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Canton (flag)

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File:Flag parts diagram.svg
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.<ref>"United States Flag Code", American Legion. Retrieved 2 September 2024.</ref>

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 cantonsEdit

Sovereign statesEdit

  • Flag of Australia (converted).svg

    The flag of Australia features the Union Flag as a canton.

  • Flag of Chile.svg

    The flag of Chile incorporates a blue canton bearing a white five-pointed star.

  • Flag of Fiji.svg

    The flag of Fiji has a canton of the Union Flag.

  • Flag of Greece.svg

    The flag of Greece has a blue canton with a white Greek cross.

  • Flag of Liberia.svg

    The flag of Liberia has a blue canton with a white five-pointed star.

  • Flag of Malaysia.svg

    The flag of Malaysia has a canton with a crescent and 14-pointed star in yellow on a blue field.

  • Flag of New Zealand.svg

    The flag of New Zealand has a Union Flag canton.

  • Flag of Samoa.svg

    The flag of Samoa has a blue canton which bears the Southern Cross constellation in white.

  • 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's party flag.)

  • Flag of Togo.svg

    The flag of Togo has a red canton bearing a white five-pointed star.

  • Flag of Tonga.svg

    The flag of Tonga has a white canton bearing a red Greek cross couped.

  • Flag of Tuvalu.svg

    The flag of Tuvalu features the Union Flag in its canton.

  • Flag of the United States.svg

    The flag of the United States has 50 white five-pointed stars on a blue canton (Template:Aka 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).

  • Flag of Uruguay.svg

    The flag of Uruguay has a white canton charged with the Sun of May.

Territories, regions, and provincesEdit

States of AustraliaEdit

All of the Australian states (although not the territories) use the UK's national flag in their cantons.

Provinces of CanadaEdit

Two of Canada's ten provinces use flags with cantons, both the UK national flag.

Counties of LiberiaEdit

Every county flag of Liberia contains the Liberian national flag in its canton.

OtherEdit

MilitaryEdit

  • 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.

OtherEdit

Former flags that used cantonsEdit

StatesEdit

  • Flag of Russia (1914-1917).svg

    Flag of the Russian Empire, used 1914–1917.

  • Flag of Georgia (1990–2004).svg

    Old Flag of Georgia, used 1918-1921 and 1991-2003.

  • 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.

  • Flag of Brazil (November 1889).svg

    The November 1889 flag of Brazil had a blue canton defaced with 21 white stars.

  • 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

  • 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.

  • Flag of the Mosquito Reserve (1881-1894).svg

    The flag of the Mosquito Coast (1881-1894).

  • 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.

  • Flag of Texas (1835–1839).svg

    The national flag of Texas from 1835 to 1839 had a blue canton, defaced with a single star.

  • 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 subdivisionsEdit

CanadaEdit

  • 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 StatesEdit

  • Tennessee 1861 proposed.svg

    An early 1860s flag of CS Tennessee

  • Flag of Louisiana (February 1861).svg

    A former flag of CS Louisiana

  • Flag of Mississippi (1861-1894).svg

    A former flag of CS Mississippi

El SalvadorEdit

  • Flag of El Salvador (1839-1865).svg

    1839-1865

  • Flag of El Salvador (1869).svg

    1869

  • Flag of El Salvador (1869-1873).svg

    1869-1873

  • Flag of El Salvador (1877-1912).svg

    1877-1912

FranceEdit

Many French colonial flags contained the Flag of France in the canton.

GeorgiaEdit

  • 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 MontenegroEdit

  • 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 AfricaEdit

  • 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 StatesEdit

  • Flag of Mississippi (1996–2020).svg

    The Flag of Mississippi had the Confederate battle flag in the canton in its designs from 1894-2020.

  • 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

  • Flag of the Vermont Republic.svg

    Flag of the short lived Republic of Vermont, which adapted the US flag's union of 13 stars

  • Flag of Vermont (1804-1837).svg

    An early flag for Vermont, which was substantially identical to the US flag of the time

YugoslaviaEdit

  • 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.

  • Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina (1946–1992).svg

    Flag of the SR BiH, which had a canton consisting of the Yugoslav flag.

OtherEdit

  • Mark Twain's proposed flag for the American-controlled Philippines (1901).svg

    Mark Twain's Phillippine flag proposal.

See alsoEdit

ReferencesEdit

Template:Reflist

External linksEdit

Template:Sister project Template:Vexillology {{#invoke:Navbox|navbox}}

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