The CIA World Factbook Every edition, 2015 to 2025 World

Flag World, in 11 editions.

The entry for World published Flag in 11 editions of 36, from 2015 to 2025. The text changed in 8 editions. Each is shown as published. Flag in every entry.

editions changed the text
8
the first edition with it
2015
the latest edition with it
2025

Published as “Flag description” (2015 to 2024) and “Flag” (2025).

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe edition shownChoose an edition on the strip beside the text, or step through them with the arrows. Mark changes compares it with the edition before: the marks are ours, words added and words removed.

2019 edition

Rewritten since 2018

Open the 2019 entry

The same text in 2019 and 2020.

Published as “Flag description”

  • while a "World" flag does not exist, the flag of the United Nations (UN) - adopted on 7 December 1946 - has been used on occasion to represent the entire planet;
  • technically, however, it only represents the international organization itself;
  • the flag displays the official emblem of the UN in white on a blue background;
  • the emblem design shows a map of the world in an azimuthal equidistant projection centered on the North Pole, the image is flanked by two olive branches crossed below;
  • blue was selected as the color to represent peace, in contrast to red usually associated with war;
  • the map projection chosen includes all of the continents except Antarctica

note: the flags of 12 nations: Austria, Botswana, Georgia, Jamaica, Japan, Laos, Latvia, Macedonia, Micronesia, Nigeria, Switzerland, and Thailand have no top or bottom and may be flown with either long edge on top without any notice being taken

United Nations flag:
UN Flag

Rewritten: too little of the 2018 text remains to mark the changes.
while a "World" flag does not exist, the flag of the United Nations (UN) - adopted on 7 December 1946 - has been used on occasion to represent the entire planet; technically, however, it only represents the international organization itself; the flag displays the official emblem of the UN in white on a blue background; the emblem design shows a map of the world in an azimuthal equidistant projection centered on the North Pole, the image is flanked by two olive branches crossed below; blue was selected as the color to represent peace, in contrast to red usually associated with war; the map projection chosen includes all of the continents except Antarctica
note: the flags of 12 nations: Austria, Botswana, Georgia, Jamaica, Japan, Laos, Latvia, Macedonia, Micronesia, Nigeria, Switzerland, and Thailand have no top or bottom and may be flown with either long edge on top without any notice being taken
United Nations flag: UN Flag

Cite this page

Central Intelligence Agency. “World: Flag.” The World Factbook, 2015–2025 editions. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/world/flag.

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