List of flags with reverses that differ from the obverse
 | This article possibly contains original research. (August 2021) |
This article contains a list of
The list below does not include flags for which the reverse side is congruent (identical 
) nor is it a mirror image of the obverse side (horizontally flipped 
). Flag sides are usually mirror copy to satisfy manufacturing constraints. Identical flags are much less common and contain an element for which a simple mirror image would be problematic, such as text (e.g. The Flag of Saudi Arabia includes the shahada, an Islamic creed; The Flag of Iraq includes the Takbir) or a geographic feature (e.g. The Flag of the United Nations included an Azimuthal equidistant projection of the earth). Flags having a truly different designs on both their sides (two-sided 
) differ from the norm. The only UN-recognized nation whose present-day flag officially contains a unique image on each side is Paraguay.
Not all impression of two-sided flags are de facto two-sided because of practical manufacturing constraints or, judging from how often it was disregarded in practice, some formal concern of heraldic nature. As such it may very well be prescribed legally from the very beginning and ever ignored in practice by institutions of every type.
Many of those flags are reconstructions based on various degree of evidence.
Flags by nation
| Nation | Subdivision | Dates | Obverse |
Reverse  |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Argentina
|
San Juan | 2018–present | 
|
.svg)
|
Flag of San Juan |
| 1997–2018 | 
|
.svg)
| |||
 Austria-Hungary
|
Common Army | 1867–1918 | .svg)
|
.svg)
|
Austro-Hungarian Army |
| Imperial-Royal Landwehr
|
.svg)
| ||||
| Royal Croatian Home Guard | 
|
| |||
| Royal Hungarian Honvéd | 
|
| |||
 Azerbaijan
|
Internal Troops | 2002–present | 
|
.svg)
|
Flag of Azerbaijan |
 Bangladesh
|
— | 1971–1972 | .svg)
|
.svg)
|
Flag of Bangladesh |
 Belarus
|
Presidential Security Service | 1995–present | .svg)
|
.png)
|
List of Belarusian flags |
 Brazil
|
Paraíba | 1965–present | 
|
.svg)
|
Flag of Paraíba |
| Piauí | 1922–present | 
|
.svg)
|
Flag of Piauí | |
| São Paulo | 1922–present | 
|
.svg)
|
Flag of São Paulo | |
 British Empire
|
New York Union | 1664–1783 | 
|
|
George Rex Flag |
.svg)
|
_reverse.svg)
| ||||
 Bulgaria
|
Stara Zagora | 1996–present | .svg)
|
.svg)
|
Flag of Stara Zagora |
 Comoros
|
— | 1996–2001 | .svg)
|
.svg)
|
Flag of the Comoros |
 East Timor
|
National Council of Maubere Resistance | 1998–2002 | .svg)
|
_(Reverse).svg)
|
Flag of East Timor |
 El Salvador
|
— | 1877–Nov 2 1898 and Nov 30 1898–1912 | .svg)
|
_reverse.svg)
|
Flag of El Salvador |
 Ethiopian Empire
|
Imperial Standard | 1962–1975 | .svg)
|
.svg)
|
Haile Selassie |
 Republic of Formosa
|
— | 1895 | 
|
|
Flag of the Republic of Formosa[1] |
 Greece
|
Alexandros Ypsilantis
|
1821 | .svg)
|
.svg)
|
[dubious ] Flag of Greece |
 Hungarian People's Republic
|
Scout Association | 1970 | .svg)
|
.svg)
|
[dubious ] Flag of Hungary |
| Hungary
|
Csernely | 1991–present | 
|
.svg)
|
Flag of Csernely |
| Dömsöd | ?–present | 
|
.svg)
|
Flag of Dömsöd | |
| Dorog | 1919–present | 
|
.svg)
|
Flag of Dorog | |
| Kecel | ?–present | 
|
.svg)
|
Flag of Kecel | |
 Iceland
|
President of Iceland | 1944–present | 
