For example Finland: There is the flag for the republic and the flag for the semi-autonomous Ă…land Islands, which could qualify as a "nation".
And Denmark: There is the national flag and the flags for the territories of Greenland and Faeroe Islands. And of course, all of the British colonies have separate flags, so do the Dutch colonies, while the French most often use the national flag. Then there is the flag of Puerto Rico and other US associated territories.
The Philippine flag is unique in that it can indicate a state of war. When the red field is displayed on top (or the left hand side of the observer when the flag is displayed vertically), it means that the Philippines is at war. This was first flown on February 4, 1899, at the start of the hostilities of the 1899-1913 Philippine-American War. It was last officially ordered flown with the red stripe up, in December 1941, following the Japanese attack on the Philippines on December 8, 1941.
Odd. Upside down flag normally indicates distress and is an appeal for help. Which is not much use when you fly the Union Flag, which is not quite the same the other way up but needs a close look and prior knowledge to identify as being upside down, or if you fly the Polish or Indonesian flags, where a Polish flag upside down is exactly the same as an Indonesian flag the right way up.
Canada, believe it or not has two official flags, her history as a part of the British Empire has led her to have two official flags. The Maple Leaf and the Royal Union flag.
Return to FunTrivia
"Ask FunTrivia" strives to offer the best answers possible to trivia questions. We ask our submitters to thoroughly research questions and provide sources where possible. Feel free to post corrections or additions. This is server B184.