Flags
Every nation can choose a flag by accessing its national settings. A drop-down menu lists many RW flags of the world, including some territorial or provincial ones. Otherwise players are free to upload their own flags, within certain parameters. Those who do not select another flag are stuck with the default flag, which strangely resembles the RW Australian Aboriginal Flag. Some conspiracy theorists suggest that this is so because the creator of NationStates, Max Barry, is himself, in real life, a flag. Most, however, dismiss the theory, as he looks human enough.
A past controversy about the list of RW flags was the exclusion of Scotland's flag, even though England and Wales were choices. Other countries that had been left off the list are Georgia, Ireland, Nepal, Serbia, Tonga, Vatican City, and numerous others. Complaints about missing flags were repeatedly brushed off by admins -- until the flags' re-rendering by volunteer player Tiago Silva in 2010-11, when many outstanding national flags were added, plus those of American, British, French, Dutch and Portuguese possessions, the autonomous communities of Spain, the Micronesian states of Chuuk and Yap, for whatever reason the Principality of Sealand -- and finally, at long last, Scotland. There now, ya happy, you haggis-eating freaks?!?
When the national flags of Lybia and Malawi changed in 2011 and 2012, admins made a point of changing them in the game, a departure form their previous laissez-faire stance on altering the menu. South Sudan was also added in 2011 when that country gained independence.
A survey conducted by Ballotonia in May 2011 revealed that the Default flag is the most popular flag among NS nations, with Old Glory and the Union Jack coming in a distant second and third; Wales and Yap rounded out the top five.[1] (It was speculated that the Welsh flag is so popular because it has the cool dragon on it, not because that many Welsh people play NationStates.[2] Yap's popularity remains a mystery.) According to the survey, 35 percent of nations had an uploaded custom flag.
National flags appear as avatars on the forums. For this reason many players choose flags that look good as avatars, whether or not they look like a "real flag." If a nation ceases to exist, its forum avatar will be replaced by a ghostly image of a pale gray flag labeled "EX-NATION." This image has been parodied in custom flag uploads -- including one labeled "SEX-NATION."
Regional flags
Regions may also sport an official flag if the delegate and/or founder so choose. Unlike national flags, there is no default flag for regions, and all regional flags are scaled down to a 200 x 150px window. (Nation flags are also scaled down, but not as severely.) Certain parameters also apply to regional flag uploads. Some (obvious) examples of region flags include Texas, which uses the Lone Star Flag; Canada, which uses the Canadian flag; Zhaucauozian Friendship, which uses a giant "Z"; and Balder, which uses a Viking raven.
