Canton (flag)

A canton in a flag is a rectangular area, usually at the top hoist corner of a flag, occupying up to a quarter of the 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.

Elements of a flag

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 American flag. 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

Territories, regions, and provinces

Organizations
  • Naval ensign of Canada, which has a canton consisting of Canada's national flag.
  • Naval ensign of India, which has a canton consisting of an elongated Indian national flag.
  • 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 has a blue canton defaced with mullets.
  • 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, which has a canton with the RSA's national flag in it.
  • 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, which has a canton with the RSA's national flag in it.
  • Flag of the South African Police Service, which has a canton with the RSA's national flag in it.
  • Naval ensign of the United Kingdom, which has a canton consisting of the UK's national flag in it.

Former flags that used cantons

States
  • Old Flag of Georgia, used 1918-1921 and 1991-2003.
  • 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.
  • The November 1889 flag of Brazil had a blue canton defaced with 21 white mullets.
  • The first version of the flag of the Confederate States featured a canton defaced with mullets, with the mullets representing its claimed constituent states
  • Subsequent flags of the CS incorporated a mullet-defaced saltire (known as the "Confederate Battle Flag") in their cantons.
  • 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.
  • The national flag of Texas from 1835 to 1839 had a blue canton, defaced with a single mullet.

Canada
  • 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 from 1968 to 1998 used a canton consisting of Canada's national flag.

Confederate States

Georgia

Serbia and Montenegro
  • 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 had a canton consisting of the UK's national flag; like most of the UK's colonies.
  • 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, which had a canton with the RSA's national flag in it.

United States
  • The flag of Mississippi (2001–2020), which had a canton with the Confederate battle flag in it.
  • An early flag design for New Mexico, which shows a rare instance of the US flag as a canton
  • Flag of the short lived Republic of Vermont, which adapted the US flag's union of 13 mullets
  • An early flag for Vermont, which was substantially identical to the US flag of the time

Yugoslavia
  • Yugoslav naval ensign from 1949 to 1993, which had a canton consisting of a horizontal triband of blue, white, and red, defaced with a mullet and wreath.

See also
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