Flags of the World,
Afghanistan to Azerbaijan
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There are many different types of world flags. This site presents national, internatiional, and subnational flags, as well as national coats of arms; arranged alphabetically by nations and even some flags that represent non-natiional “special organizations”.
There are even some national-flag sections that include civil ensigns which are used for government utilization on sea and land; the civil ensign and flag, for private and commercial use; and the naval ensign, flown by war ships. Subnational flags represent states (USA), provinces (Canada), cantons (Switzerland), overseas territories or other such areas.
After the defeat of the Taliban, this Afghanistan flag is the latest one to fly over this long-embattled country. It displays the Pan-Arab colors of red, green and black. The coat of arms features a mosque ringed by sheaves of wheat. The Arabic inscription at the top reads, “There is no God but Allah and Muhammed is his messenger.“
The political situation in Afghanistan has been very unstable. In 2001 the Taleban regime was defeated by a combination of northern Afghans and an international coalition, headed by the USA. A temporary UN-sponsored administration ruled until a tribal council decided on a longer term system of government. Afghanistan has had more flags in recent history than any other country in the world.
From 1980 to 1992, two flags that were used under the Soviet occupation were horizontal tricolors with an emblem, that until 1987 displayed a red star.
Detail of national flag emblem.
The flag of the Transitional Administration in Afghanistan that adopted a new national flag to replace the green, white, and black flag of the pre-Taliban government (below).
The new design repeats this earlier design with a vertical tricolour of black, red, and green with the arms in white on the central red stripe. Vexillologists got a detailed image of the new arms emblem that has been modified to be less war-like (the crossed swords have been removed, as seen below) and more secular (the shahada has been removed).
The previous Afghanistan flag that existed as the Islamic State Flag from 1996-2001 by the “Northern Alliance.”
The flag that replaced the traditional black, red, and green tricolor used since 1929 to which a new coat of arms, adopted with the flag in 1992, was added.
The black stripe recalls flags used by Afghanistan in the past, and green is a symbol of the Islamic faith, prosperity, and victory over imperialism.
The arms includes, in Arabic, the title of the state and the Islamic creed. Islamic verses also appear on the flags or arms of Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia.
The Arabic inscription reads, “There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah”. The mosque emblem contains a mihrab, a niche in the mosque wall indicating the direction of Mecca.
There is a date just below the mosque of 1371 (A.D. 1992) based on the Muslim calendar indicating when the mujahideen “achieved victory” over Soviet occupation.
Adopted February 28, 1912, re-established April 7, 1992. The red banner with the black double-headed eagle was the ensign of George Castriota, known as Skanderbeg, the hero of the uprising against the Turks and founder of the independent state of Albania in 1443. He probably chose the eagle because of a tradition that the Albanians are the descendants of the eagle. They call themselves Shkypetars, which translates as: “The sons of the eagle”.
Alderney is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey. This flag has a badge of the island in the center. The badge is a British lion with three leaves in its right paw on a green disc, framed with a yellow ornamental border.
Adopted on July 3, 1962, the colors of the flag symbolize Islam (green), purity (white), and liberty (red). The crescent and star is a symbol of Islam, with the crescent being more closed than in other Muslim countries because the Algerians believe that the long horns of the crescent bring happiness or represent an increase or good fortune, while the whole emblem recalls the period of Ottoman rule during the 16th century; its color, red, is symbolic of liberty.
The flag of Algeria was adopted by the National Liberation Front (Front de Liberation National) in 1954, on the basis of an older design, created in 1928, by the nationalist leader Messali Hadj. From 1958-62, it was the flag of the Provisional Government in exile; but when independence was achieved in 1962, the new government kept the same flag and it has remained unchanged ever since.
Algeria has 48 provinces (wilayas):
Adrar, Ain Defla, Ain Temouchent, Alger, Annaba, Batna, Bechar, Bejaia, Biskra, Blida, Bordj Bou Arreridj, Bouira, Boumerdes, Chlef, Constantine, Djelfa, El Bayadh, El Oued, El Tarf, Ghardaia, Guelma, Illizi, Jijel, Khenchela, Laghouat, Mascara, Medea, Mila, Mostaganem, M'Sila, Naama, Oran, Ouargla, Oum el Bouaghi, Relizane, Saida, Setif, Sidi Bel Abbes, Skikda, Souk Ahras, Tamanghasset, Tebessa, Tiaret, Tindouf, Tipaza, Tissemsilt, Tizi Ouzou, Tlemcen
Algerian Naval Ensign
The naval ensign has two crossed anchors in the canton. This device is used on the naval ensigns of several Arab countries, following the example of Egypt.
American Samoa is a self-governing United States overseas territory in the central Pacific Ocean. It was adopted on April 27, 1960. The colors are those of the United States flag.
