Top 10 Flags that Were Used or Adopted Before 1800
Basically, this list is about the oldest flags and it was supposed to be an objective list.But I changed my mind because the sources I checked out were giving different flags and dates, and there were too many contradictions. It was impossible to make an "objective" list.
The sources were also using different criteria which resulted in different dates (for example, Year the flag was adopted VS Year the the flag was first used VS Continuously used). Oh, and the sources usually had less than 10 flags on their lists but I can't submit a list here with less than 10 items.
So I did my own research based on information from wiki. I ranked the flags from the oldest to the newest but you can vote for the flag you like, country you like, or whatever you want.
Austria was Celtic (Hallstadt) then as Noricum, part of the Roman Empire, Alaric, who took over Rome, studied at a monastery near Vienna. In the Middle Ages, the Holy Roman Emperors moved to Vienna, then Austria became separate. Medieval documents from Eastern Europe as far as West Ukraine were often in German, and referred to Vienna, showing its influence well before the Austrian Empire. After the first World War, Austria became a small country, under 10 million population, but including the world's then 4th largest city. 'A big head on a small body' they said. In 1938 Hitler invaded his home country and imposed Naziism. Vienna was then the World's largest Jewish centre, many famous people, ...read more. I really, really love that shade of red. And I'm a fan of red-white flags so there's that as well
It was adopted in 1918
Denmark is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the most populous and politically central constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the autonomous territories of the Faroe Islands and Greenland in the North Atlantic Ocean. European Denmark is the southernmost of the Scandinavian countries, lying southwest of Sweden, south of Norway, and north of Germany. ...read more. Denmark flag also holds the Guinness World Record for Oldest continuously used national flag - been continuously used since 1625.
One of the most beautiful flags to look at. I just love that look of it
Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the Baltic states; and is bordered by Estonia to the north, Lithuania to the south, Russia to the east, Belarus to the southeast, and shares a maritime border with Sweden to the west. Latvia covers an area of 64,589 km2 (24,938 sq mi), with a population of 1.9 million. The country has a temperate seasonal climate. Its capital and largest city is Riga. Latvians belong to the ethno-linguistic group of the Balts; and speak Latvian, one of the only two surviving Baltic languages. Russians are the most prominent minority in the country, at almost a quarter of the population. Very similar to austrian flag but slightly uniquer. I've actually been here and the flag kinda explained the country itself. It looks a bit rough, like the roads in Latvia
It was adopted in 1991
The Netherlands, informally Holland, is a country located in north-western Europe with overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The Netherlands consists of twelve provinces, and borders Germany to the east, Belgium to the south, with a North Sea coast-line to the north and west. It shares maritime borders with the United Kingdom, Germany, and Belgium in the North Sea. The country's official language is Dutch, with West Frisian as a secondary official language in the province of Friesland. Dutch Low Saxon and Limburgish are recognised regional languages, while Dutch Sign Language, Sinte Romani, and Yiddish are recognised ...read more. I generally like horisontall flags more than vertical. So yes I think this one's better than France's
It was adopted in 1572 - it's among the first adopted flags ever, 3rd after Denmark (1219) and Scotland (1542).
Albania is a southeastern European country that is slightly larger than Maryland and near Montenegro, Kosovo, Republic of Macedonia, and Greece. The capital is a city called Tirana. Some other major cities in Albania are Durrës, Elbasan, Vlorë, and Shkodër. Albania gained its independence in 1912. Many different languages are spoken but the official language is Albanian. They also speak Italian, Greek, French, German, and English. The population is currently 2,897,400 people (254 per square mile).
Most Albanian people are Muslim but some are Christian. Albania is mostly farmland and is known to have beautiful beaches. Looks pretty scary to be honest, kinda like it has a face. Looks mischeavous and sorta evil
This flag design was first used in 1443 but it was adopted in 1912
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a federal republic in Europe. It consists of 26 cantons, and the city of Bern is the seat of the federal authorities. ...read more. Found a pattern here:
Switzerland: The "plus" flag
Austria: The "minus" flag (kinda)
It was adopted in 1889
Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a sovereign state located in South Asia.
It is home of the famous Gurkhas whose name come from a small district in Nepal called Gorkha. The name Gorkha came from the legendary Indian sage Gorakhnath who did spent later part of his life in the mountain of Gorkha. These Gorkhas later became Nepali who are known as peaceful people until when the country was open for outsiders.
Nepal and Nepalese fought few wars with Muslims rulers from India and were not defeated. Later Nepalese fought wars with British India five times in a row but Nepali were not defeated whereas most of the Indian subcontinent was ruled by British. The uniquest flag in the world along with the old libyan flag, considering they're the only ones of their kind
The current flag design was first used in 1743 and adopted the same year.
