{{Short description|Groupings of flags}} [[File:Nordic flags (inverted).jpg|alt=The flags of Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Sweden, and Norway flying on flagpoles|thumb|Flags in the Nordic cross family]] '''Flag families''' are sets of flags with similarities in their design, often based on a shared history, culture, or influence. Families do not include flags with coincidental similarities. Flags may be in multiple flag families. Only twelve current national flags existed before the 19th century, when large-scale flag use began. Seven of these flags (Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Russia, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States) are the inspiration for more than 130 current national flags and ensigns.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Znamierowski |first=Alfred |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OwueMQEACAAJ |title=The World Encyclopedia of Flags: The Definitive Guide to International Flags, Banners, Standards, and Ensigns, with Over 1400 Illustration |date=2013 |publisher=Lorenz Books |isbn=978-0-7548-2629-3 |pages=100 |language=en |quote=...flag use did not develop on a large scale until the 19th Century and continued during the 20th Century. Out of some 195 independent countries, only 12 have flags whose designs were adopted before 1800. Seven of these (Denmark, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Russia, the United States, France and Turkey) have influenced the designs and colors of over 130 national flags and ensigns...}}</ref>
==Christian cross== {{multiple images |direction = vertical |image1= PortugueseFlag1095.svg |caption1= The first flag of Portugal (c.1100 AD) |alt1= A white 1x1 flag with a blue cross stretching across the entire flag |image2= Gascogne drapeau.svg |caption2= The 12th century flag of the Duchy of Gascony |alt2= A red rectangular flag with a white saltire stretching across the entire flag |image3= Vexillum Regni Hierosolymae.svg |caption3= The 12th century flag of the Kingdom of Jerusalem |alt3= A white rectangular flag charged with a yellow cross of Jerusalem — a large cross with equal arms with 4 similar smaller crosses between these arms }} {{See also|History of Christian flags|List of national flags depicting a cross}}
A Christian cross flag is any flag with a cross or crosses as a central element of its design (as opposed to flags like those of Malta and Serbia, which use crosses as smaller embellishments). It is the oldest flag family. The first flag purported to have such a cross was the flag of Portugal, beginning in around 1100.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2007-02-25 |title=AMT - Bandeiras de Portugal |url=http://amt.no.sapo.pt/novaversao/historia/hist001.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070225123056/http://amt.no.sapo.pt/novaversao/historia/hist001.htm |archive-date=2007-02-25 |access-date=2022-10-23}}</ref> The flag design became the most common design for merchant ships across Europe for several centuries.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Znamierowski |first=Alfred |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OwueMQEACAAJ |title=The World Encyclopedia of Flags: The Definitive Guide to International Flags, Banners, Standards, and Ensigns, with Over 1400 Illustration |date=2013 |publisher=Lorenz Books |isbn=978-0-7548-2629-3 |pages=100–129 |language=en}}</ref> Flags in this family use different types of crosses, including the Latin cross (†), the Greek cross (✚), and the Maltese cross (✠) — The Maltese cross does not appear on Malta's national flag, only its civil ensign — the cross of Jerusalem, and the saltire (✖).
{{Gallery |title=Current national flags in the Christian cross family |mode=nolines|style=background:var(--background-color-neutral, beige); color:var(--color-base, black); |whitebg=n|height=100|align=center |Flag of Burundi.svg|Flag of Burundi |Flag of Dominica.svg|Flag of Dominica |Flag of the Dominican Republic.svg|Flag of the Dominican Republic |Flag of Georgia.svg|Flag of Georgia |Flag of Greece.svg|Flag of Greece |Flag of Jamaica.svg|Flag of Jamaica |Flag of Malta.svg|Flag of Malta |Flag of Slovakia.svg|Flag of Slovakia |Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg|Flag of Switzerland |Flag of Tonga.svg|Flag of Tonga |Flag of the United Kingdom (1-2).svg|Flag of the United Kingdom }}
{{Gallery |title=Current sub-national flags in the Christian cross family |mode=nolines|style=background:var(--background-color-neutral, beige); color:var(--color-base, black); |whitebg=n|height=100|align=center |Flag of the Basque Country.svg|''Ikurrina'' — flag of the Basque Country |Banniel Breizh 1.0.svg|{{lang|br|Kroaz Du}} ("Black Cross") — flag of Brittany |Flag of Cornwall.svg|Flag of Cornwall (Saint Piran) |Flag of England.svg|Flag of England |Flag of Scotland.svg|Flag of Scotland |File:Flag of Ulster.svg|Flag of the Province of Ulster |Flag of Jersey.svg|Flag of Jersey |Flag of Guernsey.svg|Flag of Guernsey |Flag of Madeira.svg|Flag of Madeira |Flag of Nova Scotia.svg|Flag of Nova Scotia |File:Flag of Alabama.svg|Flag of Alabama |File:Flag of Florida.svg|Flag of Florida }}
=== Nordic cross === {{Main|Nordic cross flag}}
Flags in the Nordic cross family feature crosses stretching the width and length of the flag, with the center offset to hoist. The cross design represents Christianity,<ref name="Jeroen Temperman">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Khag6tbsIn4C&pg=PA88 |author=Jeroen Temperman|title=State Religion Relationships and Human Rights Law: Towards a Right to Religiously Neutral Governance |year=2010|page=88 |publisher=Martinus Nijhoff Publishers|isbn=978-9004181489|quote=Many predominantly Christian states show a cross, symbolising Christianity, on their national flag. The so-called Scandinavian crosses or Nordic crosses on the flags of the Nordic countries–Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden–also represent Christianity.|access-date=31 December 2007}}</ref><ref name="Carol A. Foley">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WV7ag4EpHF8C&pg=PA10 |author=Carol A. Foley|title=The Australian Flag: Colonial Relic or Contemporary Icon|year=1996|publisher=William Gaunt & Sons|isbn=9781862871885|quote=The Christian cross, for instance, is one of the oldest and most widely used symbols in the world, and many European countries, such as the United Kingdom, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Greece and Switzerland, adopted and currently retain the Christian cross on their national flags.|access-date=31 December 2007}}</ref><ref name="Andrew Evans">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9_GfdBAASUQC&pg=PA27 |author=Andrew Evans|title=Iceland|year=2008|publisher=Bradt|isbn=9781841622156|quote=Legend states that a red cloth with the white cross simply fell from the sky in the middle of the 13th-century Battle of Valdemar, after which the Danes were victorious. As a badge of divine right, Denmark flew its cross in the other Scandinavian countries it ruled and as each nation gained independence, they incorporated the Christian symbol.|access-date=31 December 2007}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Oldest continuously used national flag |url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/oldest-continuously-used-national-flag |access-date=2022-10-23 |website=Guinness World Records |language=en-gb}}</ref> and was first seen in the Dannebrog, the national flag of Denmark since the 14th century. The other Nordic countries adopted national flags of the same design later on. Though the design is strongly associated with Nordic countries, cities and territories outside the region use this design. Greenland is the only Nordic region that does not use the Nordic cross.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Greenland flag in the capital Nuk, Greenland {{!}} GRID-Arendal |url=https://www.grida.no/resources/4205 |access-date=2022-11-05 |website=www.grida.no}}</ref>
{{Gallery |title=National flags in the Nordic cross family |mode=nolines|style=background:var(--background-color-neutral, beige); color:var(--color-base, black); |whitebg=n|height=100|align=center |Flag of Denmark.svg|Flag of Denmark |Flag of Finland.svg|Flag of Finland |Flag of Iceland.svg|Flag of Iceland |Flag of Norway.svg|Flag of Norway |Flag of Sweden.svg|Flag of Sweden }}
{{Gallery |title=Sub-national flags in the Nordic cross family |mode=nolines|style=background:var(--background-color-neutral, beige); color:var(--color-base, black); |whitebg=n|height=100|align=center |Flag of Åland.svg|Flag of Åland <br/> (Finland) |Flag of the Faroe Islands.svg|Flag of the Faroe Islands <br/> (Denmark) |Flag of Barra.svg|Flag of Barra <br/> (The Hebrides, Scotland) |Flag of Caithness.svg|Flag of Caithness <br/> (mainland of Scotland) |2007 Flag of Orkney.svg|Flag of Orkney <br/> (The Northern Isles, Scotland) |Flag of Shetland.svg|Flag of Shetland <br/> (The Northern Isles, Scotland) |Flag of the Isle of Skye.svg|Flag of the Isle of Skye <br/> (The Hebrides, Scotland) |Flag of Sutherland.svg|Flag of Sutherland <br/> (mainland of Scotland) |Flag of South Uist.svg|Flag of South Uist <br/> (The Hebrides, Scotland) |Flag of the West Riding of Yorkshire.svg|Flag of the West Riding of Yorkshire <br/> (England) }}
== Crescent == {{Main|Star and Crescent#Contemporary use}}
Flags with crescents are recorded as being used in the region of Middle East and North Africa as early as the 14th century.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Masood |first=Hassan |title=The History and Symbolic Meaning of Crescent |url=https://www.academia.edu/6003382}}</ref> These designs often featured a white crescent open toward the top on a solid-colored field. During the 19th century when national flags became common, the Ottoman Empire was the only Muslim state considered a world power.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Great Powers and the 'Eastern Question' |url=https://staff.lib.msu.edu/sowards/balkan/lect10.htm |access-date=2022-10-23 |website=staff.lib.msu.edu}}</ref> Its flag popularized the crescent design for other Muslim nations when they later adopted flags.<ref name=":0"/> Most Muslim crescent flags also have one or more stars near or within the circle formed by the crescent. The crescent appears on several flags of non-Muslim subnations and municipals. These crescent flags have symbolism unrelated to Islam.
