List of national flags of sovereign states
Such flags may contain symbolic elements of their peoples, militaries, territories, rulers, and dynasties.
[3] National flags are considered to "provide perhaps the strongest, clearest statement of national identity," and governments have used them to promote and create bonds within the country, motivate patriotism, honor the efforts of citizens, and legitimate formal authority.
[4] Throughout history, elements within flags have been used to symbolize rulers, dynasties, territories, militaries, and peoples of their respective countries.
There is perhaps no more striking demonstration of this than the fact that, despite the absence of any international regulation or treaty requiring of a national flag, without exception every country has adopted at least one.According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a sovereign state is "a state or nation with a defined territory and a permanent population, which administers its own government, and which is recognized as not subject to or dependent upon another power.
[13][14] De facto states include Northern Cyprus,[15] Abkhazia,[16] South Ossetia,[17] Transnistria,[18] Kosovo,[19] the Sahrawi Republic,[20] Somaliland,[21] and Taiwan.
- The flag of Brazil being digitally drawn on a computer.
- The flag of Papua New Guinea on the patch of a soldier.
- A sports fan waving the flag of South Africa .
- Giant flag of Turkey made of Lego bricks .
- Flag of the United States on the moon during the Apollo 15 moon landing.
- Flags of the United Kingdom and India are hung during a political meeting.
- Flag of Palestine prominently displayed on West Bank Wall graffiti art .
- Hoisted Nordic cross flags flying upon poles.
- A pair of citizens display the flag of China at Antarctica .
