Flag superlatives: Guinness Book of Records Entries

Flagstaff, Tallest

Unofficial

We did it again....another (yet to be confirmed) World Record Unsupported Flagpole: 126.8 meters (410' for you non-metric hold-outs), Amman-Jordan, flies a 30x60m flag (also biggest flying flag on a non-supported flagpole). I know some of you are waiting for detailed photos of your own systems on the pole.
David Chambers, Trident Support, 16 June 2003

Recognized by Guinness

The Guinness Book of World Records (2000 edition) lists North Korea as having the tallest pole at 160+ meters tall.
Dave Chambers, 30 October 2000

The July 2003 issue of National Geographic magazine has the following text on page 12:

In the early light we can make out Kijongdong, North Korea's only DMZ village, an orderly collection of buildings fronted by a flagpole 52 stories high, the tallest in the world. A strong, cold wind, compliments of Siberia, barely manages to ripple the huge 600-pound red, white, and blue North Korean flag.

Soldier of Fortune magazine, I had been told, will pay big money for a piece of that flag.
Francisco Santos,18 July 2003

image contributed by Francisco Santos

United States

My (1982) version of Guinness Book of Records has these entry:

The tallest flagstaff ever erected was outside the Oregon Building at the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exhibition in San Francisco, California, USA. Trimmed from a Douglas fir, it stood 299 ft 7 in (91 m) in height and weighed 45 tons (47 tons). The tallest unsupported flag pole in the world is 170 ft (51,8 m) tall (plus 10 ft (3,048 m) below ground) metal pole weighing 28,000 lb (12 700 kg) erected in 1943 at the US Merchant Marine Academy in King's Point, New York, USA. The pole, built by Kearney-National Inc., tapers from 24 in to 5 1/2 in (61 cm to 14 cm) at the jack.
Ole Andersen, 14 August 1999

Great Britain

My (1982) version of Guinness Book of Records has these entry:

The tallest flagstaff in Great Britain is a 225 ft (68 m) tall Douglas fir staff at Kew, Richmond upon Thames, Greater London. Cut in Canada, it was shipped across the Atlantic and towed up the River Thames on May 7 1958 to replace the old 214 ft (65 m) tall staff of 1919.
Ole Andersen, 14 August 1999

Flags (Oldest)

My (1982) version of Guinness Book of Records has these entry:

The oldest known flag is one dating to c. 500 BC found in the excavation of the princesses graves in Hunan, Changsha, China. The Friesian flag still flown in the Netherlands dates from the 9th century AD.
Ole Andersen, 14 August 1999

Flags (Largest)

My (1982) version of Guinness Book of Records has these entry:

The largest flag in the world, the 'Stars and Stripes', was displayed at Evansville, Indiana on 22 Mar 1980 measuring 411 ft (125 m) by 210 ft (64 m) with a weight of 7 tons in readiness for its hoisting on Verrazano Narrows Bridge, New York, USA on 4 July 1981. It is the brainchild of advertising man Len Silverfine. The largest Union Jack (or Union Jack) was one 240 x 108 ft (73,15 x 32,91 m) displayed at the Royal Tournament, Earl's Court, London in July 1976. It weighed more than a ton and was made by Form 4Y at Bradley Rowe School, Exeter, Devon. The largest flag flown from a public building in Britain is a Union Flag measuring 40 ft (12,19 m) by 20 ft (6,09 m) first flown from the Civic Offices, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire on 21 Apr 1977.
Ole Andersen, 14 August 1999