A **charge** is any emblem, figure or device placed upon the field of a flag. Charges may be geometric (crosses, saltires, bars), heraldic (lions, eagles, crowns), symbolic (stars, crescents) or naturalistic (trees, mountains). The placement, tincture and proportion of a charge are governed by the rules of the design and, where applicable, by heraldry. A flag bearing no charge is described as plain or undefaced.
**Example**: The cedar tree on the flag of Lebanon is a charge that occupies the central white band of the horizontal triband.
**See also**: [field](/glossary/field/), [defacement](/glossary/defacement/), [undefaced](/glossary/undefaced/), [charged](/glossary/charged/)