- published: 18 Feb 2016
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A national flag is a flag that symbolizes a country. The flag is flown by the government, but usually can also be flown by citizens of the country.
Both public and private buildings such as schools and courthouses may fly the national flag. In some countries, the national flags are only flown from non-military buildings on certain flag days. There are three distinct types of national flag for use on land, and three for use at sea, though many countries use identical designs for several (and sometimes all) of these types of flag.
Historically, flags originate as military standards, used as field signs. The practice of flying flags indicating the country of origin outside of the context of warfare emerges with the maritime flag, introduced during the age of sail, in the early 17th century. It was only with the emergence of nationalist sentiment from the late 18th century that the desire was felt to display national flags also in civilian contexts, notably the US flag, in origin adopted as a naval ensign in 1777, which after the American Revolution[year needed] began to be displayed as a generic symbol of the United States, and the French Tricolore which became a symbol of the Republic in the 1790s. The British Union Flag was designed as a naval ensign in the 17th century, but it was not identified as "national flag" of the United Kingdom prior to 1908.