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Canton (flag)

Rectangular area of a flag

Elements of a flag

In vexillography, 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 as their canton, as do their derivatives such as the national flags of Australia and New Zealand.

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.

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 nations (along with other later countries and regions, such as Liberia or Malaysia) 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 features the Union Jack 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 has a canton of the Union Jack. File:Flag of Greece.svg|The flag of Greece has a blue canton with a white Greek cross. File:Flag of Liberia.svg|The flag of Liberia 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 has a Union Jack 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 has a navy blue canton bearing a white sun with 12 triangular rays. (This flag's canton is also used as the naval jack and the flag of the Kuomintang.) File:Flag of Togo.svg|The flag of Togo 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 Jack in its canton. File:Flag of the United States.svg|The flag of the United States 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 File:Flag of South Australia.svg|South Australia File:Flag of Tasmania.svg|Tasmania File:Flag of Queensland.svg|Queensland File:Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg|Victoria File:Flag of Western Australia.svg|Western Australia

Provinces of Canada

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

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 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 in Brazil File:Flag of Azad Kashmir.svg|The flag of Azad Kashmir 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. 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 has a rare use of the Flag of France 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 in Brazil File:Flag of the Guatemala Department.svg|Flag of Guatemala Department of Guatemala contains its coat of arms. 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 in Malaysia, which contains the Islamic star and crescent in the canton, as does the national flag File:Bandeira do Maranhão.svg|Maranhão in Brazil File:Flag of Malacca.svg|The flag of Melaka in Malaysia has a charge, of the Islamic star and crescent. File:Flag of Negeri Sembilan.svg|Flag of Negeri Sembilan in Malaysia, the canton of which resembles the flag of Papua New Guinea File:Bandeira do Piauí.svg|Piauí in Brazil File:Flag of Sabah.svg|The flag of Sabah 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 in Brazil File:Flag of Selangor.svg|Flag and coat of arms of Selangor 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 in France

Military

Naval Ensign of Australia.svg|Australian White Ensign, which has a canton consisting of the Union Flag. Air Force Ensign of Australia.svg|Royal Australian Air Force Ensign, which has a canton consisting of the Union Flag. 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, 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 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, 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, 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 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 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 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 in 1835 until William Hobson proclaimed British 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 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 File:Flag of Louisiana (February 1861).svg|A former flag of CS Louisiana File:Flag_of_Mississippi_(1861-1894).svg|A former flag of CS Mississippi

El Salvador

File:Flag of El Salvador (1839-1865).svg|1839-1865 File:Flag of El Salvador (1869–1873).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 Flag of France 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 to 2020. File:Flag_of_New_Mexico_(1912-1925).svg|An early flag design for New Mexico, 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.

References

[https://www.legion.org/flag/code "United States Flag Code"], [[American Legion]]. Retrieved 2 September 2024.

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