{{Gallery |title=Current national flags in the crescent family |mode=nolines|style=background:var(--background-color-neutral, beige); color:var(--color-base, black); |whitebg=n|height=100|align=center |Flag of Algeria.svg|Flag of Algeria |Flag of Azerbaijan.svg|Flag of Azerbaijan |Flag of Brunei.svg|Flag of Brunei |Flag of the Comoros.svg|Flag of the Comoros |Flag of Libya.svg|Flag of Libya |Flag of Malaysia.svg|Flag of Malaysia |Flag of Maldives.svg|Flag of Maldives |Flag of Mauritania.svg|Flag of Mauritania |Flag of Pakistan.svg|Flag of Pakistan |Flag of Singapore.svg|Flag of Singapore |Civil Ensign of Singapore.svg|Civil Ensign of Singapore |Flag of Tunisia.svg|Flag of Tunisia |Flag of Turkey.svg|Flag of Turkey |Flag of Turkmenistan.svg|Flag of Turkmenistan |Flag of Uzbekistan.svg|Flag of Uzbekistan }}
{{Gallery |title=Current international flags in the crescent family |mode=nolines|style=background:var(--background-color-neutral, beige); color:var(--color-base, black); |whitebg=n|height=100|align=center |Flag of the Arab League.svg|Flag of the League of Arab States |Flag of the Organization of Turkic States.svg|Flag of the Organization of Turkic States }}
{{Gallery |title=Current subnational flags in the crescent family |mode=nolines|style=background:var(--background-color-neutral, beige); color:var(--color-base, black); |whitebg=n|height=100|align=center ||Flag of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Australia |Bandera de Osa.svg|Flag of Osa Canton, Costa Rica |Flag of Anjouan (official).svg|Flag of Anjouan, Comoros |Flag of Grande Comore.svg|Flag of Grande Comore, Comoros |Wajir County Flag.svg|Flag of Wajir County, Kenya |Flag of Labuan.svg|Labuan, Federal Territory, Malaysia |Flag of Johor.svg|Flag of Johor, Malaysia |Flag of Kelantan.svg|Flag of Kelantan, Malaysia |Flag of Malacca.svg|Flag of Malacca, Malaysia |Flag of Selangor.svg|Flag of Selangor, Malaysia |Flag of Terengganu.svg|Flag of Terengganu, Malaysia |Mn flag bayan olgiy aymag.svg|Flag of Bayan-Ölgii Province, Mongolia |Flag of Hunza.svg|Flag of Hunza, Pakistan |Flag of Koror State.png|Flag of Koror state, Palau |Flag of Bangsamoro.svg|Flag of Bangsamoro, Philippines |Flag of South Carolina.svg|Flag of South Carolina, USA
|Flag of Azad Kashmir.svg|Flag of Azad Kashmir (disputed territory) |Flag of Northern Cyprus.svg|Flag of Northern Cyprus (disputed territory) |Flag of Western Sahara.svg|Flag of Western Sahara (disputed territory) }}
{{Gallery |title=Current municipal flags in the crescent family |mode=nolines|style=background:var(--background-color-neutral, beige); color:var(--color-base, black); |whitebg=n|height=100|align=center |Flag of Sveti Ivan Zelina.svg|Flag of Sveti Ivan Zelina, Croatia |Flag of Louny.svg|Flag of Louny, Ústí nad Labem Region, Czech Republic |Flag of Varnsdorf.svg|Flag of Varnsdorf, Czech Republic |Flag of Halle (Saale).svg|Flag of Halle an der Saale, Germany |Flagge Oelde.svg|Flag of Oelde, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany |Sankt Peter-Ording Flag.svg|Flag of Sankt Peter-Ording, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany |Provincia di Milano-Bandiera.svg|Flag of the Metropolitan City of Milan, Italy |Flag_of_Kuala_Lumpur,_Malaysia.svg|Flag of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |Flag of Mārahau.svg|Flag of Mārahau, New Zealand |POL Goleniów flag.svg|Flag of Goleniów, Poland |POL Mińsk Mazowiecki flag.svg|Flag of Mińsk Mazowiecki, Poland |POL Tarnobrzeg flag.svg|Flag of Tarnobrzeg, Poland |POL Tarnów flaga.svg|Flag of Tarnów, Poland |City Flag of Portsmouth.svg|Flag of Portsmouth, England, United Kingdom }}
== British Ensign == {{multiple images | direction = vertical | image1 = British Ensigns.svg | alt = Three flags, all with the Union Jack flag of the United Kingdom in the canton, (top-left corner). The top is solid red, the middle is white with a red cross of Saint George, and the bottom is solid blue. | caption1 = The three main ensigns of the United Kingdom, informally also called "dusters", from the top: <br/>1. the civil Red Ensign <br/>2. the naval White Ensign <br/>3. the state Blue Ensign | image2 = Civil Air Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg | caption2 = The British Civil Air Ensign | image3 = Ensign of the Royal Air Force.svg | caption3 = The Royal Air Force Ensign }}
{{Main|List of countries and territories with the Union Jack displayed on their flag}}
{{Further|List of United Kingdom flags}}
The British Ensign family is composed of flags with the Union Jack in the canton. The Union Flag adopted in 1606 combined the Saint George's Cross of England and the St Andrew's saltire of Scotland to form the Union Flag.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Fox-Davies |first=Arthur Charles |url=http://archive.org/details/artofheraldryenc00foxd |title=The art of heraldry : an encyclopædia of armory |date=1904 |publisher=London : T.C. & E.C. Jack |others=Boston Public Library}}</ref> The St Patrick's saltire was superimposed on the flag in 1801. In the mid-19th century, the British government declared the white ensign for use exclusively by the Royal Navy, a blue ensign for all vessels "belonging to, or permanently in, the service of the Colonies", and a red ensign for non-government vessels.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Weekes |first=Nick |date=10 June 2008 |title=Colonial Flag Badges: A Chronology |url=https://flaginstitute.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/restricted_pdfs/research_note_2.pdf |journal=The Flag Institute |volume=2 |pages=2}}</ref> As the British Empire expanded, so too did the use of variations of the ensigns, especially the blue ensign.<ref name=":0"/> Of the original fifty-three independent nations in the British Commonwealth, all but four had the Union Jack on their flag. Forty-four have removed the Union Jack from their flags.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mulholland |first=Malcolm |date=2016 |title=New Zealand Flag Fats |url=https://natlib.govt.nz/records/36721498?search%5Bi%5D%5Bsubject_text%5D=Flags+--+New+Zealand+--+History&search%5Bpath%5D=items |access-date=2022-10-23 |website=natlib.govt.nz |pages=49}}</ref>
