vexillography Vexillography ( ) is the art and practice of designing flags; a person who designs flags is a vexillographer. Vexillo''graphy'' is allied with vexillology, vexillo''logy'', the scholarly study of flags, but is not synonymous with that discipline. ...

, the canton is a rectangular emblem placed at the top left of a flag, usually occupying up to a quarter of a flag's area. The canton of a flag may be a flag in its own right. For instance, British ensigns have the

Union Jack 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. It is sometimes a ...

as their canton, as do their derivatives such as the national flags of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. Following the practice of British ensigns, a canton sometimes contains a symbol of national unity, such as the blue field and white stars of the flag of the United States of America. In these cases, the canton may be called simply the union."United States Flag Code"

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is an Voluntary association, organization of United States, U.S. war veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It comprises U.S. state, state, Territories of the United States, U.S. terr ...

. Retrieved 2 September 2024. The American flag's canton derives from Britain's use of the Union Jack in the flags of its possessions (including, historically, the Thirteen American Colonies). Subsequently, many

New World The term "New World" is used to describe the majority of lands of Earth's Western Hemisphere, particularly the Americas, and sometimes Oceania."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: ...

nations (along with other later countries and regions, such as

Liberia Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to Guinea–Liberia border, its north, Ivory Coast to Ivory Coast–Lib ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

) that were inspired by the United States adopted flag elements that were inspired by the American flag. As a result, many extant uses of a prominent canton derive either from British territorial history, or American influence and inspiration.

Current flags using cantons

Sovereign states

File:Flag of Australia (converted).svg, The

flag of Australia 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 (the Commonwealth Star) and a representation of the Crux, Southe ...

features the Union Flag as a canton. File:Flag of Chile.svg, The flag of Chile incorporates a blue canton bearing a white five-pointed star. File:Flag of Fiji.svg, The

flag of Fiji The national flag of Fiji was adopted on 10 October 1970. The state arms have been slightly modified but the flag has remained the same as during Fiji's Colony of Fiji, colonial period. It is a Defacement (flag), defaced cyan "Blue Ensign" (the ...

has a canton of the Union Flag. File:Flag of Greece.svg, The

flag of Greece The national flag of Greece, popularly referred to as the Blue-and-White (, ) or the Cyan-and-White (, ), is officially recognised by Greece as one of its national symbols and has 5 equal horizontal stripes of blue alternating with white. There ...

has a blue canton with a white

Greek cross The Christian cross, with or without a figure of Jesus, Christ included, is the main religious symbol of Christianity. A cross with a figure of Christ affixed to it is termed a crucifix and the figure is often referred to as the ''corpus'' (La ...

. File:Flag of Liberia.svg, The

flag of Liberia The flag of Liberia, occasionally referred to as the Lone Star, bears a close resemblance to the flag of the United States, representing Liberia's founding by former Black people, black slaves from the United States and the Caribbean. They are b ...

has a blue canton with a white five-pointed star. File:Flag of Malaysia.svg, The flag of Malaysia has a canton with a crescent and 14-pointed star in yellow on a blue field. File:Flag of New Zealand.svg, The

flag of New Zealand The flag of New Zealand (), also known as the New Zealand Ensign, is based on the British maritime Blue Ensigna blue field with the Union Jack in the ''canton (flag), canton'' or upper hoist corneraugmented or ''Defacement (flag), defaced'' wit ...

has a Union Flag canton. File:Flag of Samoa.svg, The flag of Samoa has a blue canton which bears the Southern Cross constellation in white. File:Flag of the Republic of China.svg, The flag of the Republic of China (Taiwan) has a navy blue canton bearing a white sun with 12 triangular rays. (This flag's canton is also used as the Taiwanese naval jack and the

Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT) is a major political party in the Republic of China (Taiwan). It was the one party state, sole ruling party of the country Republic of China (1912-1949), during its rule from 1927 to 1949 in Mainland China until Retreat ...

's party flag.) File:Flag of Togo.svg, The

flag of Togo The national flag of Togo consists of five horizontal stripes, alternating between green and yellow, with a red square bearing a five-pointed white star in the Canton (flag), canton. It is one of many Flags of Africa, African flags that use the ...

has a red canton bearing a white five-pointed star. File:Flag of Tonga.svg, The flag of Tonga has a white canton bearing a red Greek cross couped. File:Flag of Tuvalu.svg, The flag of Tuvalu features the Union Flag in its canton. File:Flag of the United States.svg, The

flag of the United States The national flag of the United States, often referred to as the American flag or the U.S. flag, consists of thirteen horizontal Bar (heraldry), stripes, Variation of the field, alternating red and white, with a blue rectangle in the Canton ( ...

has 50 white five-pointed stars on a blue canton ( union), standing for the country's 50 constituent states (This flag's canton is also used as United States Naval Jack/Jack of the United States). File:Flag of Uruguay.svg, The flag of Uruguay has a white canton charged with the Sun of May.

