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There are two separate meanings for the term state flag in vexillology
Vexillology

Vexillology is the scholarly study of flags. The word is a synthesis of the Latin word vexillum and the suffix -logy, meaning "study of"....
 – the flag of state of a government
Government

Government is the body within any organization that has the authority to make and the power to enforce laws, regulations, or rules. Typically, the government refers to a civil government -- local, provincial, or national -- but commercial, academic, religious, or other formal organizations are also administered by governing bodies....
, and the flag of an individual subnational state.

Government flag
A state flag is a variant of a national flag
National flag

File:dannebrog.jpgA national flag is a flag that symbolises a country. The flag is flown by the government, but usually can be flown by citizens of that country as well....
 (or occasionally a completely different design) specifically designated and restricted by law or custom (theoretically or actually) to use by a country's government or its agencies.






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There are two separate meanings for the term state flag in vexillology
Vexillology

Vexillology is the scholarly study of flags. The word is a synthesis of the Latin word vexillum and the suffix -logy, meaning "study of"....
 – the flag of state of a government
Government

Government is the body within any organization that has the authority to make and the power to enforce laws, regulations, or rules. Typically, the government refers to a civil government -- local, provincial, or national -- but commercial, academic, religious, or other formal organizations are also administered by governing bodies....
, and the flag of an individual subnational state.

Government flag


A state flag is a variant of a national flag
National flag

File:dannebrog.jpgA national flag is a flag that symbolises a country. The flag is flown by the government, but usually can be flown by citizens of that country as well....
 (or occasionally a completely different design) specifically designated and restricted by law or custom (theoretically or actually) to use by a country's government or its agencies. For this reason they are sometimes referred to as government flags. In many countries the state flag and the civil flag
Civil flag

A civil flag is a version of the national flag that is flown by civilians on non-government installations or craft. The use of civil flags was more common in the past, in order to denote buildings or ships that were not manned by the military....
 (as flown by the general public) are identical, but in other countries, notably those in Latin America
Latin America

Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages ? particularly Spanish language and Portuguese language, and variably French language ? are primarily spoken....
, central Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
, and Scandinavia
Scandinavia

Scandinavia is a historical and geographical subregion in northern Europe that includes the Scandinavian Peninsula. It consists of the kingdoms of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark; some authorities also include Finland and some might even include Iceland....
, the state flag is a more complex version of the national flag, often featuring the national coat of arms
Coat of arms

A coat of arms, more properly called an armorial achievement, armorial bearings or often just arms for short, in European tradition, is a design belonging to a particular person and used by them in a wide variety of ways....
 or some other emblem
Emblem

An emblem is a pictorial , abstract art or representational, that epitomizes a concept ? e.g., a moral truth, or an allegory ? or that represents a person, such as a Monarch or Saint symbology....
 as part of the design. Scandinavian countries also use swallowtail
Swallowtail (flag)

In flag terminology, a swallowtail is either# a V-shaped cut in a flag that causes the flag to end in two points at the fly; or# any flag which has this V-shaped cut....
ed state flags, to further differentiate them from civil flags.

In addition, some countries have state ensigns, separate flags for use by non-military government ships such as coast guard
Coast guard

A coast guard is a national organization responsible for various services at sea. However the term implies widely different responsibilities in different countries....
 vessels. For example, government ships in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 fly the blue ensign
Blue Ensign

File:Commandant Ducuing 061030-N-5555T-017.jpgThe Blue Ensign is a flag, one of several British ensigns, used by certain organisations or territories associated with the United Kingdom....
.

State flags should not be confused with the national flag as used by military organisations; these are referred to as war flag
War flag

A war flag is a variant of a national flag for use by the nation's military forces on land. Under this strict sense of the term, few nations currently have war flags, most preferring to use instead their state flag or standard national flag for this purpose....
s and naval ensign
Ensign

An ensign is a distinguishing flag of a ship or a military unit; or a distinguishing token, emblem, or badge, such as a symbol of office. The word has also given rise to the military Ensign , a rank of junior officer once responsible for bearing the ensign of his unit....
s.

