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List of flags with reverses that differ from the obverse
List article

This article contains a list of flags for which the reverse (back ) is different from the obverse (front ). It includes current as well as historic flags of both nations and national subdivisions such as provinces, states, territories, cities and other administrations (including a few that are not recognized by the United Nations or whose sovereignty is in dispute). When the flag is that of a nation, the Subdivision column is blank ( — ).

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 includes 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

List of two-sided flags
NationSubdivisionDatesObverse Reverse Notes
 ArgentinaSan Juan2018–presentFlag of San Juan
1997–2018
 Austria-HungaryCommon Army1867–1918Austro-Hungarian Army
Imperial-Royal Landwehr
Royal Croatian Home Guard
Royal Hungarian Honvéd
 AzerbaijanInternal Troops2002–presentFlag of Azerbaijan
 Bangladesh1971–1972Flag of Bangladesh
 BelarusPresidential Security Service1995–presentList of Belarusian flags
 BrazilParaíba1965–presentFlag of Paraíba
Piauí1922–presentFlag of Piauí
São Paulo1922–presentFlag of São Paulo
 British EmpireProvince of New York1775–1777George Rex Flag
 BulgariaStara Zagora1996–presentFlag of Stara Zagora
 Comoros1996–2001Flag of the Comoros
 East TimorNational Council of Maubere Resistance1998–2002Flag of East Timor
 El Salvador1877–Nov 2 1898 and Nov 30 1898–1912Flag of El Salvador
 Ethiopian EmpireImperial Standard1962–1975Haile Selassie
 Republic of Formosa1895Flag of the Republic of Formosa1
 Hungarian People's RepublicScout Association1970[dubious – discuss] Flag of Hungary
 HungaryCsernely1991–presentFlag of Csernely
Dömsöd?–presentFlag of Dömsöd
Dorog1919–presentFlag of Dorog
Kecel?–presentFlag of Kecel
 IcelandPresident of Iceland1944–presentFlag of Iceland
 IndonesiaIndonesian National Armed Forces?–presentFlag of Indonesia
Indonesian Army
Indonesian Navy
Indonesian Air Force
Indonesian National Police
 LithuaniaState flag1918–1940President used a variant with aspect ratio of 1:1.2
Lithuanian Armed Forces?–2024List of flags of Lithuania
2024–present
 LuxembourgArmy of Luxembourg1982–presentFlag of Luxembourg

On military flag and emblems (I). The Grand Ducal Order. 15 February 1982.

 MadagascarPresident of Madagascar1959–1972Flag of Madagascar
1972–1975
1976–1993
1993–1996
1998–2002
 Moldavian Democratic Republic— and Sfatul Țării1999–presentFlag of Moldova
 MoldaviaInfantry Battalion1346–1859Flag 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 Battalion1834–1849
 Moldova1990–2010Flag of Moldova
Information and Security Service1999–present
Gagauzia1995–present[dubious – discuss] Flag of Gagauzia
 Nazi Germany1935–1945Flag of Nazi Germany
 North KoreaMinistry of Defence2023–presentList of North Korean flags
Korean People's Army1948
1948–1961

For Guards only up to 1961:

For Guards only up to 1961:

1961–1992
1992–1993
Korean People's Army Ground Force2023–present
Korean People's Army Air Force2023–present
Korean People's Navy2023–present
Korean People's Army Strategic Rocket Force2018–2020
Korean People's Army Special Operation Force2018–2020
Worker-Peasant Red Guards2023–present
 Paraguay1842–1954Flag of Paraguay
1954–1988
1988–1990
1990
1990–2013
2013–present
 Philippines1898–1901Flag of the Philippines
  • Obverse has "Fuerzas Expeditionarias del Norte de Luzon" inscribed
  • Reverse has the words "Libertad Justicia e Igualdad" inscribed.
Rattanakosin KingdomSiamese Expeditionary Forces1917–1919Flag of the Rattanakosin Kingdom
 RomaniaRomanian Air Force1992–presentList of Romanian flags
Romanian General Staff
Romanian Land Forces
Romanian Naval Forces
Battle flag1950–1952
1952–1965
1966–1989
Romanian Air Force1950–1952
1952–1965
Romanian Patriotic Guards1977–1989
Romanian Naval Forces1950–1951
1952–1965
 RussiaMari El1992–2006Flag of Mari El
Gorodishchensky District2002–2012Flag of the Gorodishchensky District
Russian Armed Forces2003–presentList of Russian flags
Russian Ground Forces2002–present
Russian Aerospace Forces2002–present
 Saudi ArabiaCivil ensign1980–presentFlag of Saudi Arabia
 Soviet Union1923–1991Flag of the Soviet Union
Armenian SSR1952–1990Flag of Armenian SSR
Azerbaijan SSR1952–1991Flag of Azerbaijan SSR
Byelorussian SSR1951–1991Flag of Byelorussian SSR
Estonian SSR1953–1990Flag of Estonian SSR
Georgian SSR1951–1990Flag of Georgian SSR
Karelo-Finnish SSR1953–1956Flag of Karelo-Finnish SSR
Kazakh SSR1953–1992Flag of Kazakh SSR
Kirghiz SSR1952–1992Flag of Kirghiz SSR
Latvian SSR1953–1990Flag of Latvian SSR
Lithuanian SSR1953–1988Flag of Lithuanian SSR
Moldavian SSR1952–1990Flag of Moldavian SSR
Russian SFSR1954–1991Flag of the Russian SFSR
Tajik SSR1953–1992Flag of Tajik SSR
Turkmen SSR1953–1992Flag of Turkmen SSR
Ukrainian SSR1949–1991Flag of Ukrainian SSR
Uzbek SSR1952–1991Flag of Uzbek SSR
Soviet Army1946–1992List of Russian flags
 SpainAlmendros1988–presentList of Spanish flags
Arapiles1993–present
Burgueta2001–present
Puebla de Almenara1988–present
Villarrubio1988–present
 Transnistria1991–presentFlag of Transnistria
 VietnamPeople's Army of Vietnam1991–presentFlag of Vietnam
Vietnam People's Public Security1991–present
 United StatesAlabama1861–1865Flag of Alabama
Massachusetts1908–1971Flag of Massachusetts
Minnesota1893–1957Flag of Minnesota
Oregon1925–presentFlag of Oregon
Raleigh, North Carolina1960–presentFlag of Raleigh, North Carolina
Richmond, Virginia1914–1933Flag of Richmond, Virginia
West Virginia1905–1907Flag of West Virginia, Carmine red fringe
1907–1929Flag of West Virginia, Old gold fringe

See also

Citations

References

  1. Liu, Nancy (January 28, 2013). "Flag of our forebears". Taipei Times. Retrieved July 29, 2021. https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2013/01/28/2003553613

  2. "Central Lithuania (Vilnius Republic)". Flags of the World. Retrieved October 12, 2022. https://www.fotw.info/flags/lt-cent.html