon Lama’s residence ... floats the banner of Tibet, a yellow flag bearing a device like a lion in green, with a white snow mountain and a sun and moon in the corner." Outside of Tibet, the flag was featured in publications by foreign governments, reference books, academic journals, and in culturally significant works up until 1959. One of its first official international appearances
288-492: 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
360-670: 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
432-448: 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
504-497: 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
576-501: A national flag. Phuntso Wangye claims that Mao Zedong discussed the flag in 1955 conversation with the 14th Dalai Lama . According to the story, Mao told the Dalai Lama that Zhang Jingwu , Zhang Guohua , and Fan Ming told him that Tibet had a "national flag". The Dalai Lama replied that Tibet had an army flag. Reportedly, Mao replied that "you may keep your national flag". There is no official recognition of this conversation by
648-650: A potential loser, however deserving he may be" – a position which reportedly earned him the displeasure of both the British and Indian delegations to the UN Assembly. He remained a close personal friend of the 14th Dalai Lama and of the Tibetan government-in-exile until his death, with the latter describing Richardson as "very precious to us." He later wrote: "The British government, the only government among Western countries to have had treaty relations with Tibet, sold
720-635: A prototype was approved and the first flag commissioned, I was the one to execute the work." In addition to being carried by Tibet's army, the flag was displayed on public buildings of the Ganden Phodrang government. Historical footage shows the flag flying at the foot of the Potala Palace , the site of the Dalai Lama's government in Tibet. The snow lion flag motif was also used on a flag seen by English diplomat, Sir Eric Teichman , flying above
792-567: 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:
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#1732793674182864-478: 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
936-402: 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
1008-514: 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
1080-521: 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
1152-544: 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
1224-474: 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
1296-461: 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
1368-404: 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
1440-723: 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
1512-614: The People’s Liberation Army invaded Tibet and the 17-Point Agreement was signed, the flag continued to be used in the 1950s under the Chinese government, although the flag's status was unclear. Many in the Chinese Communist Party felt that the usage of the flag indicated separatism , but the Tibetan local government at the time stressed that the flag was an army flag (the Tibetan army continued to exist parallel to People's Liberation Army infantries) and not
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#17327936741821584-796: 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
1656-684: The Tibet Autonomous Region ), he standardised and adopted symbols as nationalist symbols, such as the Lhasa dialect of Tibetan , a Tibetan national anthem , and the flag. The flag is popularly known as the Snow Lion flag due to the presence of the two snow lions. The flag was adopted as a symbol of the Tibetan independence movement , and has become known as the "Free Tibet flag". Through the diaspora's and international protesters' use of
1728-423: The Tibetan army . According to Tsarong Dasang Dadul, the commander-in-chief of the modern Tibetan army, in 1916, a new national flag was adopted by the Dalai Lama and all army regiments were ordered to carry the flag in its present form. Gyalten Namgyal, tailor to both the 13th and 14th Dalai Lamas wrote, "When I was fourteen, the Dalai Lama decided he wanted a Tibetan national flag made, and designed it himself. When
1800-419: The Union Jack in the top left corner. Hugh Edward Richardson Hugh Edward Richardson CIE OBE FBA (22 December 1905 – 3 December 2000 ) was an Indian Civil Service officer, British diplomat and Tibetologist . His academic work focused on the history of the Tibetan empire, and in particular on epigraphy . He was among the last Europeans to have known Tibet and its society before
1872-633: 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
1944-619: 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
2016-463: 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
2088-518: 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
2160-585: 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
2232-426: 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
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2304-516: The Chinese government however. During this period before 1959, the flag continued to be recognised internationally as a national flag in reference books and by foreign governments. When the Dalai Lama visited the Himalayan kingdom of Sikkim in 1956 the Tibetan flag was used by the Sikkimese government to welcome him. The flag can be seen in historic footage flying on the same flagpole alongside
2376-635: The Chinese invasions which began in 1950 . Born in St. Andrews , Fife, the son of a British Army medical officer , Richardson studied classics at Keble College, Oxford . He entered the Indian Civil Service on 9 October 1930. Transferring to the Foreign and Political Service of the Government of India, Richardson was posted to Baluchistan as an Assistant Political Agent. In July 1936, he
2448-473: 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
2520-708: The Tibetan government-in-exile based in Dharamshala in India , and by pro-Tibet groups all over the world to show support for human rights in Tibet and Tibetan independence. According to the Central Tibetan Administration , the Tibetan flag has the following symbolism: In February 1913, shortly after the fall of the Qing dynasty , the 13th Dalai Lama , Tibet's political and spiritual leader, declared independence from China and began modernising
2592-511: The Tibetan public’s regard for the flag as their national symbol. After the 1959 Tibetan Uprising , the 14th Dalai Lama left his position as Ruler of Tibet , denounced the 17-Point Agreement with the PRC, and established the exile Central Tibetan Administration in India. As part of his project to inculcate pan-Tibetan nationalism (of all Tibetan people and not just those in his previous domain of
2664-529: The Tibetans down the river and since then have constantly cold-shouldered the Tibetans so that in 1959 they could not even support a resolution in the UN condemning the violation of human rights in Tibet by the Chinese." Richardson also said that he was "profoundly ashamed", not only at the British government's refusal to recognise that Tibet had a right to self-determination, but also at the government's treatment of