{{Gallery |title=Current national flags in the Union Jack family |mode=nolines|style=background:var(--background-color-neutral, beige); color:var(--color-base, black); |whitebg=n|height=100|align=center |Flag of Australia (converted).svg|Flag of Australia |Flag of Fiji.svg|Flag of Fiji |Flag of New Zealand.svg|Flag of New Zealand |Flag of Tuvalu.svg|Flag of Tuvalu }}
{{Gallery |title=Current sub-national flags in the Union Jack family |mode=nolines|style=background:var(--background-color-neutral, beige); color:var(--color-base, black); |whitebg=n|height=100|align=center |Flag of Anguilla.svg|Flag of Anguilla |Flag of Ascension Island.svg|Flag of Ascension Island |Flag of Bermuda.svg|Flag of Bermuda |Flag of the British Antarctic Territory.svg|Flag of the British Antarctic Territory |Flag of British Columbia.svg|Flag of British Columbia |Flag of the British Indian Ocean Territory.svg|Flag of the British Indian Ocean Territory |Flag of the British Virgin Islands.svg|Flag of the British Virgin Islands |Flag of the Cayman Islands.svg|Flag of the Cayman Islands |Flag of the Cook Islands.svg|Flag of the Cook Islands |Flag of the Falkland Islands.svg|Flag of the Falkland Islands |Flag of Hawaii.svg|Flag of Hawaii |Flag of Manitoba.svg|Flag of Manitoba |Flag of Montserrat.svg|Flag of Montserrat |Flag of New South Wales.svg|Flag of New South Wales |Flag of Niue.svg|Flag of Niue |Flag of Ontario.svg|Flag of Ontario |Flag of the Pitcairn Islands.svg|Flag of the Pitcairn Islands |Flag of Queensland.svg|Flag of Queensland |Flag of Saint Helena.svg|Flag of Saint Helena |Flag of South Australia.svg|Flag of South Australia |Flag of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.svg|Flag of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands |Flag of Tasmania.svg|Flag of Tasmania |Flag of Tristan da Cunha.svg|Flag of Tristan da Cunha |Flag of the Turks and Caicos Islands.svg|Flag of the Turks and Caicos Islands |Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg|Flag of Victoria |Flag of Western Australia.svg|Flag of Western Australia }}
==Stars and Stripes== {{multiple images | direction = vertical | align = right | width1 = 180 | image1 = Flag of the British East India Company (1707).svg | caption1 = The flag of the British East India Company that inspired subsequent stars and stripes designs. | alt1 = | width2 = 180 | image2 = Flag of the United States (1776–1777).svg | caption2 = Flag of the United States (1776–1777). A similar design was used at the time for the flag of the East India Company. | alt2 = | footer = }}
The stars and stripes flag family is composed of flags of alternating stripes with a field in the hoist (often the canton) charged with an emblem (often, but not always, a star or stars).<ref name="postalmuseum"/>
Early versions of the flag of the United States were based on ensigns of the United Kingdom, with the Union Flag on the canton. Instead of a solid-colored field, they had stripes inspired by the flag of the East India Company. In 1777, the Continental Congress of the United States resolved to replace the Union Flag with thirteen stars.<ref name="postalmuseum">{{Cite web |title=Resolved, That the flag of the United States... |url=https://postalmuseum.si.edu/exhibition/long-may-it-wave-the-evolution-of-the-american-flag/resolved-that-the-flag-of-the-united |access-date=2022-10-23 |website=postalmuseum.si.edu |language=en}}</ref>
The first nation to adopt a similar flag was the Hawaiian Kingdom,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Marshall |first=Tim |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ysYpDwAAQBAJ&q=%22is+the+only+us+state+flag%22+%22union+jack%22&pg=PA52 |title=A Flag Worth Dying For: The Power and Politics of National Symbols |date=2017-07-04 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-1-5011-6833-8 |pages=52–53 |language=en}}</ref> and many other nations wanting to express ideals of liberty and democracy followed suit.<ref name=":0"/>
{{Gallery |title=Current national flags in the stars and stripes family |mode=nolines|style=background:var(--background-color-neutral, beige); color:var(--color-base, black); |whitebg=n|height=100|align=center |Flag of the United States.svg|Flag of the United States |Flag of Chile.svg|Flag of Chile |Flag of Cuba.svg|Flag of Cuba |Flag of Malaysia.svg|Flag of Malaysia |Flag of Togo.svg|Flag of Togo |Flag of Uruguay.svg|Flag of Uruguay |Flag of Liberia.svg|Flag of Liberia }}{{clear}}
{{Gallery |title=Current sub-national flags in the stars and stripes family |mode=nolines|style=background:var(--background-color-neutral, beige); color:var(--color-base, black); |whitebg=n|height=100|align=center |Flag of Abkhazia.svg|Flag of Abkhazia ''(partially recognized republic)'' |Bandeira do Amazonas.svg|Flag of Amazonas ''(Brazilian state)'' |Bandeira_da_Bahia.svg|Flag of Bahia ''(Brazilian state)'' |Flag of Brittany.svg|Flag of Brittany ''(region of France)'' |Flag of the State of Georgia.svg|Flag of Georgia ''(U.S. state)'' |Flag of Goiás.svg|Flag of Goiás ''(Brazilian state)'' |Flag of Hawaii.svg|Flag of Hawaii ''(U.S. state)'' |Bandeira do Maranhão.svg|Flag of Maranhão ''(Brazilian state)'' |Flag of Ohio.svg|Flag of Ohio ''(U.S. state)'' |Flag of Puerto Rico.svg|Flag of Puerto Rico ''(U.S. territory)'' |Bandeira do Piauí.svg|Flag of Piauí ''(Brazilian state)'' |Flag of North Carolina.svg|Flag of North Carolina ''(U.S. state)'' |Flag of Yucatan.svg|Flag of Yucatán ''(state of Mexico)'' |Bandeira do estado de São Paulo.svg|Flag of São Paulo ''(Brazilian state)'' |Bandeira de Sergipe.svg|Flag of Sergipe ''(Brazilian state)'' |Flag of Texas.svg|Flag of Texas ''(U.S. state)'' |Morning Star flag.svg|Flag of West Papua (''proposed country'') }}{{clear}}
== Dutch and pan-Slavic colors == {{Main|Pan-Slavic colors}}
[[File:Prinsenvlag.svg|thumb|Dutch Prince's Flag from 1575 to 1652]]