Territories, regions, and provinces

States of Australia

All of the Australian states (although not the territories) use the UK's national flag in their cantons. File:Flag of New South Wales.svg,

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

File:Flag of South Australia.svg,

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

File:Flag of Tasmania.svg,

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

File:Flag of Queensland.svg,

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

File:Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg, Victoria File:Flag of Western Australia.svg,

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

Provinces of Canada

Two of Canada's ten provinces use flags with cantons, both the UK national flag. File:Flag of Manitoba.svg,

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

File:Flag of Ontario.svg,

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

Counties of Liberia

Every county flag of Liberia contains the Liberian national flag in its canton. File:Flag of Bomi County.svg, Bomi County File:Flag of Bong County.svg, Bong County File:Flag of Gbarpolu County.svg,

Gbarpolu County Gbarpolu is a Counties of Liberia, county in the northern portion of Liberia. One of 15 counties that comprise the Administrative division, first-level of administrative division in the nation, it has six Districts of Liberia, districts. Bopulu ...

File:Flag of Grand Bassa County.svg, Grand Bassa County File:Flag of Grand Cape Mount County.svg, Grand Cape Mount County File:Flag of Grand Gedeh County.svg, Grand Gedeh County File:Flag of Grand Kru County.svg, Grand Kru County File:Flag of Lofa County.svg, Lofa County File:Flag of Margibi County.svg, Margibi County File:Flag of Maryland County.svg, Maryland County File:Flag of Montserrado County.svg, Montserrado County File:Flag of Nimba County.svg, Nimba County File:Flag of Rivercess County.svg, Rivercess County File:Flag of River Gee County.svg, River Gee County File:Flag of Sinoe County.svg, Sinoe County

Other

File:Flag of Abkhazia.svg, The breakaway flag of Abkhazia features a red canton with a white right hand and seven white stars on it. File:Flag of Adjara.svg, The flag of the autonomous province of Adjara contains the Georgian flag in the canton. File:Bandeira do Amazonas.svg, Amazonas in Brazil File:Bandeira da Bahia.svg,

Bahia Bahia () is one of the 26 Federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Mina ...

in Brazil File:Flag of Azad Kashmir.svg, The flag of

Azad Kashmir Azad Jammu and Kashmir (), abbreviated as AJK and colloquially referred to as simply Azad Kashmir ( ), is a region administered by Pakistan as a nominally self-governing entitySee: * * * and constituting the western portion of the larger ...

File:Flag of the Balearic Islands.svg, alt=Flag of the The Balearic Islands, Flag of The Balearic Islands, an autonomous community within the

Kingdom of Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. File:Flag of Brittany (Gwenn ha du).svg, Flag of Brittany in France, inspired by the American and Greek flags File:Flag of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands.svg, Flag of the

French Southern and Antarctic Lands The French Southern and Antarctic Lands (, TAAF) is an overseas territory ( or ) of France. It consists of: * Adélie Land (), the French claim on the continent of Antarctica. * Crozet Islands (), a group in the southern Indian Ocean, south ...

has a rare use of the

Flag of France The national flag of France () is a Tricolour (flag), tricolour featuring three vertical bands coloured blue (Flag terminology#Description of standard flag parts and terms, hoist side), white, and red. The design was adopted after the French Rev ...

as its canton. File:Flag of Georgia (U.S. state).svg, The flag of Georgia has the state coat of arms in the canton, surrounded by 13 stars which, like the stripes on the US flag, represent the original 13 colonies. File:Flag of Goiás.svg,

Goiás Goiás () is a Brazilian States of Brazil, state located in the Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region. Goiás borders the Federal District (Brazil), Federal District and the states of (from north clockwise) Tocantins, Bahia, Minas Ge ...

in Brazil File:Bandera del Departamento Guatemala.svg, Flag of Guatemala Department of Guatemala contains its

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

. File:Flag of Hawaii.svg, The flag of Hawaii has the UK's flag in its canton. File:Flag of Johor.svg, Flag of

Johor Johor, also spelled Johore,'' is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia in the south of the Malay Peninsula. It borders with Pahang, Malacca and Negeri Sembilan to the north. Johor has maritime borders with Singapore ...

