All 193 member states and 2 General Assembly non-member observer states of the United Nations, in addition to several de facto states, represent themselves with national flags. National flags generally contain symbolism of their respective state, and serve as an emblem which distinguishes themselves from other states in international politics. National flags are adopted by governments to strengthen national bonds and legitimate formal authority. Such flags may contain symbolic elements of their peoples, militaries, territories, rulers, and dynasties. The flag of Denmark is the oldest flag still in current use as it has been recognized as a national symbol since the 13th century.
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 â 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.
The oldest flag of a sovereign state which is currently in use is the flag of Denmark, which has been recognized as a national symbol of the country since the 13th century, although the current version was officially adopted in 1867. 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.
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