# How to display a group of flags **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 2, 2000, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-display-a-group-of-flags/18389 "2000-05-02T20:46:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jdl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4bbf92/32.png) [@jdl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jdl)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2000, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-display-a-group-of-flags/18389/1 "2000-05-02T20:46:49Z")
The Canadian Heritage Dept. states on its website that the Canadian flag flies with other ones in Canada, it is the flag of honour and should be either: - in the centre (if there are three flags present) - on the far left (of the observer, if there are four or more flags present) (“When there are more than three staffs, the National Flag of Canada should be flown on the left of the observer facing the flags, followed by the flags representing other sovereign nations ordered alphabetically, flags of provinces/ territories, international organizations, cities, companies, etc. An additional National Flag of Canada may be flown at the end of the line.”) Question: In the United States (or elsewhere) when there are three or five (or any odd number) flags present, does the national flag fly in the centre or on the left (of the observer)? The US Flag Code didn’t specifically deal with this issue. Sources: Canadian Heritage Dept.: [http://www.pch.gc.ca/ceremonial-symb/Etiquette/chap2-e.htm](http://www.pch.gc.ca/ceremonial-symb/Etiquette/chap2-e.htm) US Flag Code: [http://www.halfstaff.com/flagcode.htm](http://www.halfstaff.com/flagcode.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2000, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-display-a-group-of-flags/18389/2 "2000-05-02T21:23:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\* > > The US Flag Code didn’t specifically deal with this issue. > > \*\* I think it does. From the U.S. Flag code provided in the post above. > [@](#): > > \*\* > > (e) The flag of the United States of America should be at the center and at the highest point of the group when a number of@flags of States or localities or pennants of societies are grouped and displayed from staffs. > > \*\* ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2000, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-display-a-group-of-flags/18389/3 "2000-05-02T22:57:56Z")
This is a bit off-topic, but here in Maine I very often see the U.S. and Canadian flags flying on the same staff, with the U.S. flag superior. It makes me mad every time I see it, even though I’m not Canadian. The flags of two soverign nations should never be flown on the same staff. It’s not just chintzy commercial establishments trying (in vain, I sincerely hope) to draw Canadian customers. City Hall in Bangor, Maine, does it, or at least it used to. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2000, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-display-a-group-of-flags/18389/4 "2000-05-03T00:19:04Z")
I’ve been to many meetings of a governmental organization that include US and Canadian jurisdictions; and when on US soil, if all flags are same size and at same level, it’s US flag on the extreme right of the static display, the rest usually as per state flag code. Otherwise the US flag is at the highest point, center, or at the highest point, and offset from the line of other flags (if truly “front and center” is not practical) And yes, the flags of two sovereign nations should be flown side by side at equal height on separate staffs. ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2000, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-display-a-group-of-flags/18389/5 "2000-05-03T01:58:15Z")
bibliophage wrote: > [@](#): > > \*\* > This is a bit off-topic, but here in Maine I very often see the U.S. and Canadian flags flying on the same staff, with the U.S. flag superior. It makes me mad every time I see it, even though I’m not Canadian. The flags of two soverign nations should never be flown on the same staff. It’s not just chintzy commercial establishments trying (in vain, I sincerely hope) to draw Canadian customers. City Hall in Bangor, Maine, does it, or at least it used to. > \*\* According to the flag code, this is a no-no. > [@](#): > > \*\* > (g) When flags of two or more nations are displayed, they are to be flown from separate staffs of the same height. The flags should be of approximately equal size. International usage forbids the display of the flag of one nation above that of another nation in time of peace. > \*\* Unless we’re at war with Canada. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2000, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-display-a-group-of-flags/18389/6 "2000-05-03T02:40:24Z")
At the local McDonald’s, the US flag is in the middle, the state flag lower on the left, and the McDonald’s flag (yes, you read that right) at the same height as the state on the right. Pisses me off every time I see it. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2000, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-display-a-group-of-flags/18389/7 "2000-05-03T03:23:03Z")
Oh, I hope Billdo gets in on this. His hobby is vexillology. ---