Dutch and pan-Slavic colors are a family of flags, usually with red, white, and blue stripes, inspired by the Dutch and later Russian flags. The first flag of simple stripes were the livery colors of William I, Prince of Orange, used in the mid-16th century. These stripes of orange, white, and blue became the first flag of the Netherlands.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rey |first=Jean |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zb5SAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA515 |title=Histoire du drapeau, des couleurs et des insignes de la Monarchie française, précédée de l'histoire des enseignes militaires chez les anciens |date=1837 |publisher=Techener |pages=515 |language=fr}}</ref> In the 17th century, the orange was replaced by red.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Eriksen |first1=Thomas Hylland |title=Flag, Nation and Symbolism in Europe and America |last2=Jenkins |first2=Richard |date=2007-10-18 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-134-06696-4 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=scHXHTkRmZcC&pg=PA23 23] |language=en}}</ref> Tsar Peter the Great personally designed a merchant flag of Russia based on the colors of the flag of the Netherlands.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Massie |first=Robert K. |title=Peter the Great |date=2012 |edition=Modern Library |volume=160 |author-link=Robert K. Massie}}</ref> The Russian flag, in turn, inspired many flags of countries in the Slavic region. Most retained the white, blue and red, but Bulgaria changed the blue stripe on the flag of Russia into a green stripe symbolising liberty.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bulgaria: Flag |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/about/archives/2021/countries/bulgaria/flag |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221114022012/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/about/archives/2021/countries/bulgaria/flag |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 14, 2022 |access-date=2022-11-14 |website=The World Factbook |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency}}</ref>
{{Gallery |title=Current national flags in the Dutch and pan-Slavic family |mode=nolines|style=background:var(--background-color-neutral, beige); color:var(--color-base, black); |whitebg=n|height=100|align=center |Flag of Bulgaria.svg|Flag of Bulgaria |Flag of Croatia.svg|Flag of Croatia |Flag of the Czech Republic.svg|Flag of the Czech Republic |Flag of Luxembourg.svg|Flag of Luxembourg |Flag of the Netherlands.svg|Flag of the Netherlands |Flag of Russia.svg|Flag of Russia |Flag of Serbia.svg|Flag of Serbia |Flag of Slovakia.svg|Flag of Slovakia |Flag of Slovenia.svg|Flag of Slovenia |Flag of Transnistria (Russian tricolour).svg|Co-official flag of Transnistria (disputed territory) }}
==Tricolours and tribands== {{Main|Triband (flag)}}
{{multiple images | direction = vertical | align = right | width1 = 180 | image1 = Flag of France (1790–1794).svg | caption1 = Flag of France from 1790 to 1794 | alt1 = | width2 = 180 | image2 = Flag of Austria (1230–1934, 1945–2000).svg | caption2 = Flag of Austria from 1230 to present | alt2 = | footer = }}
A tricolor is any flag following the flag of France in its design of three vertical stripes of equal width, each distinct in color. On the eve of the French Revolution, 13 July 1789, red and blue cockades were given to the militia of Paris. Soon afterward, Louis XVI added one to his royal white cockade.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-10-21 |title=The French flag |url=https://www.elysee.fr/en/french-presidency/the-french-flag |access-date=2022-10-24 |website=elysee.fr |language=en}}</ref> These colors, arranged as stripes, became the flag of France in 1794. In this way, vertical tribands of three colors became associated with movements for republicanism and were adopted by many nations transitioning to republican governance,<ref name=":0"/> although their use was never exclusive to such states. Unlike tricolour, the triband design may contain two identical colors, such as flags of Nigeria and Peru.
{{Gallery |title=Current national flags in the tricolour family |mode=nolines|style=background:var(--background-color-neutral, beige); color:var(--color-base, black); |whitebg=n|height=100|align=center |Flag of Armenia.svg|Flag of Armenia |Flag of Azerbaijan.svg|Flag of Azerbaijan |Flag of Belgium.svg|Flag of Belgium |Flag of Bolivia (state).svg|Flag of Bolivia |Flag of Bulgaria.svg|Flag of Bulgaria |Flag of Chad.svg|Flag of Chad |Flag of Egypt.svg|Flag of Egypt |Flag of Estonia.svg|Flag of Estonia |Flag of Ethiopia.svg|Flag of Ethiopia |Flag of France.svg|Flag of France |Flag of Gabon.svg|Flag of Gabon |Flag of Germany.svg|Flag of Germany |Flag of Guinea.svg|Flag of Guinea |Flag of Hungary.svg|Flag of Hungary |Flag of India.svg|Flag of India |Flag of Iran.svg|Flag of Iran |Flag of Ireland.svg|Flag of Ireland |Flag of Italy.svg|Flag of Italy |Flag of Ivory Coast.svg|Flag of Ivory Coast |Flag of Lithuania.svg|Flag of Lithuania |Flag of Luxembourg.svg|Flag of Luxembourg |Flag of Mali.svg|Flag of Mali |Flag of Mexico.svg|Flag of Mexico |Flag of Moldova.svg|Flag of Moldova |Flag of Myanmar.svg|Flag of Myanmar |Flag of the Netherlands.svg|Flag of the Netherlands |Flag of Niger.svg|Flag of Niger |Flag of Paraguay.svg|Flag of Paraguay |Flag of Romania.svg|Flag of Romania |Flag of Russia.svg|Flag of Russia |Flag of Sierra Leone.svg|Flag of Sierra Leone |Flag of Venezuela (state).svg|Flag of Venezuela |Flag of Yemen.svg|Flag of Yemen }}
{{Gallery |title=Current non-tricolour national flags in the triband family |mode=nolines|style=background:var(--background-color-neutral, beige); color:var(--color-base, black); |whitebg=n|height=100|align=center |Flag of Argentina.svg|Flag of Argentina |Flag of Austria.svg|Flag of Austria |Flag of Barbados.svg|Flag of Barbados |Flag of Mongolia.svg|Flag of Mongolia |Flag of Nigeria.svg|Flag of Nigeria |Flag of Peru (state).svg|Flag of Peru }}
A number of triband flags have a central band that is exactly twice the width of others, a design known as Spanish fess (horizontal) or Canadian pale (vertical). On some flags, this is not the central band, such as for Colombia or Rwanda.