|
.svg)
|
Flag of Iceland |
 Lithuania
|
State flag | 1918–1940 | 
|
|
President used a variant with aspect ratio of 1:1.[2] |
 Luxembourg
|
Army of Luxembourg
|
1982–present | .svg)
|
.svg)
|
Flag of Luxembourg
"On military flag and emblems". Article I, Act of 15 February 1982. The Grand Ducal Order. |
 Madagascar
|
President of Madagascar
|
1959–1972 | .svg)
|
.svg)
|
Flag of Madagascar |
| 1972–1975 | .svg)
|
.svg)
| |||
| 1976–1993 | .svg)
|
.svg)
| |||
| 1993–1996 | .svg)
|
.svg)
| |||
| 1998–2002 | .svg)
|
.svg)
| |||
 Moldavian Democratic Republic
|
— and Sfatul Țării | 1999–present | 
|
|
Flag of Moldova |
 Moldavia
|
Infantry Battalion | 1346–1859 | .png)
|
Flag and coat of arms of Moldavia
We have very little information on ancient Moldavian and Wallachian flags. For Moldavia the most important symbol has always been the wild ox head, which is still to be found on the flag of the new Moldavian republic. In early times the red prevailed on other colours: on standards, the wild ox head appeared on the recto, while the verso represented St. George killing the dragon. It seems that this standard was adopted by Bogdan I and maintained by Stephan the Great and successors. In the following century (XIX) the blue was added. According to an 1813 document, under prince Scarlat Calimachi the princely standard was red, yellow and blue on the recto (without any symbol), while on the verso was St George riding a horse on a blue field. Another document, dated 1814, again reports a red standard. Michael II Sutu (1819-21) had a blue flag with the wild ox head on the recto and red with St George the verso. The two Moldavian flags above from the XV-XVI c. are in Bucharest museum. | |
| Infantry Battalion | 1834–1849 | 
|
| ||
 Moldova
|
— | 1990–2010 | 
|
.svg)
|
Flag of Moldova |
Information and Security Service
|
1999–present | 
| |||
| Gagauzia | 1995–present | 
|
|
[dubious ] Flag of Gagauzia | |
 Nazi Germany
|
— | 1935–1945 | .svg)
|
.svg)
|
Flag of Nazi Germany |
 North Korea
|
General Staff Department of the Korean People's Army | 1993–2023 | 
|
.svg)
|
Flag of North Korea |
| Korean People's Army | 1948 | .svg)
|
.svg)
For Guards only up to 1961:
| ||
| 1948–1961 | .svg)
| ||||
| 1961–1992 | .svg)
| ||||
| 1992–1993 | .svg)
| ||||
| Korean People's Army Ground Force | 1993–2023 | 
|
.svg)
| ||
Korean People's Army Air and Anti-Air Force
|
1993–2023 | 
|
.svg)
| ||
| Korean People's Navy | 1993–2023 | 
|
.svg)
| ||
Korean People's Army Strategic Rocket Force
|
2018–2023 | 
|
.svg)
| ||
Korean People's Army Special Operation Force
|
2018–2023 | 
|
.svg)
| ||
| Worker-Peasant Red Guards | 2007–2023 | 
|
.svg)
| ||
 Paraguay
|
— | 1842–1954 | .svg)
|
.svg)
|
Flag of Paraguay |
| 1954–1988 | .svg)
|
.svg)
| |||
| 1988–1990 | .svg)
|
.svg)
| |||
| 1990 | .svg)
|
.svg)
| |||
| 1990–2013 | .svg)
|
.svg)
| |||
| 2013–present | 
|
.svg)
| |||
 Philippines
|
— | 1898–1901 | .svg)
|
.svg)
|
Flag of the Philippines
|
 Rattanakosin Kingdom
|
Siamese Expeditionary Forces | 1917–1919 | .svg)
|
.svg)
|
Flag of the Rattanakosin Kingdom |
 Romania
|
Romanian Air Force | 1992–present | .svg)
|
|
List of flags of Romania
|
Romanian General Staff
|
.svg)
|
| |||
| Romanian Land Forces | .svg)
|
| |||
| Romanian Naval Forces | .svg)
|
| |||