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and covers the northern third of the island of Great Britain. Scotland is the most mountainous, and least densely populated country in the United Kingdom. The first certain illustration of this flag appeared circa 1542 in Register of Scottish Arms by Sir David Lyndsay of the Mount.
Before that the flag appeared with a red background circa 1503 in the Vienna Book of Hours, which is the earliest reference to the Saint Andrew's Cross as a flag.
No longer an independent country but still a classic flag.
Not as good as the welsh flag but very pretty as well
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in southwestern Europe with parts of territory in the Atlantic Ocean and across the Mediterranean Sea. The largest part of Spain is situated on the Iberian Peninsula; its territory also includes the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean, the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea, the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla, and several minor overseas territories also scattered along the Moroccan coast of the Alboran Sea. The country's mainland is bordered to the south by Gibraltar; to the south and east by the Mediterranean Sea; to the north by France, Andorra and the Bay of Biscay; and to the west by Portugal and the Atlantic Ocean. Current flag version was adopted in 1981 but the original version, as naval and coastal fortifications' flag, was adopted in 1785
Spain certainly has a cool flag. It's one of my lesser favourite european flags but I still like it
San Marino, officially the Republic of San Marino, also known as the Most Serene Republic of San Marino, is an enclaved microstate surrounded by Italy, situated on the Italian Peninsula on the northeastern side of the Apennine Mountains. San Marino covers a land area of just over 61 km2 (24 sq mi), and has a population of 33,562 The country's capital city, City of San Marino, is located atop Mount Titan, while its largest settlement is Dogana. San Marino's official language is Italian. ...read more. That jewel in the middle looks awesome
It was adopted in 1862
Sweden, officially the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe.
It borders Norway to the west and Finland to the east, and is connected to Denmark in the southwest by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund. At 450,295 square kilometers (173,860 sq mi), Sweden is the third-largest country in the European Union by area, with a total population of 10 million. It was adopted in 1906 when they removed the Union mark of Norway and Sweden
Yeah I love my flag. It looks so happy and classic in my opinion
Italy (Italian: Repubblica Italiana) is a sovereign state and unitary parliamentary republic in south-central Europe.Italy covers an area of 301,338 km². With almost 62 million inhabitants, it is the third most populous EU member state. Located in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea, Italy shares open land borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, San Marino, and Vatican City. The... read more
Green-white-red patterns are awesome in my opinion
Adopted in 1946 (modified in 2006)
Russia, or the Russian Federation (RF), is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world by area, covering over 17,125,191 square kilometres (6,612,073 sq mi), and encompassing one-eighth of Earth's inhabitable landmass. Russia extends across eleven time zones and borders sixteen sovereign nations, the most of any country in the world. It is the ninth-most populous country and the most populous country in Europe, with a population of 145.5 million. The country's capital and largest city is Moscow, the largest city entirely within Europe. Saint Petersburg is Russia's cultural centre and second-largest city. Other major urban areas ...read more. It was adopted in 1991, after the collapse of the communist regime and the USSR
France, officially the French Republic, is a sovereign state comprising territory in western Europe and several overseas regions and territories. The European part of France, called metropolitan France, extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean. France spans 675,000 km2 (251,000 mi2) and has a total population of 67 million (data from 2017). ...read more. Those shades of blue and red look very "tasty" and pretty somehow
France adopted it in 1830 and it hasn't been changed since then
Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the northwesternmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to the east, and the disputed territory of Western Sahara to the south. Morocco also claims the Spanish exclaves of Ceuta, Melilla and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera, and several small Spanish-controlled islands off its coast. It was adopted in 1915.
I didn't put Morocco higher because the year 1244 is disputed. But Morocco still belongs in this list because from 1795-1915 they used the closest version to their current flag - red background with a green star (only the shape of the star was slightly different: the Seal of Solomon was replaced by a green pentagram).
One of the only african countries with a flag adopted way before than other african countries
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is a Polynesian sovereign state and archipelago comprising 169 islands of which 36 are inhabited. The archipelago's total surface area is about 750 square kilometres (290 sq mi) scattered over 700,000 square kilometres (270,000 sq mi) of the southern Pacific Ocean.Tonga stretches across approximately 800 kilometres (500 mi) in a north–south line. It is surrounded by Fiji and Wallis and Futuna (France) to the northwest; Samoa to the northeast; New Caledonia (France) and Vanuatu to the west; Niue (the nearest foreign territory) to the east; and Kermadec (New Zealand) to the southwest. Tonga is about 1,800 kilometres (1,100 mi) from New Zealand's North ...read more. Switzerland but colours are reversed, and the flag has been moved to the top-left corner. It's good
Tonga adopted it in 1875 and hasn't changed it
Yeah this one's weird. The head is in the place of..., yeah you know what
It's also one of the weirdest flags ever