2736-575: The United Nations when the issue of Chinese oppression of Tibet was raised by the Irish Republic , represented by Frank Aiken , during the 1959 UN General Assembly debate on Tibet. There, in the words of one commentator, "he acted valiantly as a man of honour in a cause which has been largely lost because of the notions of political expediency, where sides are taken without regard to principle and in order not to risk aligning oneself with
2808-694: The World ” edition. The caption reads, "Tibet.- With its towering mountain of snow, before which stand two lions fighting for a flaming gem, the flag of Tibet is one of the most distinctive of the East." Beginning in 1928, images of the flag were also widely published by companies in Europe, North America, South America, the Middle East, and Oceania in national flag collections on various forms of trading cards . The flag's first appearance at an international gathering
2880-401: The cloak of simple people with no experience of the outside world. . .There could be no doubt I was dealing with ministers of a government that was completely independent in both its internal and external affairs." Like many ICS officers, Richardson was an accomplished linguist who spoke Bengali fluently, a skill he put to use when conversing with Rabindranath Tagore , and his fluent Tibetan
2952-461: 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
Flag of Tibet - Misplaced Pages Continue
3024-608: 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 ,
3096-563: 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
3168-570: The flag of Sikkim at the Chogyal ’s Tsuklakhang Palace and on the Dalai Lama’s motorcade provided by the royal family. American anthropologist Melvyn Goldstein argues that while the Tibetan flag was used by the army, few Tibetans in Tibet knew about it so when they wanted to protest against the Chinese government, they would use the flag of Chushi Gangdruk instead. Tibetan historian, Jamyang Norbu, has challenged this assertion citing incidents of
3240-470: 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
3312-481: The flag was removed after representatives from the Republic of China protested to conference organisers who then issued a statement that Jawaharlal Nehru had invited the Tibetan delegates "in a personal capacity". A Tibetan delegate who attended the conference claims that this did not occur and the only existing photos from the conference show the flag displayed along with other participating countries' flags. After
3384-493: The flag, it became known and used in protest by the Tibetan public. The flag is banned in mainland China . The flag of Tibet does not have its own emoji. Tibetan activists unsuccessfully petitioned the Unicode Consortium for a Tibet flag emoji in 2019. Wired noted that Taiwan , where China's sovereignty is also challenged, has an emoji for its flag. However, Wired also noted that a Tibetan flag emoji may open
3456-522: 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
3528-433: 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
3600-556: 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
3672-400: 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
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#17327936741823744-458: 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
3816-487: 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
3888-548: 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
3960-634: The renamed Indian Administrative Service , serving in Lhasa until his retirement in September 1950. After his retirement from public service he taught in Seattle and Bonn. He subsequently returned to St. Andrews and spent the remainder of his life as an independent scholar . He was an advocate of the right of Tibetans to a separate political existence, a case he made in two books, Tibet and Its History (1962) and A Cultural History of Tibet (1968), and at
4032-462: 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
4104-577: 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
4176-489: 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
4248-434: 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 )
4320-676: 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
4392-682: 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
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#17327936741824464-562: 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
4536-505: Was annexed by the People's Republic of China . It was adopted by the 13th Dalai Lama in 1916 and used in Tibet until the Tibetan uprising of 1959 , after which the flag was outlawed in the People's Republic of China. While the Tibetan flag is illegal in Tibet today as it is governed by the PRC as the Tibet Autonomous Region , it continues to be used by the Central Tibetan Administration ,
4608-420: Was a good opportunity to show Asia and the world that Tibet was de facto an independent country. At the conference, leaders of each of the thirty-two delegations sat on a dais behind a plate with the name and flag of their country. American historian A. Tom Grunfeld asserts that the conference was not government-sponsored, and so Tibet's and the Tibetan flag's presence had "no diplomatic significance", adding that
4680-440: Was appointed as the British Trade Agent at Gyantse. He represented Britain in Lhasa , capital of Tibet , from 1936 to 1940 and again from 1946 to 1950, in the final years having become the diplomatic representative of the recently independent India . Of the Tibetan government during his time in Lhasa, Richardson said: "My counterparts were...experienced negotiators. . .and masters of procrastination and evasion, and might assume
4752-463: 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
4824-470: Was described by the Tibetan politician Tsepon W.D. Shakabpa as "impeccable Lhasa Tibetan with a slight Oxford accent." As Secretary to the Agent-General for India at Chungking , he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1944 New Year Honours list, and was further appointed a Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire (CIE) on 14 August 1947, in the last imperial honours list. After Indian independence, Richardson remained in
4896-411: 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
4968-403: Was in March–April 1947 at the Asian Relations Conference in New Delhi . The Conference, organised by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru , hosted Asian states and anti-colonial movements. The representative of the British government of India in Lhasa, Hugh Richardson , personally shared the invitation from the Indian Council of World Affairs with the Tibetan Foreign Office and advised that the conference
5040-416: Was in a British Crown publication in 1923, " Drawings of the Flags in Use at the Present Time by Various Nations ". It was also included in the German Ministry of Defense 's Naval Command , "Flaggenbuch, " in 1926 and in the Italian Naval Ministry's "Raccolta delle Bandiere Fiamme e Insegne in uso presso le Diverse Nazioni " in 1934. National Geographic Magazine featured the flag in their 1934 “ Flags of
5112-418: 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,
5184-519: 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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