View source for Canton (flag)

{{Short description|Rectangular area of a flag}}
[[File:Flag parts diagram.svg|thumb|[[Glossary of vexillology#Flag elements|Elements of a flag]]]]
In [[vexillography]], the '''canton''' is a rectangular emblem placed at the top left of a flag, usually occupying up to a quarter of a flag's area. The canton of a flag may be a flag in its own right. For instance, [[British ensign]]s have the [[Union Jack]] as their canton, as do their derivatives such as the national flags of [[Flag of Australia|Australia]] and [[Flag of New Zealand|New Zealand]].

Following the practice of British ensigns, a canton sometimes contains a symbol of national unity, such as the blue field and white stars of the [[Flag of the United States|flag of the United States of America]]. In these cases, the canton may be called simply the '''union'''.<ref>[https://www.legion.org/flag/code "United States Flag Code"], [[American Legion]]. Retrieved 2 September 2024.</ref>

The American flag's canton derives from Britain's use of the Union Jack in the flags of its possessions (including, historically, the [[Thirteen Colonies|Thirteen American Colonies]]). Subsequently, many [[New World]] nations (along with other later countries and regions, such as [[Liberia]] or [[Malaysia]]) that were inspired by the United States adopted flag elements that were inspired by the American flag. As a result, many extant uses of a prominent canton derive either from British territorial history, or American influence and inspiration.

==Current flags using cantons==
===Sovereign states===
<gallery>
File:Flag of Australia (converted).svg|The [[flag of Australia]] features the Union Flag as a canton.
File:Flag of Chile.svg|The [[flag of Chile]] incorporates a blue canton bearing a white five-pointed star.
File:Flag of Fiji.svg|The [[flag of Fiji]] has a canton of the Union Flag.
File:Flag of Greece.svg|The [[flag of Greece]] has a blue canton with a white Greek cross.
File:Flag of Liberia.svg|The [[flag of Liberia]] has a blue canton with a white five-pointed star.
File:Flag of Malaysia.svg|The [[flag of Malaysia]] has a canton with a crescent and 14-pointed star in yellow on a blue field.
File:Flag of New Zealand.svg|The [[flag of New Zealand]] has a Union Flag canton.
File:Flag of Samoa.svg|The [[flag of Samoa]] has a blue canton which bears the [[Southern Cross]] constellation in white.
File:Flag of the Republic of China.svg|The [[flag of the Republic of China|flag of the Republic of China (Taiwan)]] has a navy blue canton bearing a white sun with 12 triangular rays. (This flag's canton is also used as the Taiwanese naval jack and the [[Kuomintang]]'s party flag.)
File:Flag of Togo.svg|The [[flag of Togo]] has a red canton bearing a white five-pointed star.
File:Flag of Tonga.svg|The [[flag of Tonga]] has a white canton bearing a red Greek cross couped.
File:Flag of Tuvalu.svg|The [[flag of Tuvalu]] features the Union Flag in its canton.
File:Flag of the United States.svg|The [[flag of the United States]] has 50 white five-pointed stars on a blue canton ({{aka}} union), standing for the country's [[U.S. state|50 constituent states]] (This flag's canton is also used as United States Naval Jack/Jack of the United States).
File:Flag of Uruguay.svg|The [[flag of Uruguay]] has a white canton charged with the [[Sun of May]].
</gallery>

===Territories, regions, and provinces===
====States of Australia====
All of the Australian states (though ''not'' territories) adopt the use of the UK's national flag in their cantons.
<gallery>
File:Flag of New South Wales.svg|[[New South Wales]]
File:Flag of South Australia.svg|[[South Australia]]
File:Flag of Tasmania.svg|[[Tasmania]]
File:Flag of Queensland.svg|[[Queensland]]
File:Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg|[[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]]
File:Flag of Western Australia.svg|[[Western Australia]]
</gallery>

====Provinces of Canada====
Two of Canada's ten provinces use flags with cantons, both the UK national flag.
<gallery>
File:Flag of Manitoba.svg|[[Manitoba]]
File:Flag of Ontario.svg|[[Ontario]]
</gallery>

====Counties of Liberia====
Every county flag of Liberia contains the Liberian national flag in its canton.
<gallery>
File:Flag of Bomi County.svg|[[Bomi County]]
File:Flag of Bong County.svg|[[Bong County]]
File:Flag of Gbarpolu County.svg|[[Gbarpolu County]]
File:Flag of Grand Bassa County.svg|[[Grand Bassa County]]
File:Flag of Grand Cape Mount County.svg|[[Grand Cape Mount County]]
File:Flag of Grand Gedeh County.svg|[[Grand Gedeh County]]
File:Flag of Grand Kru County.svg|[[Grand Kru County]]
File:Flag of Lofa County.svg|[[Lofa County]]
File:Flag of Margibi County.svg|[[Margibi County]]
File:Flag of Maryland County.svg|[[Maryland County]]
File:Flag of Montserrado County.svg|[[Montserrado County]]
File:Flag of Nimba County.svg|[[Nimba County]]
File:Flag of Rivercess County.svg|[[Rivercess County]]
File:Flag of River Gee County.svg|[[River Gee County]]
File:Flag of Sinoe County.svg|[[Sinoe County]]
</gallery>

