Flagpole
A flagpole, flagmast, flagstaff, or staff is a pole designed to support a flag. If it is taller than can be easily reached to raise the flag, a cord is used, looping around a pulley at the top of the pole with the ends tied at the bottom. The flag is fixed to one lower end of the cord, and is then raised by pulling on the other end. The cord is then tightened and tied to the pole at the bottom. The pole is usually topped by a flat plate or ball called a "truck" or a finial in a more complex shape. Very high flagpoles may require more complex support structures than a simple pole, such as a guyed mast.
Dwajasthambam are flagpoles commonly found at the entrances of South Indian Hindu temples.
Design
Flagpoles are usually made of wood or metal. Flagpoles can be designed in one piece with a taper, or be made from multiple pieces to make them able to expand. In the United States, ANSI/NAAMM guide specification FP-1001-97 covers the engineering design of metal flagpoles to ensure safety.Flag orientation
Most flags are flown horizontally, with the shorter edge attached to the pole Vertical flags, with the longer edge attached to the pole, are sometimes used in lieu of the standard horizontal flag in central and eastern Europe, particularly in the German-speaking countries. This practice came about because the relatively brisk wind needed to display horizontal flags is not common in these countries. Nevertheless, horizontal flags are still the most common even in these countries.The standard vertical flag is a vertical form of the standard flag. The flag's design may remain unchanged or it may change, e.g. by altering horizontal stripes to vertical ones. If the flag carries an emblem, it may remain centred or may be shifted slightly upwards.
The vertical flag for hoisting from a beam is additionally attached to a horizontal beam, ensuring that it is fully displayed even if there is no wind.
The vertical flag for hoisting from a horizontal pole is hoisted from a horizontal pole, normally attached to a building. The topmost stripe on the horizontal version of the flag faces away from the building.
The vertical flag for hoisting from a crossbar or banner is firmly attached to a horizontal crossbar from which it is hoisted, either by a vertical pole or a horizontal one. The topmost stripe on the horizontal version of the flag normally faces to the left.
Record heights
Since 26 December 2021, the tallest free-standing flagpole in the world is the Cairo Flagpole, located in the New Administrative Capital, Egypt at a height of, exceeding the former record holders, the Jeddah Flagpole in Saudi Arabia and the Dushanbe Flagpole in Tajikistan.Following this, the St. Petersburg Flagpoles were erected in Russia in June 2023. At 175 m tall, they became the third, fourth and fifth tallest flagpoles in the world.
The flagpole in North Korea is the ninth tallest flagpole in the world, however, it is not free-standing. It is a radio tower supported-flagpole.
Many of these were built by American company Trident Support: the Dushanbe Flagpole, the first National Flagpole in Azerbaijan, the Ashgabat flagpole in Turkmenistan at ; the Aqaba Flagpole in Jordan at ; the Raghadan Flagpole in Jordan at ; and the Abu Dhabi Flagpole in the United Arab Emirates at.
The current tallest flagpole in India is the flagpole in Belgaum, Karnataka which was first hoisted on 12 March 2018. The tallest flagpole in the United Kingdom from 1959 until 2007 stood in Kew Gardens. It was made from a Canadian Douglas-fir tree and was in height.
The current tallest flagpole in the United States is the pole completed before Memorial Day 2014 and custom-made with an base in concrete by wind turbine manufacturer Broadwind Energy. It is situated on the north side of the Acuity Insurance headquarters campus along Interstate 43 in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and is visible from Cedar Grove. The pole can fly a 220-pound flag for in light wind conditions and a heavier 350-pound flag in higher wind conditions.