in Malaysia, which contains the Islamic

star and crescent The conjoined representation of a star and a crescent is used in various historical contexts, including as a prominent symbol of the Ottoman Empire, and in contemporary times, as a national symbol by some countries, and by some Muslims as a sym ...

in the canton, as does the national flag File:Bandeira do Maranhão.svg,

Maranhão Maranhão () is a States of Brazil, state in Brazil. Located in the country's Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region, it has a population of about 7 million and an area of and it is divided into 217 municipalities. Clockwise from north, it ...

in Brazil File:Flag of Malacca.svg, The flag of Melaka in Malaysia has a charge, of the Islamic

. File:Flag of Negeri Sembilan.svg, Flag of Negeri Sembilan in Malaysia, the canton of which resembles the flag of

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...

File:Bandeira do Piauí.svg,

Piauí Piauí ( ) is one of the states of Brazil, located in the country's Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region. The state has 1.6% of the Brazilian population and produces 0.7% of the Brazilian GDP. Piauí has the shortest coastline of any coas ...

in Brazil File:Flag of Sabah.svg, The flag of

Sabah Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah has land borders with the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and Indonesia's North Kalima ...

in Malaysia contains a profile of local Mount Kinabalu. File:San Salvador Flag.png, Flag of San Salvador Department in El Salvador File:Santa Ana (El Salvador) flag.jpg, Flag of Santa Ana Department in El Salvador File:Bandeira do estado de São Paulo.svg,

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

in Brazil File:Flag of Selangor.svg, Flag and coat of arms of

Selangor Selangor ( ; ), also known by the Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the e ...

in Malaysia is not a true canton, although the standard of the Sultan of Selangor, which derives from it, retains the upper left hoist as a distinct canton. File:Bandeira de Sergipe.svg, Sergipe in Brazil File:Flag of Wallis and Futuna.svg,

Wallis and Futuna Wallis and Futuna, officially the Territory of the Wallis and Futuna Islands (), is a French island territorial collectivity, collectivity in the Oceania, South Pacific, situated between Tuvalu to the northwest, Fiji to the southwest, Tonga t ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Military

Naval Ensign of Australia.svg, Australian White Ensign, which has a canton consisting of the

Union Flag 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. It is sometimes a ...

. Air Force Ensign of Australia.svg, Royal Australian Air Force Ensign, which has a canton consisting of the

. Naval Ensign of Canada.svg, Naval ensign of Canada, which has a canton consisting of Canada's national flag. Naval Ensign of India.svg, Naval ensign of India, which has a canton consisting of an elongated Indian national flag. Naval Ensign of Sierra Leone.svg, Naval ensign of Sierra Leone, has a canton with a horizontal triband of green, white, and blue (e.g. the Sierra Leone national flag). Flag of the South African Army.svg, Flag of the

South African Army The South African Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of South Africa, a part of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), along with the South African Air Force, South African Navy and South African Military Health Servi ...

, which has a canton with the RSA's national flag in it. Flag of the South African National Defence Force.svg, Flag of the South African National Defence Force, which has a canton with the RSA's national flag in it. Naval Ensign of South Africa.svg, Naval ensign of South Africa, which has a canton with the RSA's national flag in it. Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg, Naval ensign of the United Kingdom, which has a canton consisting of the UK's national flag in it.

Other

Flag of the Democratic Republic of Bakassi.png, Flag of the Bakassi Movement for Self-Determination. Flag of the Korean National Association.svg, Flag of the Korean National Association, with a yellow canton defaced with a blue-and-red taeguk. Flag of the New York City Police Department.svg, Flag of the

New York City Police Department The City of New York Police Department, also referred to as New York City Police Department (NYPD), is the primary law enforcement agency within New York City. Established on May 23, 1845, the NYPD is the largest, and one of the oldest, munic ...

has a blue canton defaced with stars, representing the 23 original municipalities that combined to form modern day NYC, and one for NYC itself. Flag of the South African Police Service.svg, Flag of the South African Police Service, which has a canton with the RSA's national flag in it.

