# Coolest national flags **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 21, 2005, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-national-flags/322701 "2005-09-21T14:38:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-national-flags/322701/41 "2005-09-24T16:03:35Z")
I have to admit, I rather like [North Korea’s](http://www.flags.net/NKOR.htm) flag. Blue and red contrast well. And I can’t believe nobody has mentioned the flag of [The Republic of Texas!](http://www.lsjunction.com/flag.htm) (Random trivia, when I used to do Flag Detail duty when I was in JROTC in high school, we were always reminded to put the bandage on the blood when hanging the flag, so as not to look totally retarded when we were done.) ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2005, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-national-flags/322701/42 "2005-09-25T02:41:35Z")
My current favorite is [Macau’s](http://www.travelblog.org/World/mc-flag.html). ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2005, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-national-flags/322701/43 "2005-09-25T02:58:02Z")
> [@Raguleader](#): > > I have to admit, I rather like [North Korea’s](http://www.flags.net/NKOR.htm) flag. Blue and red contrast well. Naah. Well, I _can_ see some coolness to it, but it looks too much like a petro-chemical company logo. - **[The Manx flag](http://www.travelblog.org/World/im-flag.html)** is my favourite. - The USSR’s, China’s and Vietnam’s are/were cool (despite what they stand for). When I went to Vietnam, I had to get a visa at the consulate in Sydney. It was a big old mansion on top of a hill right at the end of the main street of our most exclusive suburb. They had an enormous communist flag flying there, right over Sydney’s version of Rodeo Drive. Very cool. - UK and USA for design reasons, as already mentioned. - Scotland’s is pretty cool. - Australia’s and New Zealand’s are flags I’m fond of, but they look too much like British Airways tail fins. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2005, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-national-flags/322701/44 "2005-09-25T03:57:38Z")
> [@Raguleader](#): > > And I can’t believe nobody has mentioned the flag of [The Republic of Texas!](http://www.lsjunction.com/flag.htm) Looks too much like [Chile’s](http://www.flags.net/CHIL.htm). 🙂 > [@](#): > > (Random trivia, when I used to do Flag Detail duty when I was in JROTC in high school, we were always reminded to put the bandage on the blood when hanging the flag, so as not to look totally retarded when we were done.) I don’t understand this. Could you explain further? ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2005, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-national-flags/322701/45 "2005-09-25T04:17:01Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > I don’t understand this. Could you explain further? I believe he means that when hanging the flag, put the white bar (the bandage) over the red bar (the blood). So you won’t live through the embarrassment of having hung the flag upside down. :o ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2005, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-national-flags/322701/46 "2005-09-25T06:32:57Z")
> [@severus](#): > > I believe he means that when hanging the flag, put the white bar (the bandage) over the red bar (the blood). So you won’t live through the embarrassment of having hung the flag upside down. :o Yeah, IIRC, the colours flying upside down generally indicates that the town/ship/whatever has been captured by the enemy. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2005, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-national-flags/322701/47 "2005-09-25T06:50:10Z")
> [@Ranchoth](#): > > And the [Nazi War Flag](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Nazi_war_flag.png) is pretty much the epitome of evil fascism, isn’t it? Gotta agree there. That’s one bold, aggressive, unapologetically evil flag right there. Tells you everything you need to know. I like a lot of the nominees here. Kazakhstan and Macau are very nice. I’m also a fan of [Brazil’s flag.](http://www.flags.net/BRAZ.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2005, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-national-flags/322701/48 "2005-09-25T09:52:44Z")
**Mobo** I had to stop looking at that site. I’m giggling too much. > [@](#): > > Seychelles. Urrgh… ohhh… feel sick… ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2005, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-national-flags/322701/49 "2005-09-25T23:53:43Z")
> [@Raguleader](#): > > Yeah, IIRC, the colours flying upside down generally indicates that the town/ship/whatever has been captured by the enemy. Actually, I just watched today’s episode of _King of the Hill_, and it ended with a nice Arlen scenery, complete with a flagpole with the American and Texas flags, with the latter _flying blood over bandage_! I noticed it because of this thread. I wonder what Mike Judge wants to tell us… ---