| Battle flag | 1950–1952 | .svg)
|
.svg)
| ||
| 1952–1965 | .svg)
| ||||
| 1966–1989 | .svg)
|
.svg)
| |||
| Romanian Air Force | 1950–1952 | .svg)
|
.svg)
| ||
| 1952–1965 | .svg)
| ||||
| Romanian Patriotic Guards | 1977–1989 | .svg)
|
.svg)
| ||
| Romanian Naval Forces | 1950–1951 | .svg)
|
.svg)
| ||
| 1952–1965 | .svg)
| ||||
 Russia
|
Mari El | 1992–2006 | 
|
.svg)
|
Flag of Mari El |
| Gorodishchensky District | 2002–2012 | _(2002).png)
|
_(2002).png)
|
Flag of the Gorodishchensky District | |
| Russian Armed Forces | 2003–present | .svg)
|
.svg)
|
List of Russian flags | |
| Russian Ground Forces | 2002–present | .svg)
|
.svg)
| ||
| Russian Aerospace Forces | 2002–present | 
|
| ||
 Saudi Arabia
|
Civil ensign | 1980–present | .svg)
|
|
Flag of Saudi Arabia |
 Soviet Union
|
— | 1923–1991 | 
|
.svg)
|
Flag of the Soviet Union |
Armenian SSR
|
1952–1990 | .svg)
|
.svg)
|
Flag of Armenian SSR
| |
Azerbaijan SSR
|
1952–1991 | .svg)
|
.svg)
|
Flag of Azerbaijan SSR
| |
Byelorussian SSR
|
1951–1991 | .svg)
|
.svg)
|
Flag of Byelorussian SSR
| |
Estonian SSR
|
1953–1990 | .svg)
|
.svg)
|
Flag of Estonian SSR
| |
Georgian SSR
|
1951–1990 | .svg)
|
.svg)
|
Flag of Georgian SSR
| |
Karelo-Finnish SSR
|
1953–1956 | 
|
.svg)
|
Flag of Karelo-Finnish SSR
| |
Kazakh SSR
|
1953–1992 | 
|
.svg)
|
Flag of Kazakh SSR
| |
Kirghiz SSR
|
1952–1992 | 
|
.svg)
|
Flag of Kirghiz SSR
| |
Latvian SSR
|
1953–1990 | .svg)
|
.svg)
|
Flag of Latvian SSR
| |
Lithuanian SSR
|
1953–1988 | .svg)
|
.svg)
|
Flag of Lithuanian SSR
| |
Moldavian SSR
|
1952–1990 | .svg)
|
.svg)
|
Flag of Moldavian SSR
| |
Russian SFSR
|
1954–1991 | .svg)
|
.svg)
|
Flag of the Russian SFSR
| |
Tajik SSR
|
1953–1992 | 
|
.svg)
|
Flag of Tajik SSR
| |
Turkmen SSR
|
1953–1992 | 
|
.svg)
|
Flag of Turkmen SSR
| |
Ukrainian SSR
|
1949–1991 | .svg)
|
.svg)
|
Flag of Ukrainian SSR
| |
Uzbek SSR
|
1952–1991 | .svg)
|
.svg)
|
Flag of Uzbek SSR
| |
| Soviet Army | 1946–1992 | 
|
.svg)
|
List of Russian flags | |
 Spain
|
Almendros | 1988–present | .svg)
|
.svg)
|
List of Spanish flags |
Arapiles
|
1993–present | 
|
| ||
| Burgueta | 2001–present | .svg)
|
.svg)
| ||
| Puebla de Almenara | 1988–present | .svg)
|
.svg)
| ||
| Villarrubio | 1988–present | .svg)
|
.svg)
| ||
 Transnistria
|
— | 1991–present | .svg){kind=spacer}
|
.svg){kind=spacer}
|
Flag of Transnistria |
 Vietnam
|
People's Army of Vietnam | 1991–present | 
|
.svg)
|
Flag of Vietnam |
 United States
|
Alabama | 1861–1865 | .svg)
|
.svg)
|
Flag of Alabama |
| Massachusetts | 1908–1971 | 
|
.svg)
|
Flag of Massachusetts | |
| Minnesota | 1893–1957 | .svg)
|
.svg)
|
Flag of Minnesota | |
| Oregon | 1859–present | 
|
.svg)
|
Flag of Oregon | |
| Raleigh, North Carolina | 1960–present | 
|
|
Flag of Raleigh, North Carolina | |
| Richmond, Virginia | 1914–1933 | .png)
|
.gif)
|
Flag of Richmond, Virginia | |
| West Virginia | 1905–1907 | .svg)
|
_reverse.png)
|
Flag of West Virginia Carmine red fringe | |
| 1907–1929 | .png)
|
|
Flag of West Virginia Old gold fringe | ||
.svg)
See also
Citations
- ^ Liu, Nancy (January 28, 2013). "Flag of our forebears". Taipei Times. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
- ^ "Central Lithuania (Vilnius Republic)". Flags of the World. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
 |