National flag
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 1962– | Flag of Jamaica | A gold saltire on a green and black background. |
This is a list of flags used in Jamaica.
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| | 1962– | Flag of Jamaica | A gold saltire on a green and black background. |
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 1962– | Flag of the governor-general of Jamaica | A lion standing on a crown on a blue field, with "Jamaica" underneath |
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 1962– | Standard of the prime minister of Jamaica | A blue flag with the badge of the prime minister in the centre and the letters P and M in the dexter and sinister, and surrounded by a white border |
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 1962– | Jamaica Defence Force flag | A dark blue flag with the Jamaica Defence Force badge in the centre |
 | 1962– | Jamaican Naval Ensign | A White Ensign with the flag of Jamaica in the canton |
 | 1962– | Jamaican Air Wing Ensign | A light blue ensign with the flag of Jamaica in the canton |
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 13 October 1510 – 23 January 1516 | Colonial flag of Jamaica | The royal banner of arms of the Crown of Castile was first used in 1494, during the discovery of the island by Christopher Columbus, then it was officially used by the colony in 1510. |
 | 23 January 1516 – 9 April 1655 | Colonial flag of Jamaica | The Cross of Burgundy was used during the Spanish colonisation |
 | 10 April 1655 – 30 December 1800 | Colonial flag of Jamaica | The 1606 version of the Union Flag was used until 1 January 1801 |
 | 1 January 1801 – 24 August 1875 | Colonial flag of Jamaica | The British Union Flag, used until 1875 |
 | 25 August 1875 – 31 May 1906 | Colonial flag of Jamaica | A British Blue Ensign defaced with the coat of arms of colonial Jamaica within a white circle |
 | 1 June 1906 – 8 April 1957 | Colonial flag of Jamaica | A British Blue Ensign defaced with the coat of arms of colonial Jamaica within a white circle |
 | 1 June 1906 – 8 April 1957 | Civil Ensign of Jamaica | A British Red Ensign defaced with the coat of arms of colonial Jamaica within a white circle |
 | 8 April 1957 – 13 July 1962 | Colonial flag of Jamaica | A British Blue Ensign defaced with the coat of arms of colonial Jamaica within a white circle |
 | 8 April 1957 – 13 July 1962 | Civil Ensign of Jamaica | A British Red Ensign defaced with the coat of arms of colonial Jamaica within a white circle |
 | 13 July 1962 – 6 August 1962 | Colonial flag of Jamaica | A British Blue Ensign defaced with the coat of arms of colonial Jamaica within a white circle |
 | 13 July 1962 – 6 August 1962 | Civil Ensign of Jamaica | A British Red Ensign defaced with the coat of arms of colonial Jamaica within a white circle |
 | 1875–1906 | Flag of the governor of Jamaica | A Union Flag defaced with the coat of arms of colonial Jamaica |
 | 1906–1957 | Flag of the governor of Jamaica | A Union Flag defaced with the coat of arms of colonial Jamaica |
 | 1957–1962 | Flag of the governor of Jamaica | A Union Flag defaced with the coat of arms of colonial Jamaica |
 | 1962 | Flag of the governor of Jamaica | A Union Flag defaced with the coat of arms of colonial Jamaica |
 | 1966–2022 | Personal flag of Queen Elizabeth II | The shield of arms of the coat of arms of Jamaica (A red cross on a white field, a yellow pineapple is in each cross), with Queen Elizabeth II's personal monogram imposed in the centre |
A flag is a piece of fabric with distinctive colours and design. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term flag is also used to refer to the graphic design employed, and flags have evolved into a general tool for rudimentary signalling and identification, especially in environments where communication is challenging. Many flags fall into groups of similar designs called flag families. The study of flags is known as "vexillology" from the Latin vexillum, meaning "flag" or "banner".
The national flag of the United States, often referred to as the American flag or the U.S. flag, consists of thirteen horizontal stripes, alternating red and white, with a blue rectangle in the canton bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows, where rows of six stars alternate with rows of five stars. The 50 stars on the flag represent the 50 U.S. states, and the 13 stripes represent the thirteen British colonies that won independence from Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War.
The Union Jack or Union Flag is the de facto national flag of the United Kingdom. The Union Jack was also used as the official flag of several British colonies and dominions before they adopted their own national flags. The flag continues to have official status in Canada, by parliamentary resolution, where it is known as the Royal Union Flag. However, it is commonly referred to in Canada as the Union Jack.
The national flag of France is a tricolour featuring three vertical bands coloured blue, white, and red. The design was adopted after the French Revolution, whose revolutionaries were influenced by the horizontally striped red-white-blue flag of the Netherlands. While not the first tricolour, it became one of the most influential flags in history. The tricolour scheme was later adopted by many other nations in Europe and elsewhere, and, according to the Encyclopædia Britannica has historically stood "in symbolic opposition to the autocratic and clericalist royal standards of the past".
