Editing Obverse and reverse (section)

==Vexillology==
{{main|List of flags with reverses that differ from the obverse}}
{{further information|Flag terminology}}
In [[vexillology]], the obverse of a flag is the side taken as the default illustration of a flag, for example the side used to display a design in a book or other paper document. The obverse is usually assumed to be the side visible when the ''hoist'', the edge attached to the [[Flagmast|mast]], is on the viewer's left and the opposite ''fly'' side to their right, while the reverse is the side visible with the hoist on the right and the fly on the left. Most flags reversed feature a mirror copy of the obverse, a format accommodated by most flag manufacturers.

The [[flag of Saudi Arabia]] is an exception to both conventions, with a right-hoisted ("sinister" {{FIAV|sinister}}) obverse and an equal reverse to correctly arrange the calligraphic ''[[Shahada]]'' on both sides.<ref>[https://www.fotw.info/flags/sa.html#rev Saudi Arabia: The Reverse of the Flag], FOTW Flags Of The World, 3 June 2019. Accessed 2 May 2020.</ref> Truly two-sided flags include the [[flag of Paraguay]] and the [[flag of Oregon]], but are otherwise rare in the modern day.

Some national [[flag protocol]]s include provisions for when and how the reverse should be displayed. The [[United States flag code]] states that a vertically hung flag should be displayed with the reverse side out, such that the blue [[canton (flag)|canton]], or "union", be visible in the same position as it would be if the flag was being displayed horizontally on the obverse.<ref>[https://www.legion.org/flag/code "United States Flag Code"], [[American Legion]]. Retrieved 2 September 2024.</ref>