Former flags that used cantons

States

File:Flag of Russia (1914-1917).svg, Flag of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

, used 1914–1917. File:Flag of Georgia (1990–2004).svg, Old Flag of Georgia, used 1918-1921 and 1991-2003. File:Flag of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic (1951–1990).svg, A Soviet-era flag for

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, It was the only Soviet Union Republic flag with the canton and in which the hammer and sickle were not gold in color. File:Flag of Brazil (November 1889).svg, The November 1889 flag of

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

had a blue canton defaced with 21 white stars. File:Flag of the Confederate States (1861–1863).svg, The first version of the flag of the Confederate States featured a canton defaced with stars, with the stars representing its claimed constituent states File:Flag of the Confederate States of America (1865).svg, Subsequent flags of the CS incorporated a star-defaced saltire (known as the "Confederate Battle Flag") in their cantons. File:Flag of the Mosquito Reserve (1881-1894).svg, The flag of the Mosquito Coast (1881-1894). File:Flag of the Orange Free State.svg, The flag of the

Orange Free State The Orange Free State ( ; ) was an independent Boer-ruled sovereign republic under British suzerainty in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, which ceased to exist after it was defeated and surrendered to the British Em ...

had a canton with a horizontal triband of red, white, and blue (e.g. the Dutch flag) in it. File:Flag of Texas (1835–1839).svg, The national flag of

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

from 1835 to 1839 had a blue canton, defaced with a single star. File:UnitedTribesUnofficial.svg, The flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand from the

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another state or failed state, or are breaka ...

in 1835 until William Hobson proclaimed

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

sovereignty in 1840 puts the Southern Cross in the canton of the St George Cross.

Territories, organizations, and subdivisions

Canada

Flag of the Canadian Army (1939–1944).svg, Flag of the

Canadian Army The Canadian Army () is the command (military formation), command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also re ...

from 1939 to 1944, which had a canton consisting of the UK's national flag. Flag of the Canadian Army (1968–1998).svg, Flag of the Canadian Army from 1968 to 1998 used a canton consisting of Canada's national flag.

Confederate States

File:Tennessee_1861_proposed.svg, An early 1860s flag of CS

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

File:Flag of Louisiana (February 1861).svg, A former flag of CS

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

File:Flag_of_Mississippi_(1861-1894).svg, A former flag of CS

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

El Salvador

File:Flag of El Salvador (1839-1865).svg, 1839-1865 File:Flag of El Salvador (1869).svg, 1869 File:Flag of El Salvador (1869-1873).svg, 1869-1873 File:Flag of El Salvador (1877-1912).svg, 1877-1912

France

Many French colonial flags contained the

in the canton.

Georgia

File:Flag_of_Ajarian_ASSR.svg, A Soviet-era flag for Adjara (then the Ajarian ASSR) combined a blue glory with red hammer and sickle.

Serbia and Montenegro

Naval Ensign of Serbia and Montenegro.svg, Naval ensign of Serbia and Montenegro from 1992 to 2006, which had a canton with a horizontal triband of blue, white, and red (e.g. the Serbia and Montenegro national flag) in it.

South Africa

Flag of the Cape Colony (1876–1910).svg, Flag of the Cape Colony had a canton consisting of the UK's national flag; like most of the UK's colonies. Ensign of the South African Defence Force (1981–1994).svg, Flag of the South African Defence Force, which had a canton with the RSA's national flag in it. Flag of the South African Police (1981–1994).svg, Flag of the South African Police, which had a canton with the RSA's national flag in it.

United States

File:Flag of Mississippi (1996–2020).svg, The Flag of Mississippi had the Confederate battle flag in the canton in its designs from 1894-2020. File:Flag_of_New_Mexico_(1912-1925).svg, An early flag design for

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

, which shows a rare instance of the US flag as a canton File:Flag_of_the_Vermont_Republic.svg, Flag of the short lived Republic of Vermont, which adapted the US flag's union of 13 stars File:Flag_of_Vermont_(1804-1837).svg, An early flag for Vermont, which was substantially identical to the US flag of the time

Yugoslavia

File:Naval Ensign of Yugoslavia (1949–1993).svg, Yugoslav naval ensign from 1949 to 1993, which had a canton consisting of a horizontal triband of blue, white, and red, defaced with a star and wreath. File:Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina (1946–1992).svg, alt=, Flag of the SR BiH, which had a canton consisting of the Yugoslav flag.

Other

File:Mark Twain's proposed flag for the American-controlled Philippines (1901).svg, Mark Twain's Phillippine flag proposal.

References

External links

{{Heraldry Flags by design

Current flags using cantons

Sovereign states

Territories, regions, and provinces

States of Australia

Provinces of Canada

Counties of Liberia

Other

Military

Other

Former flags that used cantons

States

Territories, organizations, and subdivisions

Canada

Confederate States

El Salvador

France

Georgia

Serbia and Montenegro

South Africa

United States

Yugoslavia

Other

See also

References

External links