The national flag of Germany is a tricolour consisting of three equal horizontal bands displaying the national colours of Germany: black, red, and gold. The flag was first sighted in 1848 in the German Confederation. The flag was also used by the German Empire from 1848 to 1849. It was officially adopted as the national flag of the German Reich from 1919 to 1933, and has been in use since its reintroduction in the Federal Republic of Germany in 1949.
The National Flag of Canada, often referred to simply as the Canadian flag, consists of a red field with a white square at its centre in the ratio of 1∶2∶1, in which is featured one stylized, red, 11-pointed maple leaf charged in the centre. It is the first flag to have been adopted by both houses of Parliament and officially proclaimed by the Canadian monarch as the country's official national flag. The flag has become the predominant and most recognizable national symbol of Canada.
The national flag of Japan is a rectangular white banner with a crimson-red circle at its center. The flag is officially called the Nisshōki but is more commonly known in Japan as the Hinomaru. It embodies the country's sobriquet: the Land of the Rising Sun.
The flags of the Confederate States of America have a history of three successive designs during the American Civil War. The flags were known as the "Stars and Bars", used from 1861 to 1863; the "Stainless Banner", used from 1863 to 1865; and the "Blood-Stained Banner", used in 1865 shortly before the Confederacy's dissolution. A rejected national flag design was also used as a battle flag by the Confederate Army and featured in the "Stainless Banner" and "Blood-Stained Banner" designs. Although this design was never a national flag, it is the most commonly recognized symbol of the Confederacy.
The national flag of the Philippines is a horizontal bicolor flag with equal bands of royal blue and crimson red, with a white, equilateral chevron at the hoist. In the center of the triangle is a golden-yellow sun with eight primary rays, to represent the original eight provinces that rebelled against the Spanish during the 1896 Philippine Revolution. At each vertex of the triangle is a five-pointed, golden-yellow star, each of which representing one of the country's three main island groups—Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The white triangle at the hoist represents liberty, equality, and fraternity. A unique feature of this flag is its usage to indicate a state of war if it is displayed with the red side on top, which is effectively achieved by flipping the flag upside-down.
The national flag of the United Kingdom is the Union Jack, also known as the Union Flag.
The national flag of the Russian Federation is a tricolour of three equal horizontal bands: white on the top, blue in the middle, and red on the bottom.
The national flag of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, adopted on 15 August 2021 following the Taliban's victory in the 2001–2021 war, features a white field with a black Shahada inscribed. Since the 20th century, Afghanistan has changed its national flag several times. The national flag had black, red and green colors most of the time during the period.
The flags of the U.S. states, territories, and the District of Columbia exhibit a variety of regional influences and local histories, as well as different styles and design principles. Modern U.S. state flags date from the turn of the 20th century, when states considered distinctive symbols for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois. Most U.S. state flags were designed and adopted between 1893 and World War I.
The flag of Spain, as it is defined in the Constitution of 1978, consists of three horizontal stripes: red, yellow and red, the yellow stripe being twice the height of each red stripe. Traditionally, the middle stripe was defined by the more archaic term of gualda, and hence the popular name la Rojigualda (red-weld).
The national flag of India, colloquially called Tiraṅgā, is a horizontal rectangular tricolour flag, the colours being of India saffron, white and India green; with the Ashoka Chakra, a 24-spoke wheel, in navy blue at its centre. It was adopted in its present form during a meeting of the Constituent Assembly held on 22 July 1947, and it became the official flag of the Union of India on 15 August 1947. The flag was subsequently retained as that of the Republic of India. In India, the term "tricolour" almost always refers to the Indian national flag.
The national flag of Australia is based on the British Blue Ensign—a blue field with the Union Jack in the upper hoist quarter—augmented with a large white seven-pointed star and a representation of the Southern Cross constellation, made up of five white stars. Australia also has a number of other official flags representing its people and government bodies.
The rainbow flag or pride flag is a symbol of LGBTQ pride and LGBTQ social movements. The colors reflect the diversity of the LGBTQ community and the spectrum of human sexuality and gender. Using a rainbow flag as a symbol of LGBTQ pride began in San Francisco, California, but eventually became common at LGBTQ rights events worldwide.
The national flag of the People's Republic of China, also known as the Five-star Red Flag, is a Chinese red field with five golden stars charged at the canton. The design features one large star, with four smaller stars in an arc set off towards the fly. It has been the national flag of China since the foundation of the People's Republic of China on 1 October 1949. The flag was designed by Zeng Liansong.
The national flag of Ireland, frequently referred to in Ireland as 'the tricolour' and elsewhere as the Irish tricolour, is a vertical tricolour of green, white and orange. The proportions of the flag are 1:2.
Although the Confederate States of America dissolved at the end of the American Civil War (1861–1865), its battle flag continues to be displayed as a symbol. The modern display began during the 1948 United States presidential election when it was used by the Dixiecrats, southern Democrats who opposed civil rights for African Americans. Further display of the flag was a response to the civil rights movement and the passage of federal civil rights laws in the 1950s and 1960s.