**Author:** ![jdl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4bbf92/32.png) [@jdl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jdl)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2000, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-display-a-group-of-flags/18389/8 "2000-05-04T13:39:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\* > I’ve been to many meetings of a governmental organization that include US and Canadian jurisdictions; and when on US soil, if all flags are same size and at same level, it’s US flag on the extreme right of the static display, the rest usually as per state flag code. Otherwise the US flag is at the highest point, center, or at the highest point, and offset from the line of other flags (if truly “front and center” is not practical) > > \*\* Don’t you mean that the US flag is on the left (of the observer)? Also, does your example show that when international flags are involved, the US Flag Code’s recommendation to put the US flag at the centre is trumped by some kind of international rule? Finally, if you ran a hotel in Vermont, what order (from left to right of the observer) would you put the following flags: - Vermont - Canada - Hotel - USA - Burlington ---
**Author:** ![Spiny\_Norman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Spiny\_Norman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiny_Norman)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2000, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-display-a-group-of-flags/18389/9 "2000-05-04T20:46:04Z")
The Danish rules (but they sound international to me) about using our flag (“Dannebrog”) together with other flags is as follows, freely translated: "When used together with the flags of other nations, all flags should have the same horizontal measurements, unless Dannebrog is flown from a higher pole, in which case it may be larger. Dannebrog should occupy the most prominent place, normally in the center or to the extreme left of the display. Other flags should be ordered alphabetically after the name of the nation in French (!). If Dannebrog is placed in the centre, the first foreign flag should be placed on its left side, the next on its right, the next again one place further away to the left etc. Dannebrog is always raised and lowered as the first flag in a display." For some reason, we Danes are crazy about our flag and use on any given occasion. Tradition has it that it fell from the skies at the battle of Lyndanisse (Estonia) in 1219, inspiring the troops to win the battle and giving the king the nickname “Valdemar the Victor”. If the flag was truly in use at the time (I have my doubts about it falling from the skies, admittedly), it is the oldest flag in the world still in use. Not that anybody asked for this info… ---
**Author:** ![Apollyon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apollyon/32/4238_2.png) [@Apollyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollyon)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2000, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-display-a-group-of-flags/18389/10 "2000-05-05T03:32:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\* > Don’t you mean that the US flag is on the left (of the observer)? > \*\* Errmmm… won’t it matter which side of the flagpoles the observer is on? 😉 But yes, on the right seems a bit odd… I’m presuming here that the “left of the observer” rule has the same purpose in flags as in the rest of heraldry. On a shield “right” has higher value/priority than “left”, so “dexter” is left from the front (the orbserver) but right from the point of view of someone bearing the shield, and vice versa for “sinister”. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2000, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-display-a-group-of-flags/18389/11 "2000-05-05T14:47:02Z")
> [@](#): > > all flags should have the same horizontal size What do they do if the flag has an unusual horizontal proportion? Examples include 1. the Canadian flag, which is twice as long as it is wide; 2. the flag of the Vatican City, which is square; 3. the flag of Nepal, which has those triangular dealybobs; and i’m sure there are others. Would they make the Canadian flag longer than the others, or thinner? ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2000, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-display-a-group-of-flags/18389/12 "2000-05-05T14:54:25Z")
Oh, and how do they alphabetize the flags at the United Nations? Which language do they use? And is it by the simple name (‘Congo’) or by the full name ('democratic people’s republic of the most supreme jamahirya of the whatever…" ---
**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:** [May 5, 2000, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-display-a-group-of-flags/18389/13 "2000-05-05T20:20:01Z")
> [@](#): > > At the local McDonald’s, the US flag is in the middle, the state flag lower on the left, and the McDonald’s flag (yes, you read that right) at the same height as the state on the right. {glance out window} Similar arrangement here at work: Three poles. National Flag (of Canada) in the middle and above, provincial flag (of Ontario) lower and on the left, company flag at same height as provincial flag and on the right, as wiewed from the road, looking towards the building. Is this wrong? Should the provincial flag be higher than the company flag? BTW, when a foreign dignitary visits, they replace the company flag with the appropriate national flag on the lower flagpole at the right. Sure was odd to glance out the window one week and see the Chinese flag… * * * Rigardu, kaj vi ekvidos.