The American bald eagle, interpreted as a symbol of protection, is holding in its talons a fue, or fly switch, the Samoan chief’s attribute and a symbol of wisdom, and a nifo oti, a Samoan dancing knife. The fact that the eagle holds these symbols of Samoan authority and culture is said to indicate the friendship that exists between the Samoan and American people.
Adopted on July 10, 1996, this Andorrran flag is used as a national and a civil flag. The principality of Andorra is an independent republic in the Pyrenees mountains, between France and Spain and it is one of the world’s oldest states.
The principality has been under Franco-Spanish “protection” since 1278, governed by the Counts of Foix and the Bishops of Urgel; the colors of this national flag reflect France (blue and red) and Spain (yellow and red). The Andorran coat of arms is in the middle of the yellow stripe.
Like the colors of the flag, the coat of arms also depicts the areas on which Andorra has been dependent. The quartered shield represents Urgel by the crozier and miter, Foix by the three vertical red stripes, Catalonia by the four vertical red stripes, and Béarn by the two cows.
The motto is Virtus Unita Fortior, “Strength united is stronger.”
Adopted November 11,1975; a national and civil flag of Angola, was originally a Portuguese colony. It eventually became separated by the “People’s Liberation Movement of Angola” (MPLA) in 1975.
The half cogwheel and machete emblem on the national flag are similar to the hammer and sickle of the Soviet flag.
This flag of Anguilla, a United Kingdom overseas territory (dependency), was officially hoisted on May 30, 1990, some years after the island separated from St. Kitts and Nevis.
The three dolphins are said to symbolize unity and strength and are derived from the unofficial flag that is used locally on land. The blue base stands for the Caribbean Sea that surrounds the island in the West Indies.
Adopted February 27, 1967, this flag dates from the achievement of self-government. It was the winning design in a competition that more than 500 local people entered.
The designer, Reginald Samuel, interpreted the flag as representing the sun rising against the background of the peoples’ African heritage in a new era. The overall V-shape stands for victory. It is on a red background that symbolizes the dynamism of the population. Blue signifies the sea and white, hope.
From 1632, until formal independence was granted in 1981, Antigua and its neighbor Barbuda were British colonies.
According to one source, this Argentina flag was adopted on February 12, 1812; while another authority says it was adopted on February 25, 1818.
This state flag is flown by certain government agencies and on diplomatic missions overseas. It often consists of the national flag with the addition of the country’s coat-of-arms or special emblem. Most countries do not have a separate state flag.
In 1818, the emblem and the colors were combined to form the sun flag used today as the national and official flag. The form of the sun is taken from the one depicted on 8-real and 8-escudo coins of 1813.
Armenia became a Soviet republic in 1922. In 1991, it gained independence from the USSR and in 1995 held its first parliamentary elections.
Armenia was independent from 1920 to 1921, and the flag used today comes from this era. Its origin is in a design from the Armenian Institute in Venice of 1885, although this flag had the colors red, green, and blue. After independence from Russia in 1991, the Soviet flag was replaced with the 1920 tricolors of red, blue, and orange.
The red in the flag recalls the blood shed in the struggle for national existence; the blue represents the skies, hope, and the unchanging character of the land; while orange signifies the courage of the Armenian people.
The flag of Aruba was adopted in 1976 when the island was still administered as part of the Netherlands Antilles. When Aruba became autonomous in 1986, they continued with the same flag.
The blue in the flag represents the Caribbean and the sky; while the star symbolizes Aruba, with its red soil and white beaches. The four points of the star stand for the four major languages spoken there (Papiamento, Dutch, Spanish, and English) and the four points of the compass; indicating that the inhabitants came from all around the world to live here in unity and strength. The stripes represent the sun and tourism as well as the mineral resources of the island.
Azerbaijan has been under consecutive Persian, Ottoman, and Russian influence through out its existence. It was part of the USSR from 1920, until independence in 1991.
The flag dates back to the brief period of Azerbaijani independence between 1918-1920 and replaces the one used in the Soviet era. The white crescent and eight-pointed star were intentionally similar to the emblem on the Turkish flag, because Turkey has traditionally been an ally of the country. The eight points on the flag’s star stand for the eight groups of Turkic-speaking peoples; the Azeris (Azerbaijanis), Ottomans, Jagatais (Jagatays), Tatars (variation of Tartars), Kazakhs, Kipchaks, Seljuks, and Turkomans.
The colors of the flag represent the Turkic world (blue), contemporary life (red) and the Islamic religion (green). The crescent and star combination is the symbol of Islam.
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© by Senior Scribe Publications
It is scarcely possible to conceive of the world, of human society, without flags.
—Whitney Smith, Flags Through the Ages and Across the World