====Other====
<gallery>
File:Flag of Abkhazia.svg|The [[Flag of Abkhazia|breakaway flag of Abkhazia]] features a red canton with a white right hand and seven white stars on it.
File:Flag of Adjara.svg|The flag of the autonomous province of [[Adjara]] contains the Georgian flag in the canton.
File:Bandeira do Amazonas.svg|[[Amazonas (Brazilian state)|Amazonas]] in Brazil
File:Bandeira da Bahia.svg|[[Bahia]] in Brazil
File:Flag of Azad Kashmir.svg|The flag of [[Azad Kashmir]]
File:Flag of the Balearic Islands.svg|alt=Flag of the The Balearic Islands|Flag of [[The Balearic Islands]], an autonomous community within the [[Spain|Kingdom of Spain]]. 
File:Flag of Brittany (Gwenn ha du).svg|[[Flag of Brittany]] in France, inspired by the American and Greek flags
File:Flag of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands.svg|Flag of the [[French Southern and Antarctic Lands]] has a rare use of the [[Flag of France]] as its canton.
File:Flag of Georgia (U.S. state).svg|The [[Flag of Georgia (U.S. state)|flag of Georgia]] has the state coat of arms in the canton, surrounded by 13 stars which, like the stripes on the US flag, represent the original 13 colonies.
File:Flag of Goiás.svg|[[Goiás]] in Brazil
File:Bandera del Departamento Guatemala.svg|Flag of [[Guatemala Department]] of Guatemala contains its [[coat of arms]].
File:Flag of Hawaii.svg|The [[flag of Hawaii]] has the UK's flag in its canton.
File:Flag of Johor.svg|Flag of [[Johor]] in Malaysia, which contains the Islamic [[star and crescent]] in the canton, as does the national flag
File:Bandeira do Maranhão.svg|[[Maranhão]] in Brazil
<!--File:Flag of Manitoba.svg|[[Manitoba]]'s provincial flag, one of two Canadian provinces to use the UK's national flag in their cantons.-->
File:Flag of Malacca.svg|The [[flag of Melaka]] in Malaysia has a charge, of the Islamic [[star and crescent]].
File:Flag of Negeri Sembilan.svg|Flag of [[Negeri Sembilan]] in Malaysia, the canton of which resembles the flag of [[Papua New Guinea]]
<!--File:Flag of Ontario.svg|[[Ontario]]'s provincial flag, one of two Canadian provinces to use the UK's national flag in their cantons.-->
File:Bandeira do Piauí.svg|[[Piauí]] in Brazil
File:Flag of Sabah.svg|The flag of [[Sabah]] in Malaysia contains a profile of local [[Mount Kinabalu]].
File:San Salvador Flag.png|Flag of [[San Salvador Department]] in El Salvador
File:Santa Ana (El Salvador) flag.jpg|Flag of [[Santa Ana Department]] in El Salvador
File:Bandeira do estado de São Paulo.svg|[[São Paulo (state)|São Paulo]] in Brazil
File:Flag of Selangor.svg|Flag and coat of arms of [[Selangor]] in Malaysia is not a true canton, although the standard of the [[Sultan of Selangor]], which derives from it, retains the upper left hoist as a distinct canton.
File:Bandeira de Sergipe.svg|[[Sergipe]] in Brazil
</gallery>

===Military===
<gallery>
Naval Ensign of Australia.svg|[[Australian White Ensign]], which has a canton consisting of the [[Union Flag]].
Air Force Ensign of Australia.svg|[[Royal Australian Air Force Ensign]], which has a canton consisting of the [[Union Flag]].
Naval Ensign of Canada.svg|Naval ensign of Canada, which has a canton consisting of Canada's national flag.
Naval Ensign of India.svg|Naval ensign of India, which has a canton consisting of an elongated Indian national flag.
Naval Ensign of Sierra Leone.svg|Naval ensign of Sierra Leone, has a canton with a horizontal triband of green, white, and blue (e.g. the Sierra Leone national flag). 
Flag of the South African Army.svg|Flag of the [[South African Army]], which has a canton with the RSA's national flag in it.
Flag of the South African National Defence Force.svg|Flag of the [[South African National Defence Force]], which has a canton with the RSA's national flag in it.
Naval Ensign of South Africa.svg|Naval ensign of South Africa, which has a canton with the RSA's national flag in it.
Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg|Naval ensign of the United Kingdom, which has a canton consisting of the UK's national flag in it.
</gallery>

===Other===
<gallery>
Flag of the Korean National Association.svg|Flag of the [[Korean National Association]], with a yellow canton defaced with a blue-and-red [[taeguk]].
Flag of the New York City Police Department.svg|Flag of the [[New York City Police Department]] has a blue canton defaced with stars, representing the 23 original municipalities that combined to form modern day NYC, and one for NYC itself.
Flag of the South African Police Service.svg|Flag of the [[South African Police Service]], which has a canton with the RSA's national flag in it.
</gallery>

