International Flags Display
The Flags in Waves Cafe
Since Pepperdine moved to the Malibu campus in 1972, the Waves Cafe has displayed a gallery of flags as a physical representation of the diversity of students at Pepperdine. The display is updated annually to represent the current student population representing the nationalities of the student body, including international students, U.S. citizens, and permanent residents who maintain foreign citizenship.
When determining eligibility for the gallery, only countries recognized by the United Nations are featured. The flags are displayed in alphabetical order according to the country's name as recognized by the United Nations.
The committee to review the flag display, the process, and any submitted petitions* is comprised of representatives from the Office of the President, Student Affairs, the Office of International Student Services, and the Planning, Operations, and Construction team.
*If a current student would like to petition for a flag to be added to the display,
please contact the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs at vpsl@pepperdine.edu.
Frequently Asked Questions
When national flags of more than one country are hung together, the display must follow a prescribed order of precedence (e.g. ordering principle, such as alphabetical) such that no one country's flag is prioritized above another. In addition, if flags from different government levels or country types are hung together, there should be distinct groupings of each type, each following a consistent order of precedence. Flag etiquette is fairly consistent across national borders, and this reliability helps to avoid offense.
Because Pepperdine is not a governmental or diplomatic entity, it is not in a position to decide nationhood. For this reason, Pepperdine must rely on authoritative external sources, such as the United Nations and the US government, regarding official nations.
The flag display is adjusted annually based upon the citizenship of our current students and where they obtain their visas to study in the US. Because the composition of the student body changes every year, we change the flags annually, after enrollment information from the incoming class becomes available and final.
Although information about passport country and citizenship becomes finalized around November, the flags are rehung annually by mid-January to coincide with the Global Learning Week.
Afghanistan | Ghana | Oman |
Antigua and Barbuda | Greece | Pakistan |
Argentina | Guatemala | Panama |
Armenia | Honduras | Paraguay |
Australia | Hungary | Peru |
Austria | Iceland | Philippines |
Azerbaijan | India | Poland |
Bahamas | Indonesia | Portugal |
Bahrain | Iran (Islamic Republic Of) | Qatar |
Bangladesh | Iraq | Romania |
Belarus | Ireland | Russian Federation |
Belgium | Israel | Rwanda |
Belize | Italy | Saudi Arabia |
Bolivia (Plurinational State Of) | Japan | Serbia |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | Jordan | Singapore |
Brazil | Kazakhstan | South Africa |
Bulgaria | Kenya | Spain |
Cambodia | Republic of Korea | Sri Lanka |
Canada | Kuwait | Sweden |
Chile | Latvia | Switzerland |
China | Lebanon | Tanzania (United Republic Of) |
Colombia | Lithuania | Thailand |
Costa Rica | Malaysia | Togo |
Cote D'Ivoire (Republic Of) | Mauritius | Tunisia |
Croatia | Mexico | Turkey |
Cyprus | Micronesia (Federated States Of) | Turkmenistan |
Czech Republic | Moldova (Republic Of) | Uganda |
Denmark | Mongolia | Ukraine |
Ecuador | Montenegro | United Arab Emirates |
Egypt | Morocco | United Kindgom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
El Salvador | Mozambique | United States of America |
Ethiopia | Myanmar | Uruguay |
Finland | Nepal | Uzbekistan |
France | Netherlands | Venezuela |
Gabon | New Zealand | Vietnam |
Georgia | Nigeria | Yemen |
Germany | Norway | Zambia |