What's your favorite national flag, and why?

Croatia. It has stripes but also a checkerboard coat of arms which gives it a distinct look. Also love the Scottish flag, mainly for the shade of blue. If I was going to declare war on the the English, I'd paint my face with that colour of blue too.

Allan, isn't it basically the Dutch flag with a stamp?

Wales cuz of the red dragon but also enjoy the Roman Eagle and Steer ( cow) of Moldova, the simplicity of two headed eagle of the Albania flag but biased and because I’ve had more than one traveler ( American, South American and European) tell me California is a country..... the California flag with the California Grizzly 🐻

California is sort of like its own country, or maybe it should be? The fifth largest economy in the world?

I don't know there might be a push for a split between the south and north.

West Virginia could be its own country. I actually think we'd put up a pretty good fight until we were overwhelmed by city folk. I mean, we can handle firearms with aplomb. Many of us would have to fight from scooters, which could be converted into miniature tanks.

Claudia, what's up with the "cuz". It's like reading something one of my students emailed.

I'm partial to the simple big bold color stripes, vertical or horizontal: France, Ireland, Italy, etc. Or the simple: Canada, Japan, Switzerland, etc. Personally, I think the US flag is dumb looking myself, even though the colors and symbols have meanings it just doesn't 'gel' for me - the same for England and Australia.

The United States of America, simply because it is mine.

My favourite would be my own - Canada. And I have a fondness for the UK Union Jack because it was once also ours.

It's hard to objectively judge you're own national flag. I grew up learning about what each part of the U.S. flag represented, what it meant to my grandfather in Bastogne, the Marines at Iwo Jima, the Moon landing, and so forth.

There is something striking and powerful about the Union Jack.

Nepal and Sri Lanka have interesting flags. Most flags however are fairly dull. Quite a few are ugly. The worst flags are those that resort to writing the name of the place on the design, that's just cheating.

The Union (Jack) flag is clearly the best one. Isle of Man is second. Swaziland third.

Allan, isn't it basically the Dutch flag with a stamp?

Big Mike, your inner Sheldon Cooper is showing through.

From a strictly aesthetic perspective, I've always liked the flags of Greece and South Africa. Also, the flag of the Seychelles is attractive.

Mandalorian Flag. Great Culture.

Allan, Cooper was the third baseman for the 1919 World Series Champions Chicago White Sox. Good choice.

best country flag USA

Best flag overall is Arizona state flag

The Union flag of the UK, because I was brought up under it.
The Canadian Maple Leaf, because it’s my chosen country and probably the most distinctive flag - cannot be mistaken for any other country.

France, my home country and first love.

Freedom of speech and as I’m texting I’ll abbreviate cuz I want to.

Moving on.

US
Pure and simple.
Most well known flag on earth.

Well
Bob that’s cause so many Americans wear it as a T-shirt or bathing suit etc lol .

I don’t think many other countries citizens wear their flags as clothes as much as Americans do .

1. USA
2. Texas
3. Ukraine

Why? For what they symbolize.

Gadsden Flag
1). It’s American.
2). It’s tough - “Don’t Tread on Me.”
3). Rattlesnake is unique to North America.
4). The bright, golden yellow color.

Canada with the red maple leaf is a winner as well.

What’s the best part of Switzerland?

Not sure, but their flag is a big plus!

Susan, perhaps France needs to get together with Luxembourg and The Netherlands and figure out why they can't stand out from each other.

Claudia, what's up with the "cuz" stuff?

@BigMike- that's the second time you've gotten on Claudia's case about her use of 'cuz. It's a common abbreviation of because, especially by texters. Or couldn't you figure that out from context?

Lebanon, cuz it has a cool tree. Spain, cuz it has a coat of arms full of symbolism and history (thank you Concepcion our Seville guide). Canada cuz of maple leaf previously cited. That's enough for now.

Big Mike, what's you're problem with cuz?

Well, because I like the unusual, as well as lands that I have visited and especially enjoyed, I will say:
1. Nepal, lovely, and the only national flag that is not a rectangle; and
2. Bhutan, land of the thunder dragon; not many flags with a thunder dragon in the middle, plus very strong and unusual colors, like orange and gold.

