According to the
Collins English Dictionary, a
national flag is "a
flag that represents or is an emblem of a
country". The word
country can be used to refer to a
nation-state or
sovereign state, sometimes also called an independent state, though a country may also be a sub-division of a sovereign state, such as with the
United Kingdom consisting of a union of four countries or nations — specifically two
kingdoms (the countries of
England and
Scotland), a
principality (the country of
Wales), and a
province (
Northern Ireland). It is
customary in
international law that nation-states adopt a flag to distinguish themselves from other states. National flags are considered to "provide perhaps the strongest, clearest statement of national identity," and governments have used them to promote and create bonds within the country, motivate
patriotism, honor the efforts of citizens, and
legitimate formal authority. Throughout history, elements within flags have been used to symbolize rulers, dynasties,
territories,
militaries, and
peoples of their respective countries. Flags also conceptually represent a
country's core values, such as
group membership and love for the country. In 1975, American vexillologist
Whitney Smith stated thus regarding the role of flags in society: According to the
Oxford English Dictionary, a
sovereign state is "a state or nation with a defined territory and a permanent population, which administers its own government, and which is recognized as not subject to or dependent upon another power." The amount of sovereign states in the world is generally derived from the number of
member states of the
United Nations (UN), although non-member states do exist, with such states being called
de facto states. As of 2024, the UN currently includes 193 member states and 2 permanent
observer states:
Palestine and
Vatican City.
De facto states include
Northern Cyprus,
Abkhazia,
South Ossetia,
Transnistria,
Kosovo, the
Sahrawi Republic,
Somaliland, and
Taiwan. All 193 member states and 2 observer states are represented by their respective flags at the
Headquarters of the United Nations in
New York City. == Flags of UN member states and General Assembly non-member observer states ==