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There are two separate meanings
for the term state flag in vexillology - the
flag of state of a government, and the flag of an
individual subnational state.
Government flag
A state flag is a variant
of a national flag (or occasionally a
completely different design) specifically designated
and restricted by law or custom (theoretically or
actually) to use by a country's government or its
agencies. For this reason they are sometimes
referred to as government flags. In many countries
the state flag and the civil flag (as flown by the
general public) are identical, but in other
countries, notably those in Latin America, central
Europe, and Scandinavia, the state flag is a more
complex version of the national flag, often
featuring the national coat of arms or some other
emblem as part of the design. Scandinavian countries
also use swallowtailed state flags, to further
differentiate them from civil flags.
In addition, some countries have separate flags for
use by government shipping - technically called
state ensigns. These are a rarity, but one country
which has such a flag is the United Kingdom, whose
governmental ships fly the blue ensign.
State flags should not be confused with the national
flag as used by military organisations - these are
referred to as war flags and naval ensigns.
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