I had to go to Flagpedia to pick. Each flag has a link with brief details like its history.

I'm another person who likes originality, simplicity, symbolism and visual impact.

Therefore, these are my favorites:
•Wales
•Georgia
•Turkey
•Australia

Applying the same criteria to US state flags, my favorites are:
•New Mexico
•Arizona
•Alaska
•South Carolina

Aside from all the "Patriotic" answers - and based purely on design, probably eSwatini (formerly Swaziland).

On other points: New Zealand's flag predates independance - there have been attempts to change it, all voted against.
There were some really interesting designs submitted

Regarding Welsh and Bhutanese Dragons - there is one other national flag with a dragon - anybody know it without googling?

"Regarding Welsh and Bhutanese Dragons - there is one other national flag with a dragon - anybody know it without googling?"

Malta perhaps? Is it in the representation of its George Cross on the flag? The GC image is also carved into the wall of the palace in Valletta and a dragon (being slain by St. George), is clear in that large scale.

I'd say Papau New Guinea. Striking background and a bird of paradise. There is also some appeal of the Turkmanistan flag with its band of needlework, but as a flag I expect that can look cheap on bad printing reproductions...and the greens a bit boring. Though I like my Canadian flag as well. It is distinctive.

Good Lord I don't have a problem with "cuz". I'm just kidding around. I like Claudia.

We use the word "cuz" around here as short for cousins, and it's even used when meeting friends, like, "What's up, cuz?"

I think we all need just a little less coffee, my friends.

PerilsofP: Imperial Japan. Good one.

I think MariaF hit the nail on the head with the word distinctive. I like distinctive flags and symbols. Some flags are so generic looking that it’s easy to confuse them with other countries.

For many of us around the world the Union Jack, is a symbol of oppression...

I'm not particularly proud of all of my country's history, but I'm fairly sure Britain has never oppressed Switzerland.

Nick - you are correct - it is Malta. The top left of the Maltese flag contains the George Cross, and in the middle is St George killing the Dragon. It is tiny, you have to know to look for it.

Although not a national flag, my favorite flag is Sicily's trincaria.

"For many of us around the world the Union Jack, is a symbol of oppression..."

That time we invaded and looted all your Toblerone? War is hell.

Hard to beat simple red and white w/a maple leaf!

Nicole P: Classic!

Does anyone else make a point of taking a photo of a flag in the place they're visiting? I usually try to find a flag with some distinct architecture such as the Croatian flag with the walls in Dubrovnik, the French flag above the Louvre, the American flag along Main Street in Disney World and the Canadian flag along the Remparts in Quebec City.

Admitting the Luxembourg national flag is a bit basic, but their civil ensign used on ships, a red lion with blue and white stripes would easily end much higher on the favorite list. Btw the flag of the Netherlands dates back at least from the 16th century so is (much) older then many other flags like the Union Jack, the French or the one of Luxembourg.

Alas my favorite flag is not national, so it doesn't count.

Allan, I have two of the same pictures - Croatian flag on Dubrovnik’s wall and Canada’s on the ramparts in Quebec.

I find it ironic that the flag of the United States was based on the flag of British East India Company, one of the first multinational corporations!

Why am I having flashbacks to Sheldon Cooper's "Fun with Flags"?

Those of you who were/are fans of popular TV show The Big Bang Theory will understand the humor.

Pat, but don’t Canadians wear their flag on their clothes when they
travel to show they aren’t American? :-)

I thought Americans wore the maple leaf to pretend they're not American :-).

I like to put flag patches on my backpack. I'm up to 10 at this time. French Polynesia is pretty cool, it has a war canoe on it. So many more to see!!!!

I'm not particularly proud of all of my country's history, but I'm fairly sure Britain has never oppressed Switzerland.

I'm Irish...

Geography compels me to say the Yorkshire flag. Dread rivals Lancashire wanted their version of it but when they submitted their design with red tudor rose and all they discovered it had already been taken......by Aberdeen! (We’re still chuckling about that east of the Pennines.)

