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A flag is a piece of cloth flown from a pole or mast, usually intended for signaling or identification. Flags were initially created for signalling (as in semaphore), and for the identification of those who displayed them, and are still used for that purpose today. Flags are also used in messaging or advertising, or for decorative purposes, though at this less formal end the distinction between a flag and a simple cloth banner is blurred. Generally, a piece of cloth is a flag if it is flown like a flag, with one side attached, though many flags are recognisable if displayed in other forms.

The study of flags is known as vexillology, from the Latin vexillum meaning flag or banner.

History of Flags

The first flag-like implement to be used by humans was the vexilloid, an emblem or small sculpture on a pole, by the Egyptians, probably prior to 1000 B.C.E. They were also developed independently by Assyrians in about 750 B.C.E., and by the Celts of Western Europe. They could be made out of wood or metal, and were sometimes adorned with ribbons or bits of fabric as decoration.

Over time, people made the realization that the adornments were the more visible elements of a vexilloid. This was hastened by the development of sea travel, which called for a means of unambiguous identification over a great distance. Simple, brightly-colored designs which moved with the wind caught the eye best. Today, flags continue to be used to signal between ships or from ship to harbor. An example is an entirely yellow flag, which means that the ship's crew is quarantined for an infectious disease.

The use of flags to signal miltary orders or to rally troops continued until the late 19th century. Each military unit often had a unique unit flag which was often decorated with ribbons indicating battle honors, and it was considered a great honor to capture the enemies flag and a great shame to lose one's own. The practice of carrying flags into battle ended in the late 19th century when rifle fire became accurate enough to make carrying a flag suicidal.

Another use of flags is in weather announcements. Ports and ships often fly flags indicating wind conditions at sea. A red flag with a black center square indicates a gale while two such flags indicate a hurricane. Beaches often post red, yellow or green flags to indicate safe or unsafe surf or ice conditions.

Especially before radio, ships at sea could send messages by sending letters flags up, spelling out words which could be read by the different colors and designs of each flag.

The full development of heraldry in about 1200 C.E. also brought sophistication to the development and design of flags. The oldest national flag continually in use is the aforementioned Dannebrog, which dates legendarily from 1219.

National flags

Main article: National flag

One of the most popular uses of a flag is to symbolize a nation or country. Some national flags have been particularly inspirational to other nations, countries, or subnational entities in the design of their own flags. Some prominent examples include:

The flag of Denmark. Their flag, called the Dannebrog, inspired the cross design of other Nordic countries. Examples: the Faroe Islands, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden.
The flag of Switzerland, with its colours reversed, gave rise to the emblem of the International Red Cross, which is a safe conduct in war zones under international law.
The Union Flag of the United Kingdom, more commonly (and correctly, when used by warships at sea) called the "Union Jack". British colonies typically fly a flag based on one of the ensigns based on this flag, and many former colonies have retained the design to acknowledge their cultural history, show gratitude to the U.K., or possibly to reflect their participation in the Commonwealth. Examples: Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and curiously Hawaii.
The national flag of France, also called the Tricolore, which inspired other nations to adopt differenced tricolours in sympathy with the revolutionary spirit with which the flag was designed in 1794. Examples among many: Republic of Ireland, Italy.
The flag of the United States, also nicknamed The Stars and Stripes or Old Glory. In the same way that nations looked to France for inspiration, many countries were also inspired by the American Revolution which they felt was symbolized in this flag. Examples: Cuba, Chile, Liberia, Malaysia.
The flag of Russia, the source for the Pan-Slavic colors adopted by many Slavic states and peoples as their symbols. Examples: Slovakia, Serbia and Montenegro, Croatia.
Ethiopia was seen as a model by emerging African states of the 1950's and 1960's, as it was one of the oldest continually independent states in Africa. Accordingly, its flag became the source of the Pan-African colours. Examples: Togo, Senegal, Ghana, Mali.
The flag of Turkey which was originally the flag of the Ottoman Empire has been an inspiration for the flag designs of many other Muslim nations. During the time of the Ottomans the crescent began to become associated with Islam and this is reflected on the flags of Algeria, Comoros, Malaysia, Mauritania, Pakistan, and Tunisia
The Pan-Arab colors, green, white, red, and black, seen on the flags of Jordan, Kuwait, Sudan, Syria, Yemen, and the United Arab Emirates.
The flag of Nepal is the only non-rectangular national flag in the world.

