National flag

A national flag is a flag which symbolises a country and which can usually be flown by citizens of that country.

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In English the terms nation and country do not have a precise meaning and are open to different interpretations. For example Cornwall is a county in England which is in the {{UK}}. The United Kingdom is an internationally recognised sovereign state. In many contexts the term nation and country are often used when describing a sovereign state, for example the name United Nations. England is a country and a nation but it is not an internationally recognised sovereign state. Cornwall is the only county in England with an internationally recognised regional language other than English and where some of the inhabitants have aspirations to be independent of England. The terminology can be further complicated by the use of the word state to mean a none sovereign sub-entity of as sovereign state, as is done in the {{USA}} and {{AU}}. In most English speaking counties when the terms state, nation and country are used internally they are understood by the context in which they are used and are not controversial. However when these terms are used to describe the state hood aspirations of a people who do not currently live the international recognised sovereign state they would like to inhabit, these terms can be controversial and open to misunderstanding.

Related Topics:
Nation - Country - Cornwall - England - Sovereign state - United Nations - Internationally recognised regional language

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Both public and private buildings such as schools and courthouses often fly the national flag. In some countries the national flags are only flown from non-military buildings on certain flag days.

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In some countries, such as the United States of America and France, the national ensign is identical to the national flag, while in others, such as the United Kingdom and Japan, there are special national flags for maritime use. The ensign is flown from an ensign-staff at the stern of the ship, or from a gaff when underway. Both these positions are superior to any other on the ship, even though the masthead is higher. In the absence of a gaff the ensign may be flown from the yardarm. See Maritime flags. National flags may also be flown by aircraft and the vehicles of important officials.

Related Topics:
United States of America - France - United Kingdom - Japan - Ensign - Ensign-staff - Stern - Gaff - Masthead - Yardarm - Maritime flags

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Although the national flag is meant to be a unique symbol for a country, it is possible that different countries do have similar or equal flags. An example of this are the flags of Monaco and Indonesia, which do only differ slightly in size. Another pair of highly similar flags are the flags of the Netherlands and of Luxembourg, though these two do in fact use slightly different shades of blue as a distinction. Furthermore, it is also possible that a country's current flag is similar to flags that have been used by other countries earlier in history.

Related Topics:
Monaco - Indonesia - Netherlands - Luxembourg

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