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Geography Label Me! Printouts

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World Flags

Flag Glossary

Africa

Asia

Australia/
Oceania

Central America/ Caribbean

Europe

Mideast

North America

South America

US States

Marine Signal Flags

Types of Flags

Animals

Bicolor

Border

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Circle

Couped Cross

Crescent

Cross

Fimbriated

Map

Moon

Quartered

Scan. Cross

Saltire

Serration

Ship

Star

Sun

Triangle

Triband

Tricolor

U.K.-Like

Weapon

Color Symbolism

Red

Green

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Yellow/Gold

White

Black

Flags of Arabic Language Countries

Flags of English Language Countries

Flags of French Language Countries

Flags of German Language Countries

Flags of Portuguese Language Countries

Flags of Spanish Language Countries

Answers

EnchantedLearning.com
Flag Glossary
A short dictionary of flag-related terms.

More on Flags

Battle Flag A battle flag is a flag that is carried by the armed forces on land.	Bicolor (horizontal) A horizontal bicolor is a flag with two horizontal bands of different colors, like that of Ukraine, above.	Bicolor (vertical) A vertical bicolor is a flag with two vertical bands of different colors, like the flag of Malta, above	Border A bordered flag has a distinct border around the entire flag, like that of the Maldives, above.
Burgee A burgee is a long, tapered flag or pennant that ends in a swallowtail (having two points, like that of a swallow's tail). Burgees are often used by sailing clubs.	Canton The canton is the upper area of the flag by the flagstaff, or a flag with a design featured in the canton area, like the flag of Taiwan, above. Sometimes, the word canton refers to any of the four quarters of a flag.	Charge The charge is the emblem or design featured on a flag. For example, the flag of Morocco, above, has a five-pointed star as the charge.	Chief The chief is the top third of the shield of a coat-of-arms.
Civil Flag A civil flag is a national flag that is displayed on land by private citizens.	Compartment The compartment is the base upon which the shield in a coat-of-arms rests.	Couped Cross A couped cross flag features a cross whose arms do not reach the edges of the flag, like the flag of Switzerland, above.	Counter-changed A counter-changed flag features a charge placed on a line between two colors, reversing the design, like the flag of the United Kingdom, above.
Courtesy Flag When a ship enters a port, it often flies the national flag of the country it is visiting as a courtesy - this is a courtesy flag.	Crest The design at the top of the coat-of-arms, above the shield.	Cross A cross is a flag featuring a centrally-placed cross whose arms extend across the entire flag, like that of England, above.	Defacing Defacing (which is not vandalizing) is when a flag is altered by adding writing, another emblem, and so on.
Device A device is a design or emblem, usually located on the fly of a flag.	Ensign An ensign is a flag that is flown at the back (stern) of a ship noting its nationality. For many countries, the ensign is not the same as the national flag; some countries have a multitude of ensigns, designed for different types of vessels.	Field The field is the background color of the flag. The only national flag that is a simple field without any designs is the flag of Libya, above.	Finial A finial is a decorative element at the top of a flagpole.
Flagpole The staff, flagstaff, or flagpole is the pole upon which the flag is supported.	Flagstaff The staff, flagstaff, or flagpole is the pole upon which the flag is supported.	Fly The fly is the part of the flag that is farthest from the flagstaff.	Fimbriated A fimbriated flag has a thin line of color separating two broader stripes or larger areas of the flag, like the flag of Botswana, above.
Garrison Flag A garrison flag is a large US army flag that is flown on military posts on special days. It has a ratio of about 1:2, with measurements of 20 feet by 38 feet. Compare with a post flag.	Half-Mast Half-mast (also called half-staff) is when a flag is flow halfway up a flagpole. This is done to mark the death of an important person, or as a sign of distress.	Halyard Side A halyard is the rope that is used to raise (hoist) and lower a flag on a flagstaff.	Hoist Side The hoist side is the part of the flag that is nearest the flagstaff.
Hoist The hoist is the vertical measurement of a flag (the height, or the length that runs along the flagpole).	Horizontal Bicolor A horizontal bicolor is a flag with two horizontal bands of different colors, like that of Ukraine, above.	Horizontal Tricolor A horizontal tricolor is a flag with three horizontal bands of different colors, like that of Russia, above.	Jack A jack is a flag that is flown at the front (bow) of a ship.
Mantling Mantling is the flowing strips of cloth that fly from the wreath in a coat-of-arms.	Marine Signal Flag Signal flags are flags that stand for letters and numbers (forming coded messages). They are used to communicate between ships at sea.	National Flag A national flag is the flag of a country.	Pennant A pennant is a small, long, tapering or triangular flag.
Post Flag A post flag is a large US army flag that is ordinarily flown on military posts. It has a ratio of about 1:2, with measurements of 8 feet 11 3/8 inches by 17 feet. Compare with a garrison flag.	Quartered A quartered flag is divided into four equal areas, like the flag of Panama, above.	Ratio The ratio of a flag is its proportions, the height divided by the width. The ratio of a flag's dimensions are usually reported as something like 2:3, which would mean that the height is 2/3 of the width, or 1:2, which would mean that the height is half the width.	Saint Andrew's Cross Saint Andrew's Cross (also called a saltire) is a flag with a diagonal cross whose arms extend to the corners of the flag, like the flag of Alabama, above.
Saltire A saltire (also called Saint Andrew's Cross) is a flag with a diagonal cross whose arms extend to the corners of the flag, like the flag of Alabama, above.	Scandinavian Cross A Scandinavian cross is a flag featuring an off-center cross (the center of the cross is closer to the hoist side) whose arms extend across the entire flag, like that of Denmark, above.	Scroll A scroll is a ribbon-like strip on a flag or coat-of-arms, upon which is often written a motto; it is usually located beneath the shield.	Serration A serration is a flag in which the two colors are separated by a zigzag pattern, like the flag of Bahrain, above
Shield The shield is the main part of a coat-of-arms, and is shaped like a shield of armor.	Signal Flag Signal flags are flags that stand for letters and numbers (forming coded messages). They are used to communicate between ships at sea.	Staff The staff, flagstaff, or flagpole is the pole upon which the flag is supported.	State Flag A state flag is a flag that is used by a government to represent that nation.
Storm Flag A storm flag is a small US army flag that is flown on military posts during storms. It has a ratio of about 1:2, with measurements of 5 feet by 9.5 feet. Compare with the larger post flag.	Streamer A streamer is a long, thin flag.	Supporters Supporters are the characters (people or animals) that hold the shield from the sides in a coat-of-arms.	Swallowtail A swallowtail is a type of flag or pennant that ends in two (or more) points, like the tail of a swallow.
Triangle A triangle is a flag that has a large triangle in it, usually on the hoist side (by the flagstaff), like that of Cuba, above.	Triband (horizontal) A horizontal triband is a flag with three horizontal bands of two different colors, like that of Austria, above.	Triband (vertical) A vertical triband is a flag with three vertical bands of two different colors, like that of Nigeria, above	Tricolor (horizontal) A horizontal tricolor is a flag with three horizontal bands of different colors, like that of Russia, above.
Tricolor (vertical) A vertical tricolor is a flag with three vertical bands of different colors, like that of France, above.	Vertical Bicolor A vertical bicolor is a flag with two vertical bands of different colors, like the flag of Malta, above.	Vertical Tricolor A vertical tricolor is a flag with three vertical bands of different colors, like that of France, above.	Vexillology Vexillology is the study of flags.