{{Gallery |title=Current national flags in the triband family with 1:2:1 or 2:1:1 ratio |mode=nolines|style=background:var(--background-color-neutral, beige); color:var(--color-base, black); |whitebg=n|height=100|align=center |Flag of Cambodia.svg|Flag of Cambodia |Flag of Canada.svg|Flag of Canada |Flag of Colombia.svg|Flag of Colombia |Flag of Ecuador.svg|Flag of Ecuador |Flag of Laos.svg|Flag of Laos |Flag of Lebanon.svg|Flag of Lebanon |Flag of Libya.svg|Flag of Libya |Flag of Rwanda.svg|Flag of Rwanda |Flag of Spain.svg|Flag of Spain }}
{{Gallery |title=Current national flags in the triband family with other ratios |mode=nolines|style=background:var(--background-color-neutral, beige); color:var(--color-base, black); |whitebg=n|height=100|align=center |Flag of Andorra.svg|Flag of Andorra (8:9:8) |Flag of Belize.svg|Flag of Belize (1:8:1) |Flag of Latvia.svg|Flag of Latvia (2:1:2) |Flag of Lesotho.svg|Flag of Lesotho (3:4:3) |Flag of Tajikistan.svg|Flag of Tajikistan (2:3:2) }}
==Pan-African colors== {{Main|Pan-African colours}}
Flags in the pan-African family use a combination of some or all of the colors red, yellow, green, and black. Some pan-African flags also have white and, less commonly, blue, but these are not considered{{By whom|date=November 2022}} pan-African colors. The designs of flags in this family vary considerably. The colors red, yellow, and green became associated with pan-African colors through the Ethiopian flag.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Shelby |first=Tommie |date=2003 |title=Two Conceptions of Black Nationalism |journal=Political Theory |volume=31 |issue=5 |pages=664–692 |doi=10.1177/0090591703252826 |s2cid=145600053}}</ref> Black was later added by Marcus Garvey, an activist and organizer for the first black unification movement in the United States.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |title=On Flag Day, Remembering The Red, Black And Green |language=en |work=NPR.org |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2017/06/14/532667081/on-flag-day-remembering-the-red-black-and-green |access-date=2022-10-24}}</ref> Inspired by the pan-African colors' growing association with post-colonial independence, many countries in the Caribbean and the Guianas with large populations in the African diaspora also adopted pan-African colors.<ref>{{Cite web |title=All the Flags of the Caribbean and the Meaning Behind Their Designs |url=https://matadornetwork.com/read/caribbean-flags |access-date=2022-10-24 |website=Matador Network |language=en-US}}</ref>
{{Gallery |title=Current African national flags in the general pan-African colors family |mode=nolines|style=background:beige|whitebg=n|align=center|height=100 |Flag of Angola.svg|Flag of Angola |Flag of the Central African Republic.svg|Flag of the Central African Republic |Flag of Chad.svg|Flag of Chad |Flag of the Comoros.svg|Flag of the Comoros |Flag of Eritrea.svg|Flag of Eritrea |Flag of Eswatini.svg|Flag of Eswatini |Flag of Mauritius.svg|Flag of Mauritius |Flag of Mozambique.svg|Flag of Mozambique |Flag of the Seychelles.svg|Flag of the Seychelles |Flag of South Africa.svg|Flag of South Africa |Flag of South Sudan.svg|Flag of South Sudan |Flag of Tanzania.svg|Flag of Tanzania |Flag of Uganda.svg|Flag of Uganda |Flag of Zambia.svg|Flag of Zambia |Flag of Zimbabwe.svg|Flag of Zimbabwe }}
{{Gallery |title=Current Caribbean and Guianese flags in the general pan-African colors family |mode=nolines|style=background:beige|whitebg=n|align=center|height=100 |Flag of Dominica.svg|Flag of Dominica |Flag of Grenada.svg|Flag of Grenada |Flag of Guyana.svg|Flag of Guyana |Flag of Jamaica.svg|Flag of Jamaica |Flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis.svg|Flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis |Flag of Suriname.svg|Flag of Suriname |Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg|Flag of Trinidad and Tobago }}
===Ethiopian flag family=== [[File:Flag of Abyssinia (pre 1853).svg|thumb|Allegedly, the first tricolor flag of Ethiopia was based on three war pennants arranged horizontally]]
The colors green, yellow, and red have been historically important in Ethiopia since the early 17th century.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7jIrAQAAIAAJ |title=Flag Bulletin |date=1988 |publisher=Flag Research Center}}</ref> Along with Liberia, Ethiopia was the only currently existing nation to avoid European colonization during the scramble for Africa.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Countries in Africa Considered Never Colonized |url=https://www.thoughtco.com/countries-in-africa-considered-never-colonized-43742 |access-date=2022-10-24 |website=ThoughtCo}}</ref> Its flag, therefore, was the inspiration for many countries that gained independence after colonization. The modern flags of Bolivia, Lithuania, and Myanmar also use these three colors, but their origins are unrelated to the Ethiopian flag.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ordóñez |first=Micaela Sanjines |date=2022-08-17 |title=Día de la Bandera: Homenaje e historia de la 'Tricolor' |url=https://www.bolivia.com/actualidad/nacionales/en-el-dia-de-la-bandera-autoridades-rinden-homenaje-al-simbolo-patrio-de-los-bolivianos-363998 |access-date=2022-11-05 |website=Bolivia.com |language=es}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Lithuanian State flag |url=https://www3.lrs.lt/home/w5_viewer/statiniai/seimu_istorija/w5_show-p_r=4056&p_d=49324&p_k=2.html |access-date=2022-11-05 |website=lrs.lt}}</ref>
{{Gallery |title= Current national flags in the Ethiopian pan-African colors family |mode=nolines|style=background:beige|whitebg=n|height=100|align=center |Flag of Benin.svg|Flag of Benin |Flag of Burkina Faso.svg|Flag of Burkina Faso |Flag of Cameroon.svg|Flag of Cameroon |Flag of the Republic of the Congo.svg|Flag of the Republic of the Congo |Flag of Ethiopia.svg |Flag of Ethiopia |Flag of Guinea.svg|Flag of Guinea |Flag of Mali.svg|Flag of Mali |Flag of Mauritania.svg|Flag of Mauritania |Flag of Senegal.svg|Flag of Senegal |Flag of Togo.svg|Flag of Togo }}
====Marcus Garvey and Theodosia Okoh families==== {{multiple images | direction = vertical | image1 = Flag of the UNIA.svg | caption1 = Marcus Garvey's Pan-African flag has influenced the current flags of Kenya (1963), Malawi (1964) and South Sudan (2005) | image2 = Flag of Ghana.svg | caption2 = Theodosia Okoh's flag of Ghana has influenced the designs of the current flags of Guinea-Bissau (1973) and São Tomé and Príncipe (1975) }}
{{Main|Pan-African flag#Derivative flags}}
The Jamaican pan-Africanist leader Marcus Garvey inspired two independent sets of national African flags. In 1917, he proposed a red, black, and green flag for his organization, known as the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League.<ref name=":1"/> According to Garvey:<ref>{{Cite book |last1=McGuire |first1=George Alexander |url=http://pid.emory.edu/ark:/25593/pzmmz/HT |title=Universal Negro catechism: a course of instruction in religious and historical knowledge pertaining to the race |last2=Harvey |first2=Thomas W. |last3=Universal Negro Improvement Association |date=1921 |publisher=Universal Negro Improvement Association |location=New York}}</ref>
{{Blockquote|text="Red is the color of the blood which men must shed for their redemption and liberty; black is the color of the noble and distinguished race to which we belong; green is the color of the luxuriant vegetation of our Motherland."}}
These three decorative colors of Marcus Garvey were the inspiration behind the flag of Kenya, the flag of Malawi, the Flag of South Sudan and other historic flags such as the flag of Biafra.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-02-19 |title=The Pan-African flag started as response to bigotry — It became an enduring symbol |url=https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/the-pan-african-flag-started-as-response-to-bigotry-it-became-an-enduring-symbol |access-date=2022-10-24 |publisher=FOX 5 Atlanta |language=en-US}}</ref> Independently, Marcus Garvey also created the Black Star Line, a shipping company between the United States and West Africa that transported many African-Americans to Africa and vice versa.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Moore |first=Jay E. |date=2021-02-27 |title=Marcus Garvey's Black Star Line |url=https://www.marinersmuseum.org/2021/02/marcus-garveys-black-star-line |access-date=2022-10-24 |publisher=The Mariners' Museum and Park |language=en-US}}</ref> The eponymous black star of the house flag of the company later became a part of three national flags in West Africa, starting with the flag of Ghana designed by Theodosia Okoh.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Znamierowski |first=Alfred |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OwueMQEACAAJ |title=The World Encyclopedia of Flags: The Definitive Guide to International Flags, Banners, Standards and Ensigns, with Over 1400 Illustration |date=2013 |publisher=Lorenz Books |isbn=978-0-7548-2629-3 |pages=124 |language=en |quote=In 1957, Ghana became the first independent country in western Africa to adopt a flag in these colours. Its flag, in the Ethiopian colors with a black star, was inspired by the flag of the Black Star Line shipping company established by Garvey in Accra.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-06-13 |title=Theodosia Salome Okoh: Designer of the Ghana Flag |url=https://ghanaianmuseum.com/theodosia-salome-okoh-the-designer-of-the-ghana-flag |access-date=2022-10-24 |publisher=Ghanaian Museum |language=en-US |archive-date=2022-10-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221024010250/https://ghanaianmuseum.com/theodosia-salome-okoh-the-designer-of-the-ghana-flag/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