National flags with separate state and civil versions

  • Flag of Andorra
    Flag of Andorra

    File:Bandera de Andorra.jpgThe national flag of the Andorra was adopted in 1866. The flag is a vertical tricolour of blue, yellow, and red with the coat of arms of Andorra in the centre....
     (for civil flag the coat of arms is optional)
  • Flag of Argentina
    Flag of Argentina

    File:Flag of Argentina.svgFile:Argentina-Bandera-P2080016.JPGFile:Flag of Argentina .svgThe national flag of Argentina dates from 1812. It is a triband , composed of three equally wide horizontal bands coloured light blue, white and light blue....
     (for civil flag the sun is optional)
  • Flag of Austria
    Flag of Austria

    File:2003 Austria 20 Euro The Post-War Period front.jpgThe flag of Austria has three equal horizontal bands of red , white, and red.The Austrian flag is possibly the oldest national flag design in the world....
     (state flag includes the coat of arms)
  • Flag of Belgium
    Flag of Belgium

    File:Flag of Belgium .svgThe national flag of Belgium contains three equal vertical bands of black , yellow, and red; the vertical design was based on the flag of France, whereas the colours were taken from the colours of the Duchy of Brabant....
     (state flag has different proportions)
  • Flag of Bolivia
    Flag of Bolivia

    File:Flag of Bolivia.svgThe current flag of Bolivia was originally adopted by Bolivia in 1851. The state flag and ensign is a horizontal tricolor of red, yellow, and green with the Coat of Arms of Bolivia in the center....
     (state flag includes the coat of arms)
  • Flag of Costa Rica
    Flag of Costa Rica

    The flag of Costa Rica was officially adopted on November 27, 1906. However, the blue, white and red horizontal design was created and used since 1848 when Costa Rica left the Federal Republic of Central America and declared itself a Sovereign Republic....
     (state flag includes the coat of arms)
  • Flag of Denmark
    Flag of Denmark

    File:Flag of Denmark.svgFile:Dannebrog.jpgThe national flag of Denmark, Dannebrog, is red with a white Nordic Cross Flag that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side....
     (state flag has different proportions and shape)
  • Flag of Ecuador
    Flag of Ecuador

    File:Flag of Ecuador.svgThe flag of Ecuador, which consists of horizontal bands of yellow , blue and red, was adopted on September 26, 1860. It is very similar to that of Colombia and Venezuela, which are also former constituent territories of Gran Colombia....
     (state flag includes the coat of arms)
  • Flag of El Salvador
    Flag of El Salvador

    The flag of El Salvador was adopted on May 17, 1912. It is based on the flag of the United Provinces of Central America, inspired in the Argentine flag, and was initially adopted in 1822, abandoned in 1865, reinstated in 1912, and last confirmed in 1972....
     (state flag includes the coat of arms)
  • Flag of Finland
    Flag of Finland

    File:Flag of Finland 1918 .svgThe flag of Finland , also called Siniristilippu , dates from the beginning of the 20th century. It features a blue Nordic cross on a white background....
     (state flag includes the coat of arms)
  • Flag of Germany
    Flag of Germany

    The flag of Germany is a tricolour consisting of three equal horizontal bands displaying the national colours of Germany of Germany: black, red and Gold ....
     (government flag includes the )
  • Flag of Guatemala
    Flag of Guatemala

    File:Flag of Guatemala.svg?File:Civil Ensign of Guatemala.svg?The National flag of Guatemala features two colors: sky blue and white. The two sky blue stripes represent the fact that Guatemala is a land located between two oceans, the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean sea; and the sky over the country ....
     (state flag includes the coat of arms)
  • Flag of Haiti
    Flag of Haiti

    File:Flag of Haiti.svgFile:Flag of Haiti .svgFile:Flag of Haiti .svgFile:Flag of Haiti 1964 .svgFile:Kingdom of Haiti flag .gifThe flag of Haiti was adopted on February 25, 1987....
     (state flag includes the coat of arms)
  • Flag of Hungary
    Flag of Hungary

    The flag of Hungary is a horizontal tricolour of red, white and green. In this exact form, it has been the official flag of Hungary since October 1, 1957....
     (optional coat of arms on the state flag)
  • Flag of Iceland
    Flag of Iceland

    File:Icelandic Presidential.svgFile:Customs Flag and Ensign of Iceland.svgFile:Light Blue Flag of Iceland.svgThe flag of Iceland was officially described in Law No....
     (state flag has different proportions and shape)
  • Flag of India
    Flag of India