Flags of Non-national entities

Flags may also be adopted by:

Multinational organizations, such as the United Nations and the European Union
Private organizations, such as Greenpeace.
Corporations, such as McDonald's.
Languages, such as Esperanto.
A subculture, such as gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people (the rainbow flag)

In short, any entity seeking to establish an identity may do so by the use of a flag.

Flags at sea

Main article: Maritime flags

Flags are particularly important at sea, where they can mean the difference between life and death, and consequently where the rules and regulations for the flying of flags are strictly enforced. A national flag flown at sea is known as an ensign. A courteous, peaceable merchant ship or yacht customarily flies its ensign (in the usual ensign position) together with the flag of whatever nation it is currently visiting at the mast (known as a courtesy flag). To fly one's ensign alone in foreign water, a foreign port or in the face of a foreign warship traditionally indicates a willingness to fight, with cannon, for the right to do so. This custom is still (2004) taken quite seriously by many naval and port authorities and is readily enforced in many parts of the world by boarding, confiscation, and other civil penalties.

In some countries yacht ensigns are different from merchant ensigns in order to signal that the yacht is not carrying cargo that requires a customs declaration. Carrying commercial cargo on a boat with a yacht ensign is smuggling in many jurisdictions.

There is a system of International maritime signal flags for each numeral and letter of the alphabet. Each flag or pennant has an additional meaning when flown individually.

Flag Design

The Use of Flags in Sports

Because of their ease of signalling and identification, flags are often used in sports.

In American and Canadian football, referees use flags to indicate an error has been made in game play. The phrase used for such an indication is flag on the play. The flag itself is a small, weighted handkerchief, tossed on the field at the approximate point of the infraction; the intent is usually to sort out the details after the current play from scrimmage has concluded. In American football, the flag is usually yellow; in Canadian football, it is usually red.
In auto and motorcycle racing, flags are used to communicate with drivers. Most famously, a checkered flag of black and white indicates the end of the race, and victory for the leader. A yellow flag is used to indicate caution requiring slow speed and a red flag requires racers to immediately stop. A black flag is used to indicate penalties.
In Association football (soccer), assistant referees carry small flags along the touch lines. They use the flags to indicate to the referee potential infringements of the Laws or who is entitled to possession of the ball that has gone out of the field of play, or, most famously, raise the flag overhead to indicate an offside offence. Officials called touch judges use flags for similar purposes in both codes of rugby.
In addition, fans of almost all sports will wave flags in the stands to indicate their support for the participants. Many sports teams have their own flags, and in individual sports, fans will indicate their support for a player by waving the flag of his or her home country.

Alternate meanings for "flag"

Colloquially, a flag can generally mean an indicator, as in a "red flag" (a sign that something is amiss -see its use in auto racing).
In computer programming, a flag is a variable used to indicate a true or false (Boolean) value. More specifically, in computer engineering a flag is a bit in a special CPU register, which is used to indicate the existence of a condition such as arithmetic overflow.
See also flag (mathematics)

Bibliography

William G. Crampton; The World of Flags; Rand McNally; ISBN 0-528-83720-6 (hardcover, 1994).
Ultimate Pocket Flags of the World; Dorling Kindersley; ISBN 0-7894-2085-6; (1st American edition, hardcover, 1996).

External Links

Flags of the World, an outstanding source of vexillological information, contributed to by a group of international volunteers.
World Flag Database
The Flag Institute (UK)
Free flag gallery (SVG and PNG formats)

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 ==Flag Design==
+See also [[Flag terminology]].
 Flags are usually rectangular in shape, but may be of any shape or size that is practical for flying.  Named shapes include pennant (and [[Flag of Nepal|double pennant]]), swallowtail, triangular or swallowtail burgee, gonfanon and oriflamme.  Common designs on flags include crosses, stripes, and divisions of the surface, or ''field'', into bands or quarters - patterns and principles mainly derived from [[heraldry]].  A heraldic coat of arms may also be flown as a ''banner of arms''.  An example is the U.S. state of [[Maryland]], or the Republic of [[Kiribati]].  Writing is common on some flags - for example, state flags of the [[United States]], or revolutionary flags of the [[Soviet Union]] - however, the practice is generally deprecated, because the writing is hard to read on the reverse of the flag, and sewing the same design on both sides often makes the flag too heavy to fly properly.