Here are the world’s oldest continuously used national flags

A map published by World in Maps highlights 10 countries whose flags have been flown almost unchanged for centuries. The list begins with Denmark, whose red banner with a white cross, known as the Dannebrog, holds the Guinness record as the world’s oldest continuously used national flag.

According to Guinness World Records, the design of a white Scandinavian cross on a red background was adopted in 1625, while the square shape used on Danish ships was defined in 1748. The cross, derived from Christian symbolism, appears on other Nordic flags, but Denmark’s version has been in unbroken use longer than any other national emblem.

Netherlands

The Dutch flag’s familiar horizontal red–white–blue tricolour evolved from the Prince’s Flag that flew during the 16th‑century Dutch revolt against Spain. At sea after 1577, the Dutch navy flew an orange–white–blue tricolour; however, in the decades that followed, the orange band gradually changed to red. Encyclopaedia Britannica notes that by 1660, the transformation from orange to red was complete, making the Netherlands flag the oldest continuously used tricolour. Though no law officially enacted the switch, the red–white–blue banner became emblematic of Dutch commerce and independence.

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU

GTA V dominates global search interest as Grand Theft Auto VI nears release

Nepal

Unlike every other national flag, Nepal’s standard is not rectangular but a double pennant of crimson red with blue borders bearing a moon and sun. The vexillology site CountryFlags.com records that Nepal adopted its national flag in 1743 and last modified it in 1962. The design combines the flags of two rival branches of the ruling Shah dynasty, and the celestial emblems represent the permanence of the nation – the moon symbolises calm and the sun bravery.

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom’s flag, often called the Union Jack, merges the crosses of St George (England), St Andrew (Scotland) and St Patrick (Ireland). The Flags of the World database points out that the modern design was adopted on 1 January 1801, following the Act of Union that merged Great Britain and Ireland. Its continuous use dates from that year; earlier versions had omitted the Irish red saltire.

Chile

Chileans unfurled several flags during their war of independence, but the familiar red‑white‑blue flag with a lone white star in a blue canton was legally adopted on 18 October 1817. Encyclopaedia Britannica recounts that patriotic leader José de San Martín’s forces established the Flag of Transition in early 1817 and then replaced it on 18 October with the version still used today.

Argentina

General Manuel Belgrano first flew Argentina’s sky‑blue and white triband in 1812. The Congress of Tucumán later decreed that the war flag should include a golden sun. The vexillology organisation FOTW notes that on 25 February 1818, the Congress “created the war flag by adding the sun in the middle of the white stripe,” at which point the design of the Argentine flag was officially born.

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU

Nearly all people in Tajikistan hold at least one gender bias against women

Peru

Peru experimented with several designs after declaring independence in 1820. A two‑year‑old diagonal‑stripe flag was abandoned because it resembled Spain’s colours. According to the World Atlas, the current national flag, featuring three vertical bands of red, white, and red, with the national coat of arms, was finally established on February 25, 1825. The new standard omitted a red sun and replaced it with the coat of arms, symbolising flora, fauna and mineral wealth.