diff --git a/_freeze.py b/_freeze.py
index 2219c8f..72a2d11 100644
--- a/_freeze.py
+++ b/_freeze.py
@@ -25,7 +25,8 @@ extra_files = []
 extra_files.extend( get_extra_files( "index/*.txt" ) )
 extra_files.extend( get_extra_files( "resources/*.ico" ) )
 extra_files.extend( get_extra_files( "resources/*.png" ) )
-extra_files.extend( get_extra_files( "ui/*ui" ) )
+extra_files.extend( get_extra_files( "ui/*.ui" ) )
+extra_files.extend( get_extra_files( "natinfo/*" ) )
 build_options = {
     "packages": [ "os" , "sqlalchemy" ] ,
     "excludes": [ "tkinter" ] ,
diff --git a/asl_cards/natinfo.py b/asl_cards/natinfo.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cbb07bd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/asl_cards/natinfo.py
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+""" Manage information about each nationality.
+"""
+
+import sys
+import os
+import json
+
+_nat_info = None
+_base_dir = None
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+def _get_key( nat ) :
+    """Get the JSON key for a nationality.
+
+    We require the JSON keys to be lower-case, with no spaces (not strictly necessary, but not a bad idea :-/).
+    """
+    return nat.lower().replace( " " , "-" )
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+def load( base_dir ) :
+    """Load the nationality information."""
+    global _base_dir , _nat_info
+    _base_dir = os.path.abspath( base_dir )
+    fname = os.path.join( base_dir , "natinfo.json" )
+    if os.path.isfile( fname ) :
+        with open( fname , "r" ) as fp :
+            _nat_info = json.load( fp )
+    else :
+        _nat_info = {}
+
+def dump() :
+    """Dump the nationality information."""
+    for nat in sorted(_nat_info.keys()) :
+        print( "{}:".format( nat ) )
+        print( "- flag = {}".format( get_flag(nat) ) )
+
+def get_flag( nat ) :
+    """Locate the flag image file for a nationality.
+
+    These are set in the JSON data file at $/{nat}/flag. If there is no entry, the default is $/flags/${nat}.png
+    """
+    key = _get_key( nat )
+    try :
+        fname = _nat_info[ key ][ "flag" ]
+    except ( KeyError , TypeError ) :
+        fname = key + ".png"
+    fname = os.path.join( _base_dir , os.path.join("flags", fname) )
+    return fname if os.path.isfile(fname) else None
diff --git a/asl_cards/natinfo/flags/allied-minor.png b/asl_cards/natinfo/flags/allied-minor.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6133139
Binary files /dev/null and b/asl_cards/natinfo/flags/allied-minor.png differ
diff --git a/asl_cards/natinfo/flags/american.png b/asl_cards/natinfo/flags/american.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..56103db
Binary files /dev/null and b/asl_cards/natinfo/flags/american.png differ
diff --git a/asl_cards/natinfo/flags/axis-minor.png b/asl_cards/natinfo/flags/axis-minor.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..79b78c6
Binary files /dev/null and b/asl_cards/natinfo/flags/axis-minor.png differ
diff --git a/asl_cards/natinfo/flags/british.png b/asl_cards/natinfo/flags/british.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e2656a9
Binary files /dev/null and b/asl_cards/natinfo/flags/british.png differ
diff --git a/asl_cards/natinfo/flags/chinese-gmd.png b/asl_cards/natinfo/flags/chinese-gmd.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d7b77e1
Binary files /dev/null and b/asl_cards/natinfo/flags/chinese-gmd.png differ
diff --git a/asl_cards/natinfo/flags/chinese.png b/asl_cards/natinfo/flags/chinese.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..50ed813
Binary files /dev/null and b/asl_cards/natinfo/flags/chinese.png differ
diff --git a/asl_cards/natinfo/flags/finnish.png b/asl_cards/natinfo/flags/finnish.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..676ceab
Binary files /dev/null and b/asl_cards/natinfo/flags/finnish.png differ
diff --git a/asl_cards/natinfo/flags/french.png b/asl_cards/natinfo/flags/french.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8933d6f
Binary files /dev/null and b/asl_cards/natinfo/flags/french.png differ
diff --git a/asl_cards/natinfo/flags/german.png b/asl_cards/natinfo/flags/german.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ff08ddf
Binary files /dev/null and b/asl_cards/natinfo/flags/german.png differ
diff --git a/asl_cards/natinfo/flags/italian.png b/asl_cards/natinfo/flags/italian.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3d36a26
Binary files /dev/null and b/asl_cards/natinfo/flags/italian.png differ