Vexillology (yes we saw ‘Dr Sheldon Cooper and Dr Amy Farrar-Fowler present Dr Sheldon Cooper’s Fun With Flags’!) compels me to also add Nepal (not a rectangle - genius) and for some reason I’ve always had a soft spot for the Kenyan flag.

I'm a huge fan of red dots, so Japan gets my vote, Bangladesh a close second (I admit to losing some sleep over the decision). In my opinion, any national flag would be improved by a red dot. Stars and Stripes - how about Dots and Stripes? Replace our maple leaf with a big red dot, more vibrant and bold than the one on the Japanese flag (show them who's boss). India, change that broken blue wheel for a red dot or two.

Maybe the Union Jack will be less offensive to some if it had a nice red dot in the middle.

Ohio, because it isn't a rectangle or a square. Something different from everyone else.

I don't bother with a Canadian pin now - I usually stick with t-shirts that say New Scotland (for Nova Scotia) or I have HOME shirts where the 'O' is either a maple leaf or an outline of my province (which, if someone isn't in the know, could probably be mistaken for New Zealand - which has a really cool flag btw!). And twice on holiday someone saw my shirt with H'Nova Scotia'OME on it and started talking to me because they were from NS - in Venice and in NYC.

I sometimes wear West Virginia University apparel, which often evokes some sort of response such as singing a bit of "Country Roads" by John Denver. From a hotel clerk in Liverpool to a beer hall in Munich, I've heard "Country Roads" all over Europe. I've often wondered why it's so popular there. Anyway, the WV thing invariably gets a positive or interested response.

Ms. Jo, my wife is an Ohio University alum. We fly the Ohio state flag outside of our house on occasion.

Add me to the list of those believing that the flag of the United Kingdom is classic. Australia and New Zealand get honorable mention points for incorporating the Union Jack onto their flags...

I can't say I have one favorite national flag, but enjoy seeing flags displayed at home and around the world. For example, a neighbor proudly displays the flag of Norway because of their ancestry. When traveling I appreciate a country's flag and what it stands for. In Siena we enjoyed seeing the 17 colorful flags representing their district known as Contrade. The people are passionate about the tradition and display their flags proudly.

When traveling in Greece (Sept. 2017) we stopped in Delphi. On the road leading to the ancient site, I captured a photo of two flags; one was the Greek flag and next to it was the Israeli flag. To this day, we have no idea why the two flags flew at the location. An event that coincided at the time? A visit from dignitaries? Or perhaps the close relations between the two countries especially in recent years? Whatever it was, I came away with a good feeling of peace and harmony.

"I've often wondered why it's so popular there" - Like 'Sweet Caroline', it's a very good boozy kind of song, which is easy to remember. I read once that one of the song writers originally thought of using Massachusetts in the lyrics, when the song was first conceived (the Blue Ridge Mountains would have to shift a little, as would the course of the Shenandoah). Massachusetts fits with the tune, though, as does "And the lights all went out in West Virginia."

Gundersen, the Bill and Taffy Danoff song, along with John Denver, was inspired by post cards Danoff received from a friend in West Virginia, specifically the Shenandoah River and Blue Ridge Mountains in the area around Harpers Ferry, WV. The river runs through 20 miles of West Virginia's eastern panhandle. Danoff also mentioned listening to a radio station from Wheeling while living in Massachusetts. He recalled first singing the refrain while driving on country roads in Maryland.

Back in 1980 I was at Mountaineer Field when John Denver arrived by helicopter and played Country Roads for the first football game in the new stadium. He looked overwhelmed by the reaction as if he was thinking, "My God, what have I done?"

Yes, Massachusetts would nicely replace West Virginia.

codfish, then you must like the flag of Hawaii

I like the early American flag of the original 13 states. I like the stars in the circle.

I also like the Swedish flag because of the happy colors, light blue and yellow, and because it reminds me of my grandmother.

However, many are appealing visually.

"Everyone knows the Hawaii flag is the best flag" - Still, it can be improved by a judicious placement of a few red dots.

