1962 Prem Educational Chart of the Flags and Aircraft Insignia of the World

This is a c. 1962 Prem Educational Stores New Delhi issued vexillology chart of the flags and 'war plane signs' of the world. This chart is notable for including a number of unique and ephemeral flags, including the United Arab Republic, Somaliland, and the State of Vietnam. The flags of 103 different nations are illustrated, along with the insignia used by fifty-three different nations to identify their aircraft. Divided by continent, groupings of flags include Asia, North America, Central America, South America, and Europe. Australia's flag and insignia are included in their own section. Which flags were included in each group, however, was not always defined by geography. Qatar and Oman, for example, are included in Central America with Cuba, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. Another misplaced nation is North Vietnam, which is included in South America with Argentina, Chile, and Brazil.

Ephemeral Flags

Several ephemeral flags are also illustrated here, such as the flag of the U. A. R. (United Arab Republic), which is also inexplicably grouped with the South American flags. The U. A. R. existed from 1958 until 1971 in two different forms. The first, from 1958 until 1961, the U. A. R. was a political union between Egypt and Syria. Syria seceded from the union in 1961 after a coup d'état, but Egypt continued to be known officially as the 'United Arab Republic' until 1971. Another ephemeral flag that is illustrated here is the flag of the State of Vietnam. This flag is presented as the flag of Vietnam, when in fact it was used by the State of Vietnam, which existed from 1949 until 1955 and claimed authority over all of Vietnam during the French Indochina War, also known as the First Indochina War. The flag used for Somaliland is also puzzling. It is impossible to tell if the flag representing Somaliland is in fact the flag of the short-lived State of Somaliland or the Somali Republic, as they are nearly identical. The independent nation known as the State of Somaliland existed for five days between June 26, 1960 and July 1, 1960, following the independence of the British Somaliland protectorate. On July 1, 1960, the State of Somaliland joined with the Trust Territory of Somaliland after the latter gained its independence from Italy that same day, to form the Somali Republic. The Malayan flag represented the Federation of Malaya was used between 1948 and 1963, when Malaysia was formed. Other intriguing flags include the flag of Tibet and flags representing both Communist China and the Republic of China. The U.N. flag and the Red Cross flag are illustrated on either side of the title.

Publication History and Census

This chart was produced c. 1962 by the Prem Education Stores in New Delhi, India. We have been unable to find any other examples of this chart in institutional collections or on the private market.