{{Gallery |title=Current national flags in the Marcus Garvey's pan-African colors family |mode=nolines|style=background:beige|whitebg=n|height=100|align=center |Flag of Kenya.svg|Flag of Kenya |Flag of Malawi.svg|Flag of Malawi |Flag-of-Martinique.svg|Flag of Martinique |Flag of South Sudan.svg|Flag of South Sudan }}
{{Gallery |title=Current national flags in the Theodosia Okoh's pan-African colors family |mode=nolines|style=background:beige|whitebg=n|height=100|align=center |Flag of Ghana.svg|Flag of Ghana |Flag of Guinea-Bissau.svg|Flag of Guinea-Bissau |Flag of São Tomé and Príncipe.svg|Flag of São Tomé and Príncipe }}
==Pan-Arab colors== {{multiple images | direction = vertical | image1 = Flag of Hejaz (1917).svg | caption1 = The flag of the Arab Revolt or the flag of the Kingdom of Hejaz, was the first to combine the four Arab Revolt colors (1916) | image2 = Flag of Egypt (1953–1958).svg | caption2 = Nasserist tricolor flag of Egypt (1952–1958), was the first to combine the three Arab Liberation colors (1952) }}
{{Main|Pan-Arab colors}}
The pan-Arab flag family is a set of flags featuring three or four of the colors red, black, white, and green. The flags have three horizontal stripes, often with an emblem in the center or an overlapping shape in the hoist. According to biographers of Muhammad, he used both flags of white and flags of black.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Cook |first=David |url=https://archive.org/details/studiesmuslimapo00cook |title=Studies in Muslim apocalyptic |date=1966 |pages=6 |language=en |access-date=2022-10-24 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref> Each color of the pan-Arab flags is associated with a caliphate of Islam. White and black flags were used by the Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties respectively.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Saudi Aramco World: Flags of the Arab World |url=https://archive.aramcoworld.com/issue/197802/flags.of.the.arab.world.htm |access-date=2022-10-24 |publisher=archive.aramcoworld.com}}</ref> Although green is often identified as the color of the Fatimid dynasty by vexillological sources,<ref name="green in Islam"/><ref name="Pan-arab">{{Cite book |last=Znamierowski |first=Alfred |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OwueMQEACAAJ |title=The World Encyclopedia of Flags: The Definitive Guide to International Flags, Banners, Standards and Ensigns, with Over 1400 Illustration |date=2013 |publisher=Lorenz Books |isbn=978-0-7548-2629-3 |pages=122 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Saudi Aramco World: Flags of the Arab World |url=https://archive.aramcoworld.com/issue/197802/flags.of.the.arab.world.htm |access-date=2022-10-29 |publisher=archive.aramcoworld.com}}</ref> that is not correct: their dynastic color was white.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hathaway |first=Jane |url={{Gbook|L-lPC7DgepEC|plainurl=y}} |title=A Tale of Two Factions: Myth, Memory, and Identity in Ottoman Egypt and Yemen |publisher=State University of New York Press |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-7914-5883-9 |location=Albany, New York |page=97 |quote=The Ismaili Shi'ite counter-caliphate founded by the Fatimids took white as its dynastic color, creating a visual contrast to the Abbasid enemy.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Blair |first1=Sheila S. |title=The Oxford History of Islam |last2=Bloom |first2=Jonathan M. |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1999 |isbn=0-19-510799-3 |editor-last=Esposito |editor-first=John L. |editor-link=John Esposito |location=Oxford |pages=215–267 |chapter=Art and Architecture: Themes and Variations |quote=...white was also the color associated with the Fatimid caliphs, the opponents of the Abbasids.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Sanders |first=Paula A. |title=Ritual, Politics, and the City in Fatimid Cairo |publisher=SUNY Press |year=1994 |isbn=0-7914-1781-6 |series=SUNY Series in Medieval Middle East History |page=44 |quote=...wore white (the Fatimid color) while delivering the sermon (''khuṭba'') in the name of the Fatimid caliph.}}</ref> Green is now considered the color of Islam.<ref name="green in Islam">{{Cite web |last=Beam |first=Christopher |date=2009-06-09 |title=Why is the color green so important in the Muslim world? |url=https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2009/06/why-is-the-color-green-so-important-in-the-muslim-world.html |access-date=2022-10-24 |website=Slate |language=en}}</ref> Red was the color of the Hashemites.<ref name=":2"/> These colors were also described by the 14th-century Iraqi poet Safi al-Din al-Hilli: "White are our deeds, black are our battles, green are our ranches, red are our swords."<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Flag – protocol-en |url=https://protocol.gov.iq/en/the-flag |access-date=2022-10-24 |publisher=protocol.gov.iq |archive-date=2022-10-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221023031444/https://protocol.gov.iq/en/the-flag/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
In 1911, members of a Turkish literary club chose these four colors as the colors of the modern Arabic flag.<ref name=":0"/> The colors were combined in the flag of the Arab Revolt in 1916, and many countries adopted these colors as the colors of their national flags upon gaining independence from the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Friedman |first=Isaiah |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yJ9dFmK7qBwC&pg=PA135 |title=British Pan-Arab Policy, 1915-1922 |date=2011-12-31 |publisher=Transaction Publishers |isbn=978-1-4128-1514-7 |pages=135 |language=en}}</ref>
{{Gallery |title=Current flags based on the flag of the Arab Revolt |mode=nolines|style=background:beige|whitebg=n|height=100|align=center |||Flag of Jordan.svg|Flag of Jordan |Flag of Kuwait.svg|Flag of Kuwait |Flag of Libya.svg|Flag of Libya |Flag of Palestine.svg|Flag of Palestine (disputed territory) |Flag of Sudan.svg|Flag of Sudan |Flag of Syria.svg|Flag of Syria |Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg|Flag of the United Arab Emirates |Flag of Western Sahara.svg|Flag of Western Sahara (disputed territory) }}
{{Gallery |title=Current national flags based on the Arab Liberation Flag |mode=nolines|style=background:beige|whitebg=n|height=100|align=center |Flag of Egypt.svg|Flag of Egypt |Flag of Iraq.svg|Flag of Iraq |Flag of Yemen.svg|Flag of Yemen |Flag of Sudan.svg|Flag of Sudan }}
==Pan-Iranian colors== thumb|right|State flag of Iran (1848–1852)
Iran adopted a flag with green, white, and red stripes in the mid-19th century.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-07-26 |title=Iranian Flag, A Brief History (English version) |url=http://www.iraniansofmemphis.org/articles/Iranian%20Flag%20background%20-%20english.pdf |access-date=2022-10-24 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726185444/http://www.iraniansofmemphis.org/articles/Iranian%20Flag%20background%20-%20english.pdf |archive-date=2011-07-26 }}</ref> The flag has undergone changes since, but the three stripes remain. When the newly independent republic of Tajikistan changed its flag from its former Soviet version, it chose to use the same stripes in reverse order as a nod to its close cultural ties with neighbouring Iran.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tajikistan |url=https://www.fotw.info/flags/tj.html |access-date=2022-10-23 |publisher=www.fotw.info}}</ref> The flag of Kurdistan, a geo-cultural region overlapping with Iran, uses the green-white-red stripes of the pan-Iranian flag charged with a 21-rayed golden sun that symbolizes the festival of Newroz marking the arrival of spring and the new year in Kurdish culture on the vernal equinox of 20 March.
