Asian countries that sport a predominately red national flag include China, whose flag contains a red field as well as five yellow stars in the upper left-hand corner. This flag was adopted by the Chinese in 1949, and its color is representative of revolution. Burma's flag is mainly red, but contains a blue rectangle in the upper left corner of the design. The red in this flag is indicative of the bravery of Burma's population. Adopted in 1928, Taiwan's national flag is similar to that of Burma, with a red field that dominates the design and a blue rectangle in the upper left-hand corner, and red here is symbolic of the Han Chinese people.
Red national flags have also been adopted by a few European countries. Part of the British Isles, the Isle of Man uses a predominately red design that features a white-and-yellow emblem in its center, depicting a set of three legs. The national flag of Albania, meanwhile, is almost entirely red in color, but in its center sits a double-headed eagle, depicted in black. This flag was adopted by Albania in 1992.
In the field of motor racing, a red flag is used to denote danger or an emergency, such as a spectator on the course. The flag is flown in the event of such a problem by a race official, upon instructions from the race's control post, and must be obeyed by all race participants. If the red flag is flown, the race is stopped as soon as possible.
Coastline service personnel, such as lifeguards, use a red flag to warn members of the public of danger. For example, a lifeguard operating on a beach might put up a red flag to indicate that nearby water is currently unsafe for public use. A system of red flags, some of which contain other colors, is also used to indicate wind directions by the U.S. Weather Service. These red flags are placed in various sequences depending on the direction in which the wind is blowing. For example, a square red flag with a black dot in its center, placed above a red pennant flag, represents southeasterly winds.