**Author:** ![sleeepy2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@sleeepy2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleeepy2)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-national-flags/322701/50 "2005-09-26T00:32:48Z")
Haven’t found my favorite yet, but it has to be something grade-school kids can recreate with construction paper or crayons. That rules out dragons and crescents, IMHO. Yesterday I saw a Corvette painted with the American flag over the entire car. I appreciated the sentiment, but it can’t compete with the [Union Jack](http://www.xk8xkrenthusiastsclub.com/images/shaguar/austinpowersxk8.jpg). Go Shaguar! ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-national-flags/322701/51 "2005-09-26T00:41:07Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Gotta agree there. That’s one bold, aggressive, unapologetically evil flag right there. Tells you everything you need to know. As I said before, tyrants have cool flags, despite what they stand for. **TheLoadedDog** appears to agree. Both the Nazis and most communist nations have red, which is a very strong color and looks nice on a flag. Plus you got your stars, hammer-sickle dealies, swastikas, machetes, what have you. I think that totalitarian nations had better flag designers than governments. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-national-flags/322701/52 "2005-09-26T00:42:29Z")
> [@mobo85](#): > > I think that totalitarian nations had better flag designers than governments. In a totalitarian country, one problem you’re _not_ going to have is “too many cooks…” ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-national-flags/322701/53 "2005-09-26T02:46:17Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Gotta agree there. That’s one bold, aggressive, unapologetically evil flag right there. Tells you everything you need to know. > > I like a lot of the nominees here. Kazakhstan and Macau are very nice. I’m also a fan of [Brazil’s flag.](http://www.flags.net/BRAZ.htm) I have always liked the shapes and colors in Brazil’s flag, though one might say that I am biased. I like the fact that even if it is reduced to a black-and-white “wingding” style character on a page, it is still immediately recognizable for its diamond and circle. Can’t do that with a tricolor or even a flag with a dragon on it. Sadly, **mobo85** ’s [site](http://ahpc-jp30.st-and.ac.uk/~josh/flags/intro.html) doesn’t agree: “Starmap original but atrocious. Worst flag of any independent nation state.” ---
**Author:** ![billfritter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/54ee81/32.png) [@billfritter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfritter)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-national-flags/322701/54 "2005-09-26T19:53:52Z")
I’ve always been fond of the Greek flag. [Greek flag](http://hep.physics.uoc.gr/rumour/gflag.jpg) The pale blue seems very special and distinctive. And the corner bleeding into the stripes also seems unexpected and intriguing. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-national-flags/322701/55 "2005-09-26T21:08:32Z")
> [@minor7flat5](#): > > Sadly, **mobo85** ’s [site](http://ahpc-jp30.st-and.ac.uk/~josh/flags/intro.html) doesn’t agree: > “Starmap original but atrocious. Worst flag of any independent nation state.” Yeah, I noticed that. They didn’t seem to like any of my choices. Boohoo. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2005, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-national-flags/322701/56 "2005-09-30T14:53:45Z")
Thanks, everybody. Some great responses. **Raguleader** , why would anyone need to know the “bandage-over-blood” thing to remember the correct way to fly the Texas state flag? Wouldn’t you just hoist it with the star appearing right-side up, that is, resting on two points with one pointing straight up? I liked the flag-critique website that **Mobo85** gave us, too - it was pretty funny - but I disagreed with that guy on most of his choices. Some of the flags he loved were boring, I thought, and some that I love he deemed too busy or cliched or whatever. No accounting for taste… that’s why we have the SDMB IMHO threads! ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2005, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-national-flags/322701/57 "2005-10-01T20:18:38Z")
> [@William V.](#): > > Thanks, everybody. Some great responses. > > **Raguleader** , why would anyone need to know the “bandage-over-blood” thing to remember the correct way to fly the Texas state flag? Wouldn’t you just hoist it with the star appearing right-side up, that is, resting on two points with one pointing straight up? OK, you give more credit to the average high school student than I’m generally willing to… 😃 Anyhow, when you’re holding the flag when you’re about to put it up, it can be hard to figure out which way the star is pointing until you’ve hooked it up and are hoisting it into the air. Knowing that the white part is on the top is easier. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coolest-national-flags/322701.md?page=2)