This overview lists
flags used by
first-level and
second-level country subdivisions. The flags of country subdivisions exhibit a wide variety of regional influences and local histories, as well as widely different styles and design principles. For example, some
Indonesian provincial flags features a
coat of arms, due to many provincial coat of arms within the province used on their flag. Some
Estonian county flags features the green and white background with the coat of arms of the county. Subdivision flags were not always ubiquitous. Many country subdivisions went decades without a flag, until a certain event or an independence or a formation of the country to adopt a creation of the flag. A panel then reviewed the five winning entries, choosing one to become the official subdivision flag.
Western Australia's example is typical of the flag adoption processes that many subdivisions undertook with their flags. The 1,000th anniversary of
Gloucestershire's founding also spurred the creation of a flag, in 2008. The status of these flags varies from one country or sovereign state to the next: most of them are official flags, whereas others are only used de facto, sometimes to indicate a desire for more
autonomy or
independence. Some flags, such as the flags of
Leicestershire and
Warwickshire, were created by the
College of Arms in the
United Kingdom.
Every county in Estonia has its own flag, either officially through adoption or through custom and usage. The flags of the 15
counties of Estonia are all white and green, with the
coat of arms of the respective county on the white part. This design was first established in 1938.
Many Indonesian provincial flags feature their coat of arms on a flag, incorporating elements from the coat of arms, itself based on the flags of the regencies and cities, into their designs.