In Sicily the first time, I found their flag surprising, with the three legs and a face in the center. Then on the Isle of Man, the legs again, but armored, and no face. So it’s not just tri-color bands that can be copied/altered a bit. Scandinavian flags certainly have a running, recognizable theme, too. Barbados, with that striking black trident inside the yellow band, surrounded by blue on either side (somewhat reminiscent of Ukraine or Sweden?) has always stood out for me. Favorite? Not certain, but it’s memorable. But then, they had a Union Jack within their previous flag, before breaking from Britain.

The stirring Union Jack was almost ubiquitous for a while, appearing in the upper left quadrant of so many other flags, including Canada’s, before the current maple leaf design took hold. Heck, even the Hawaiian flag has it, to this day!

Speaking of U.S. state flags, as a kid, I obtained a coffee can emblazoned with all state flags. I was surprised how many (back then) incorporated a Confederate flag within the design, kind-of like so many Union Jack images on so many other flags. C’mon, indeed! Even more common, however, seemed to be flags with simply a blue background with the state seal in the center - usually a circle enclosing two figures, one person standing on the left and one on the right, with a few more symbols between, and maybe a state motto or a date. The flags on the can were only an inch or so across, so it was hard to see details of the images, but many appeared so similar. Those really did seem to be copies of one another, and little variety for so many states.

The colors of the rings on the Olympic flag were chosen, as most every country has at least one of those colors on its flag. There are only so many colors (if you don’t count an exact shade of red, or blue, or gold, or whatever, and some tried-and-true design elements have been copied or modified on lots of flags. The only flag I don’t like a lot (but I will respect it nevertheless) is an orange one marking a roadside hazard or traffic construction slow zone!

If you take the symbolism out of a flag you are just left with a tea towel with delusions of grandeur. The symbolism is what makes them interesting. My personal favourites are South Korea, Czech Republic, and South Africa.

The links between them are interesting, if you see a horizontal tricolour it is often based on the Dutch flag, which is one of the oldest in use. The Russian flag, and thence the flags of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia, Bulgaria, but also the flag of Luxembourg and South Africa are all based on it.

England's flag, the cross of St George was adopted from Genoa in Italy

Vertical tricolours, are based on France, so Italy, Ireland, Belgium, Mexico, much of Francophone Africa. In the last a lot of them use the Pan African colours of Ethiopia - red, gold, and green which is best shown in Senegal and Ghana.

Botswana's pays reference to the national motto, and the currency, which is also the local greeting 'pula' (rain) very valuable in a desert country.

The Nordic cross is based on that of Denmark, including local flags in Scotland, England and France. And there is something about the image of the land used by both Estonia and Ukraine.

For me the US one is fussy, it is not easy to draw, but like Brazil's for it wears its history.

--Kyrgyzstan, what were they thinking?

Actually, the thing in the middle is the dome of a yurt as seen from inside the yurt. The yurt is a prominent part of their culture and artwork!

I love meaning, so once I learn the meaning of the flag, I tend to like it more.

I like ones with unusual symbols, animals, or places--Bhutan (hey, you like dragons!), Brunei, Lesotho, Lebanon, Dominica, Kiribati, Vanuatu, Grenada, Mongolia, Cambodia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Kenya, Eswatini, Barbados.

I think Belarus and Turkmenistan have a lot going on, so that's fun. The color scheme on Afghanistan's is also intriguing, and Namibia's is pretty.

But I think my all time favourite is Papua New Guinea.

Although my home country flag of the United States will always be my favorite, I also really like the Greek flag. The flag for Greece is blue and white, with blue and white stripes and a white cross. It reminds me of the lovely white churches with the blue domes, and the sea and sky. The blue and white is so restful, just like the beauty of the Cycladic islands.

I think I've mentioned I'm an Anglophile, which probably began when I was very young and someone gave me my first album, "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." Then as I became immersed in all things science I fell in love with the UK again, due to everyone from Newton, to Fleming, to Hawking, and more. I know most flags have a rather ambivalent history, but the Union Jack holds a certain majesty and dignity for me. I also love the ideals represented by the Stars and Stripes, and although we have struggled in that regard and made substantial progress, it's the ideals and promise that resonate and move me. Plus, I've had family members suffer and die for what the flag represents.

I have an affinity for the simplicity of St. George's Cross and the similarities of the flags of the Nordic countries.