    File:Flag of India.svgFile:Sarnath Lion Capital of Ashoka.jpgThe National Flag of India was adopted in its present form during an ad hoc meeting of the Constituent Assembly held on the 22 July 1947, twenty-four days before India's independence from the British on 15 August 1947....
     (Tricolour with Ashok Chakra in middle)
  • Flag of Liechtenstein
    Flag of Liechtenstein

    The flag of Liechtenstein consists of two equal horizontal bands of blue and red with a gold ducal crown on the hoist side of the blue band. The colours likely derive from the livery colours of the Principality's royal household in the 18th century....
     (has standard of the Government with the coat of arms)
  • Flag of Lithuania
    Flag of Lithuania

    The flag of Lithuania consists of a horizontal Tricolour of yellow, green and red. It was adopted on March 20, 1989, almost two years before the reestablishment of Lithuania's independence following the end of the Soviet Union....
     (different historical state flag)
  • Flag of Monaco
    Flag of Monaco

    The national flag of Monaco has two equal horizontal bands of red and white, both of which have been the heraldry colors of the House of Grimaldi since at least 1339....
     (different state flag)
  • Flag of Norway
    Flag of Norway

    The flag of Norway is red with an indigo blue Scandinavian cross outlined in white that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Flag of Denmark, the flag of Denmark....
     (state flag has different proportions)
  • Flag of Peru
    Flag of Peru

    The flag of Peru was adopted by the government of Peru in 1825. It is a vertical triband with red outer bands and a single white middle band. Depending on its use, it may be Defacement with different emblems, and has different names....
     (state flag includes the coat of arms)
  • Flag of Poland
    Flag of Poland

    The flag of Poland consists of two horizontal stripes of equal width, the upper one white and the lower one red. The two colors are defined in the Constitution of Poland as the national colors....
     (has a variant of the national flag with the coat of arms)
  • Flag of San Marino
    Flag of San Marino

    File:Flag of San Marino.svgFile:Flag of San Marino .svgFile:Old Flag of San Marino.svgThe state and war Flag of San Marino is formed by two equal horizontal bands of white and light blue with the national coat of arms of San Marino superimposed in the center; the coat of arms has a shield flanked by a wreath, below a crown and above a s...
     (state flag includes the coat of arms)
  • Flag of Serbia
    Flag of Serbia

    The flag of Serbia is a tricolour with Pan-Slavic colours, with three equal horizontal fields, red on the top, blue in the middle and white on the bottom....
     (state flag includes the coat of arms)
  • Flag of Spain
    Flag of Spain

    File:Bandera pza Colon.jpgThe flag of Spain , as it is defined in the Spanish Constitution of 1978, consists of three horizontal stripes: red, yellow and red, the yellow stripe being twice the size of each red stripe....
     (state flag includes the coat of arms)
  • Flag of Transnistria
    Flag of Transnistria

    The flag of Transnistria is a version of the former flag of the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic. The current form is adopted by the 2000 Law about State Symbols....
     (state flag includes hammer and sickle)
  • Flag of Trinidad and Tobago
    Flag of Trinidad and Tobago

    File:Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svgThe flag of Trinidad and Tobago was adopted upon independence in 1962. The red represents the vitality of the land and the people....
     (state flag has different proportions)
  • Flag of Venezuela
    Flag of Venezuela

    The flag of Venezuela dates from 1811, the beginning of that nation's struggle for independence. The basic design includes a horizontal tricolor of yellow, blue, and red....
     (state flag includes the coat of arms)


Flag of a subnational state

In Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
, Brazil
Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the List of countries by population country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world....
, the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, and some other federal countries, the term state flag can have a different usage, as it frequently refers to an official flag of any of the individual state
State

A state is a political Social contract with effective sovereignty over a geographic area and representing a population. These may be nation states, State or multinational states....
s or territorial sub-divisions that make up the nation.

To avoid confusion with the first meaning of the term, however, such a flag would be more precisely referred to as "the flag of the state of X", rather than "the state flag of X". For this usage, see also:

  • Flags of the Australian states and territories
    List of Australian flags

    This is a list of flags used in Australia:...
  • Flags of Brazilian states
    Flags of Brazilian states

    This gallery of flags of Brazilian states shows the flags of the 26 Brazilian States of Brazil and the federal district....
  • Flags of the U.S. states
    Flags of the U.S. states

    The flags of the United States U.S. states exhibit a wide variety of regional influences and local histories, as well as widely different styles and design principles....