what does this symbol mean?

Flags of partially recognised states

The flags of states that govern their own territory but that many countries do not recognise: what each flag shows and what it stands for, with the state’s status in plain words.

Asia 1 symbol

Europe 1 symbol

About flags of partially recognised states

Flags of states that govern their own territory but that many countries do not recognise. Each page describes the flag as the state’s own law does, and gives the state’s status in one plain sentence. The collection has Taiwan’s flag, the national flag of the Republic of China, and Kosovo’s.

Taiwan’s flag

The Republic of China governs Taiwan; in October 2026 its Ministry of Foreign Affairs listed twelve states with which it has diplomatic relations, eleven of them UN members and the twelfth the Holy See. Article 6 of its constitution gives the flag a red field with a blue sky and a white sun in the upper left corner, and the National Emblem and National Flag Act sets the sun’s twelve rays and the blue ring between the sun and its rays. The Office of the President credits the white sun in a blue sky to Lu Hao-tung, a martyr of the Chinese revolution.

Kosovo’s flag

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia on 17 February 2008; Serbia’s constitution of 2006 counts the Province of Kosovo and Metohija as part of its own territory. The flag, adopted the day independence was declared, is dark blue with a gold map of Kosovo under six white stars. It came from a public competition whose rules said the flag must not carry any image tied to one ethnic group, as the Christian Science Monitor reported, and Article 6 of Kosovo’s constitution says its state symbols reflect the country’s multi-ethnic character.

Sources

  1. Constitution of the Republic of China (Taiwan), Constitution of the Republic of China, 1947, with Additional Articles to 2005, Article 6 (English translation), Constitute Project, Art. 6
  2. National Emblem and National Flag of the Republic of China Act, National Emblem and National Flag of the Republic of China Act, amended 23 October 1954 (official English translation), Ministry of Justice, Laws & Regulations Database of the Republic of China (Taiwan), Art. 2–5, 8, 14
  3. National flag (Office of the President, Republic of China (Taiwan)), Office of the President, ROC introduction: National symbols, “National flag”, Office of the President, Republic of China (Taiwan), Page text and National Flag Anthem
  4. Diplomatic Allies (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China (Taiwan)), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Policies & Issues: Diplomatic Allies, read 13 October 2026, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China (Taiwan), List of allies
  5. Kosovo 2008 (rev. 2016) Constitution, Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo, 2008 (rev. 2016), Article 6 (English translation), Constitute Project, Article 6
  6. Kosovos flagg og våpen (Store norske leksikon), Nora Tessem, “Kosovos flagg og våpen”, Store norske leksikon, Store norske leksikon, Article text
  7. Competition for New Symbols of Kosovo (Croatian Heraldic and Vexillological Association), Hrvatsko grboslovno i zastavoslovno društvo (HGZD), news item of 14 June 2007, updated 22 November 2014, Croatian Heraldic and Vexillological Association, News item
  8. With independence looming, Kosovo to pick a flag (Christian Science Monitor), Andrew Wander, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 February 2008, The Christian Science Monitor, Article text
  9. Serbia 2006 Constitution, Constitution of the Republic of Serbia, 2006, Preamble and Article 7 (English translation), Constitute Project, Preamble

Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed October 13, 2026. How we research