==Former flags that used cantons==
===States===
<gallery>
File:Flag of Russia (1914-1917).svg|Flag of the [[Russian Empire]], used 1914–1917.
File:Flag of Georgia (1990–2004).svg|Old [[Flag of Georgia (country)|Flag of Georgia]], used 1918-1921 and 1991-2003.
File:Flag of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic (1951–1990).svg|A Soviet-era flag for [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], It was the only Soviet Union Republic flag with the canton and in which the hammer and sickle were not gold in color.
File:Flag of Brazil (November 1889).svg|The November 1889 flag of [[First Brazilian Republic|Brazil]] had a blue canton defaced with 21 white stars.
File:Flag of the Confederate States (1861–1863).svg|The first version of the [[Flags of the Confederate States of America|flag of the Confederate States]] featured a canton defaced with stars, with the stars representing its claimed constituent states
File:Flag of the Confederate States of America (1865).svg|Subsequent flags of the CS incorporated a star-defaced saltire (known as the "Confederate Battle Flag") in their cantons.
File:Flag of the Orange Free State.svg|The flag of the [[Orange Free State]] had a canton with a horizontal triband of red, white, and blue (e.g. the Dutch flag) in it.
File:Flag of Texas (1835–1839).svg|The national flag of [[Republic of Texas|Texas]] from 1835 to 1839 had a blue canton, defaced with a single star. 
File:UnitedTribesUnofficial.svg|The flag of the [[United Tribes of New Zealand]] from the [[Declaration of the Independence of New Zealand|Declaration of Independence]] in 1835 until [[William Hobson]] proclaimed [[United Kingdom|British]] sovereignty in 1840 puts the [[Southern Cross]] in the canton of the [[St George Cross]].
</gallery>

===Territories, organizations, and subdivisions===
  
====Canada====
<gallery>
Flag of the Canadian Army (1939–1944).svg|Flag of the [[Canadian Army]] from 1939 to 1944, which had a canton consisting of the UK's national flag.
Flag of the Canadian Army (1968–1998).svg|Flag of the Canadian Army from 1968 to 1998 used a canton consisting of Canada's national flag.
</gallery>

====Confederate States====
<gallery>
File:Tennessee_1861_proposed.svg|An early 1860s flag of CS [[Tennessee in the American Civil War|Tennessee]]
File:Flag of Louisiana (February 1861).svg|A former flag of CS [[Louisiana in the American Civil War|Louisiana]]
File:Flag_of_Mississippi_(1861-1894).svg|A former flag of CS [[Mississippi in the American Civil War|Mississippi]]
</gallery>

====France====
Many [[French colonial flags]] contained the [[Flag of France]] in the canton.

====Georgia====
<gallery>
File:Flag_of_Ajarian_ASSR.svg|A Soviet-era flag for Adjara (then the Ajarian ASSR) combined a blue [[Glory_(optical_phenomenon)|glory]] with red [[hammer and sickle]].
</gallery>

====Serbia and Montenegro====
<gallery>
Naval Ensign of Serbia and Montenegro.svg|Naval ensign of Serbia and Montenegro from 1992 to 2006, which had a canton with a horizontal triband of blue, white, and red (e.g. the Serbia and Montenegro national flag) in it.
</gallery>

====South Africa====
<gallery>
Flag of the Cape Colony (1876–1910).svg|Flag of the Cape Colony had a canton consisting of the UK's national flag; like most of the UK's colonies.
Ensign of the South African Defence Force (1981–1994).svg|Flag of the South African Defence Force, which had a canton with the RSA's national flag in it.
Flag of the South African Police (1981–1994).svg|Flag of the South African Police, which had a canton with the RSA's national flag in it.
</gallery>

====United States====
<gallery>
File:Flag of Mississippi (2001–2020).svg|The [[Flag of Mississippi]] had the [[Flags of the Confederate States of America|Confederate battle flag]] in the canton in its designs from 1894-2020.
File:Flag_of_New_Mexico_(1912-1925).svg|An early flag design for [[New Mexico]], which shows a rare instance of the US flag as a canton
File:Flag_of_the_Vermont_Republic.svg|Flag of the short lived [[Republic of Vermont]], which adapted the US flag's union of 13 stars
File:Flag_of_Vermont_(1804-1837).svg|An early flag for Vermont, which was substantially identical to the US flag of the time
</gallery>

====Yugoslavia====
<gallery>
File:Naval Ensign of Yugoslavia (1949–1993).svg|Yugoslav naval ensign from 1949 to 1993, which had a canton consisting of a horizontal triband of blue, white, and red, defaced with a star and wreath.
File:Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina (1946–1992).svg|alt=|Flag of the SR BiH, which had a canton consisting of the Yugoslav flag.
</gallery>

== See also ==
* [[Canton (heraldry)]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|position=left|Flags with cantons}}
{{Vexillology}}
{{Heraldry}}

[[Category:Flags by design]]