{{gallery|mode=nolines|style=background:beige|whitebg=y|height=100|align=center |title=Current national flags in the pan-Iranian colors family |flag of Iran.svg|Flag of Iran |flag of Tajikistan.svg|Flag of Tajikistan |flag of Kurdistan.svg|Flag of Kurdistan (Kurdistan Region)}}
==Pan-Colombian colors== {{multiple images | direction = vertical | image1 = Arms of the house of Colòn (1).svg | caption1 = Pre-discoverial coat of arms of the Columbus dynasty has influenced the Francisco de Miranda's tricolor flag of Venezuela (1806) | image2 = Flag of Miranda.svg | caption2 = Francisco de Miranda's tricolor flag of Venezuela (1806) has influenced the current flags of Colombia and Ecuador | image3 = Flag of the Gran Colombia.svg | caption3 = Flag of the Gran Colombia (1821–1831) }}
The Pan-Colombian colors family is made up of flags of countries in the South American former area of Gran Colombia. They have three horizontal stripes of yellow, blue, and red taken from the pre-discoverial coat of arms of the Columbus dynasty. Venezuelan revolutionary leader Francisco de Miranda personally designed the flag of Gran Colombia, a historic state that included modern Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Venezuela, and parts of Brazil and Guyana.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-09-18 |title=Los nombres de Colombia |url=http://www.bicentenarioindependencia.gov.co/Es/Contexto/Especiales/Paginas/NombredeColombia.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160918125618/http://www.bicentenarioindependencia.gov.co/Es/Contexto/Especiales/Paginas/NombredeColombia.aspx |archive-date=2016-09-18 |access-date=2022-10-23}}</ref> The flag of Gran Colombia had three colours signifying Hispanic America (yellow), the Atlantic Ocean (blue), and "bloody Spain" (red).<ref name=":0"/> Miranda attributed the inspiration for these colors to a late-night conversation with the German writer and color theorist Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who is described as saying<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Smith-Mesa |first=Vladimir A. |title="...A Place Where Primary Colours Are Not Distorted" (Goethe, Francisco de Miranda and the Theory of Colours |journal=Academia |url=https://www.academia.edu/35943358}}</ref>
{{Blockquote|text=Yellow is the most warm, noble and closest to light ... blue is that mix of excitement and serenity, a distance that evokes shadows ... red is the exaltation of yellow and blue, the synthesis, the vanishing of light into shadow.}}
The flag of Gran Colombia was first hoisted in 1806. It led to the current designs of Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela.<ref name=":0"/>
{{Gallery |title=Current national flags in the pan-Colombian colors family |mode=nolines|style=background:beige|whitebg=n|height=100|align=center |Flag of Colombia.svg|Flag of Colombia |Flag of Ecuador.svg|Flag of Ecuador |Flag of Venezuela.svg|Flag of Venezuela }}
==Belgrano== [[File:Flag of Argentina (civil).svg|thumb|Flag of Argentina (1812–1818)]]
The Belgrano flag family is composed of flags of Central and South America with blue and white stripes. In 1812, the Argentine revolutionary general Manuel Belgrano raised a flag in Rosario, Argentina, of three horizontal stripes of blue-white-blue. It was formally adopted by the Government of Argentina in 1816.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Flag of Argentina - History of Argentina Flag - don Quijote |url=https://www.donquijote.org/argentinian-culture/history/argentina-flag |access-date=2022-10-24 |website=www.donquijote.org}}</ref> Six years later, commander-general of El Salvador Manuel José Arce took the "Argentine colours of Belgrano" as a new national flag of that province, becoming the first additional flag of the family.<ref name=":0"/><ref>{{Cite web |title=flag of El Salvador {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/flag-of-El-Salvador |access-date=2022-10-24 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> Building on this, the flag of the Federal Republic of Central America had blue and white stripes, and all of the countries that were once part of that republic retain those stripes in some way in their flags. El Salvador and Nicaragua have also retained the triangular emblem of the former republic; the flag of Costa Rica has an additional red stripe. Argentina's and Uruguay's flags now have the Sol de Mayo.<ref name=":0"/>
{{Gallery |title=Current national flags in the Belgrano family |mode=nolines|style=background:beige|whitebg=n|height=100|align=center |Flag of Argentina.svg|Flag of Argentina |Flag of Costa Rica (state).svg|Flag of Costa Rica |Flag of El Salvador.svg|Flag of El Salvador |Flag of Honduras.svg|Flag of Honduras |Flag of Guatemala.svg|Flag of Guatemala |Flag of Nicaragua.svg|Flag of Nicaragua |Flag of Uruguay.svg|Flag of Uruguay }}
==Red banner== [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|thumb|Flag of the Soviet Union (1955–1991)]] {{Main|Red flag (politics)}}
The red banner flag family is the family of flags that use large red fields or red stars as symbols of communism. The color red became associated with revolution when it was adopted by the Jacobins during the early days of the French Revolution as a symbol of their willingness to shed blood for their cause.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Red Flag |url=https://ageofrevolution.org/200-object/red-flag |access-date=2022-10-24 |website=Age of Revolution}}</ref> After being used by the Paris Commune in 1871, the color became closely associated with socialism.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Paris Commune 1871: Cannon, The Red Flag and Balloons over Montmartre |url=https://montmartrefootsteps.com/the-paris-commune-and-montmartre |access-date=2022-10-24 |website=Montmartre Artists' Studios |language=en-GB}}</ref> The Bolsheviks used these flags as inspiration during the Russian Revolution, adopting the flag of the Soviet Union upon their victory in 1922. As a result, the color red became more closely associated with communism than socialism.<ref>{{Cite web |title=flag of Union of Soviet Socialist Republics {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/flag-of-Union-of-Soviet-Socialist-Republics |access-date=2022-10-24 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> The flag also featured a hammer and sickle and a red star fimbriated by gold, two symbols that also became closely associated with communism. As communism spread during the 20th century, many countries, especially in Asia and Africa, adopted red flags and stars to symbolize their support for the political movement. Every former Soviet state once flew red banners.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Emblems and Flags of the Soviet Republics |url=https://www.soviettours.com/wanderer/soviet-flags |access-date=2022-10-24 |website=soviettours.com |date=12 January 2021 |language=en-US}}</ref> All but Belarus, which simply removed the traditional communist hammer and sickle, has adopted a different flag since the fall of the Soviet Union. Similarly, the current flag of Mongolia removed the communist star from its flag in 1992, but kept all of the other elements.<ref>{{Cite web |title=flag of Mongolia {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/flag-of-Mongolia |access-date=2022-10-26 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref>
{{Gallery |title=Current national flags in the red banner family |mode=nolines|style=background:beige|whitebg=n|height=100|align=center |Flag of Angola.svg|Flag of Angola |Flag of Belarus (darker colors).svg|Flag of Belarus |Flag of China.svg|Flag of China |Flag of Mongolia.svg|Flag of Mongolia |Flag of North Korea.svg|Flag of North Korea |Flag of Transnistria (state).svg|Flag of Transnistria (disputed territory) |Flag of Vietnam.svg|Flag of Vietnam }}
==Trucial States== [[File:Flag of Dubai.svg|alt=A red flag with a white stripe on the left, or hoist, side, about 1/5 the width of the flag|thumb|The flag of Dubai, one of the emirates of the United Arab Emirates]]
Trucial State flags are a flag family from the southern and eastern coasts of the Persian Gulf. They consist of red flags with white stripes, cantons, or borders. Red is a traditional color of the Kharijite Muslims who lived in this region, and they historically used all-red banners.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Smith |first=Whitney |title=Flags through the Ages and across the World |publisher=McGraw Hill |year=1976 |pages=274}}</ref> It was the British who added the white to the flags of the region. When the region became a British protectorate in 1820, the treaty drafted by the United Kingdom said<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7065915 |title=Treaty. Peace and Friendship. [Also known as the General Maritime Treaty] |date=8 January 1820}}</ref> {{Blockquote|text=the friendly Arabs shall carry by land and sea a red flag, with or without letters in it, at their option, and this shall be in a border of white...}} Instead of borders, most of the states adopted a stripe. Nearly all of these states are now member emirates of the United Arab Emirates. While the flag of the United Arab Emirates is not a Trucial States flag, the flags of the individual member emirates still are. In the 1930s, the independent countries within the Trucial State flag family, Bahrain and Qatar, both adopted serrated edges from their earlier straight-edge designs.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Publishing |first=D. K. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1yahq8im86kC |title=Complete Flags of the World |date=2009-01-06 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=978-0-7566-5486-3 |language=en}}</ref> The flag of Qatar is unique in the Trucial State flag family for having a darker shade of red or maroon, a color made using traditional shell-based dye from the area.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Qatar Flag History {{!}} Qatar National Day Organizing Committee |url=https://www.qatar.qa/en/qatar/al-adaam |access-date=2022-10-24 |website=Organizing Committee for Qatar National Day Celebrations |language=en-US}}</ref>
{{Gallery |title=Current national flags in the Trucial States family |mode=nolines|style=background:beige|whitebg=n|height=100|align=center |Flag of Bahrain.svg|Flag of Bahrain |Flag of Qatar.svg|Flag of Qatar }}
==United Nations== [[File:Flag of the United Nations.svg|thumb|The flag of the United Nations (1947–present)]] {{Main|Flag of the United Nations#Derived flags}}
The United Nations flag family includes the flag of the United Nations and subsequent flags that borrowed design elements from the flag including the colors, symbols, or both. The UN adopted its emblem and flag in 1947.<ref>{{Cite web |title=United Nations Emblem and Flag |url=https://www.un.org/en/about-us/un-emblem-and-flag |access-date=2022-10-24 |publisher=United Nations |language=en}}</ref> The flag came to represent the neutrality and cooperation of the UN, so similar flags are often adopted for regions in states of conflict or instability. The first such national flag was the flag of Eritrea from 1952 to 1962, which symbolized peace between the Christians and Muslims in the newly formed country.<ref name=":0"/> The current Eritrean national flag, adopted in 1993, has less of the UN blue, but still retains the UN olive branches from the first design.<ref>{{Cite web |title=National Flag: Precious National Symbol |date=17 October 2020 |url=https://shabait.com/2020/10/17/national-flag-precious-national-symbol |access-date=2022-10-24 |publisher=Eritrea Ministry of Information |language=en-US}}</ref> The flag of Cyprus, adopted 1960, has no UN blue, but has the laurel wreath and a map as the central emblem.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-01-26 |title=Presidency of the Republic of Cyprus - The Flag |url=http://www.presidency.gov.cy/presidency/presidency.nsf/prc24_en/prc24_en?OpenDocument |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170126105501/http://www.presidency.gov.cy/presidency/presidency.nsf/prc24_en/prc24_en?OpenDocument |archive-date=2017-01-26 |access-date=2022-10-24}}</ref> Most national flags inspired by the UN's were flags of United Nations trust territories, colonies that transitioned to independence with support and administration from the UN. These include the flag of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (which later inspired the flags of Micronesia and the Northern Mariana Islands) the flag of the Trust Territory of Somaliland (which is the design of the current flag of Somalia), and the Flag of the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (which was replaced by the current flag of Cambodia that is not in the UN flag family).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Library |first=Dag Hammarskjöld |title=Research Guides: UN Trusteeship Council Documentation: Trust Territories |url=https://research.un.org/en/docs/tc/territories |access-date=2022-10-24 |publisher=research.un.org |language=English}}</ref>
{{Gallery |title=Current national and supra-national flags in the United Nations family |mode=nolines|style=background:beige|whitebg=n|height=100|align=center |Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina.svg|Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina |Flag of Cape Verde.svg|Flag of Cape Verde |Flag of Cyprus.svg|Flag of Cyprus |Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg|Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo |Flag of Djibouti.svg|Flag of Djibouti |Flag of Eritrea.svg|Flag of Eritrea |Flag of Kosovo.svg|Flag of Kosovo |Flag of the Federated States of Micronesia.svg|Flag of the Federated States of Micronesia |Flag of Nauru.svg|Flag of Nauru |Flag of Palau.svg|Flag of Palau |Flag of Rwanda.svg|Flag of Rwanda |Flag of Somalia.svg|Flag of Somalia |Flag of South Sudan.svg|Flag of South Sudan |Flag of Tuvalu.svg|Flag of Tuvalu |Flag of Turkmenistan.svg|Flag of Turkmenistan |Flag of Europe.svg|Flag of the Council of Europe and the European Union |Commonwealth Flag 2013.svg| Flag of the Commonwealth of Nations }}
==Southern Cross== [[File:Civil Ensign of New Zealand.svg|thumb|The Civil Ensign of New Zealand (first flown in 1869, officially adopted 1901)]] {{main|Crux|Flags depicting the Southern Cross}} The Southern Cross, or Crux, is a constellation visible in the Southern Hemisphere, close to the position of the South Celestial Pole, just as the Pole Star Polaris is currently positioned very close to the North Celestial Pole of the celestial sphere. This constellation is visible mostly in the southern hemisphere and it therefore symbolises the southern location of its users. It is depicted on flags and coats of arms of various countries and sub-national entities. It is most closely associated with nation states and territories of Oceania, primarily, but to a much lesser degree also South America, with it appearing in varying orientations on the flags of a large number of Brazilian municipalities.
{{Gallery |title=Current national and sub-national flags in the Southern Cross constellation family |mode=nolines|style=background:beige; padding:20px|whitebg=n|height=100|align=left |Flag of Australia.svg|The flag of Australia |Flag of Brazil.svg|The flag of Brazil |Copyrighted flag.svg|Flag of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands <br/> ''(unofficial flag of the external territory of Australia — no image: flag design copyright in question)'' |Flag of Christmas Island.svg|The flag of Christmas Island <br/> ''(external territory of Australia)'' |Flag of New Zealand.svg|The flag of New Zealand |Flag of Niue.svg|The flag of Niue <br/> ''(self-governing island country as a free associated state with New Zealand)'' |Flag of Papua New Guinea.svg|The flag of Papua New Guinea |Flag of Samoa.svg|The flag of Samoa |Flag of Tokelau.svg|The flag of Tokelau <br/> ''(overseas dependent territory of New Zealand)'' }} {{clear}}
==See also== {{stack|{{Portal|Heraldry and Vexillology}}}}
{{div col}} *Vexillology *Glossary of vexillology *Vexillological symbol *Civil flag *Ensign (flag) *Ethnic flag *Maritime flag *National flag *National coat of arms *National emblem *National seal *National symbol *State flag
*Galleries and lists: **Armorial of dependent territories **Armorial of sovereign states **Flags of Europe **Gallery of sovereign state flags **Gallery of flags of dependent territories **Lists of flags **List of flags by design **List of national flags by design **List of national flags of sovereign states **List of Japanese flags **List of United Kingdom flags **List of Antarctic flags **List of flags by color combination **List of sovereign states by date of current flag adoption **Timeline of national flags **Gallery pages of flags of country subdivisions {{div col end}}
== References == {{Reflist}}
{{Vexillology}}
Category:Flags Category:Types of groupings Category:National symbols Category:Vexillology