diff --git a/asl_cards/natinfo/flags/japanese.png b/asl_cards/natinfo/flags/japanese.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2b18fda
Binary files /dev/null and b/asl_cards/natinfo/flags/japanese.png differ
diff --git a/asl_cards/natinfo/flags/russian.png b/asl_cards/natinfo/flags/russian.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a1acda4
Binary files /dev/null and b/asl_cards/natinfo/flags/russian.png differ
diff --git a/asl_cards/natinfo/natinfo.json b/asl_cards/natinfo/natinfo.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0562f2b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/asl_cards/natinfo/natinfo.json
@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+{
+
+"allied-minor": {
+} ,
+
+"american": {
+} ,
+
+"axis-minor": {
+} ,
+
+"belgian": {
+    "flag": "allied-minor.png"
+} ,
+
+"british": {
+} ,
+
+"bulgarian": {
+    "flag": "axis-minor.png"
+} ,
+
+"chinese": {
+} ,
+
+"croatian": {
+    "flag": "axis-minor.png"
+} ,
+
+"danish": {
+    "flag": "axis-minor.png"
+} ,
+
+"dutch": {
+    "flag": "allied-minor.png"
+} ,
+
+"finnish": {
+    "flag": "axis-minor.png"
+} ,
+
+"french": {
+} ,
+
+"german": {
+} ,
+
+"greek": {
+    "flag": "allied-minor.png"
+} ,
+
+"hungarian": {
+    "flag": "axis-minor.png"
+} ,
+
+"italian": {
+} ,
+
+"japanese": {
+} ,
+
+"polish": {
+    "flag": "allied-minor.png"
+} ,
+
+"romanian": {
+    "flag": "axis-minor.png"
+} ,
+
+"russian": {
+} ,
+
+"slovakian": {
+    "flag": "axis-minor.png"
+} ,
+
+"yugoslav": {
+    "flag": "allied-minor.png"
+}
+
+}
diff --git a/asl_cards/tests/natinfo-data/flags/american.png b/asl_cards/tests/natinfo-data/flags/american.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e69de29
diff --git a/asl_cards/tests/natinfo-data/flags/japanese-flag.gif b/asl_cards/tests/natinfo-data/flags/japanese-flag.gif
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e69de29
diff --git a/asl_cards/tests/natinfo-data/natinfo.json b/asl_cards/tests/natinfo-data/natinfo.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d6af812
--- /dev/null
+++ b/asl_cards/tests/natinfo-data/natinfo.json
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+{
+    "german": {
+        "_comment_": "this nationality has no flag"
+    } ,
+
+    "russian": {
+        "flag": "_missing-file_"
+    } ,
+
+    "american" :{
+        "_comment_": "this nationality has a default flag"
+    } ,
+
+    "japanese" :{
+        "flag": "japanese-flag.gif"
+    } ,
+
+    "allied-minor": {
+    }
+}
diff --git a/asl_cards/tests/test_natinfo.py b/asl_cards/tests/test_natinfo.py
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..f2328be
--- /dev/null
+++ b/asl_cards/tests/test_natinfo.py
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+
+import sys
+import os
+import unittest
+
+from _test_case_base import TestCaseBase
+from asl_cards import natinfo
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+class TestNatInfo( TestCaseBase ) :
+    """Test nationality info."""
+
+    @classmethod
+    def setUpClass( cls ) :
+        # load the nationality info
+        base_dir = os.path.split( __file__ )[ 0 ]
+        fname = os.path.join( base_dir , "natinfo-data" )
+        natinfo.load( fname )
+
+    def test_flags( self ) :
+        """Test locating the flag image files for each nationality."""
+        self.assertIsNone( natinfo.get_flag( "xxx" ) )
+        self.assertIsNone( natinfo.get_flag( "german" ) )
+        self.assertTrue( natinfo.get_flag("american").endswith( "/flags/american.png" ) )
+        self.assertTrue( natinfo.get_flag("japanese").endswith( "/flags/japanese-flag.gif" ) )
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+if __name__ == "__main__" :
+    unittest.main()
diff --git a/main.py b/main.py
index ae85f0d..093f282 100755
--- a/main.py
+++ b/main.py
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import getopt
 from PyQt5.QtCore import QSettings , QDir
 from PyQt5.QtWidgets import QApplication
 
+from asl_cards import natinfo
 from constants import *
 import globals
 
@@ -53,6 +54,13 @@ def do_main( args ) :
     fname = os.path.join( os.path.split(settings_fname)[0] , "debug.ini" )
     globals.debug_settings = QSettings( fname , QSettings.IniFormat )
 
+    # initialize
+    dname = os.path.join( globals.base_dir , "natinfo" )
+    if not os.path.isdir( dname ) :
+        # nb: for a dev environment (or you can create a symlink natinfo -> asl_cards/natinfo)
+        dname = os.path.join( globals.base_dir , "asl_cards/natinfo" )
+    natinfo.load( dname )
+
     # do main processing
     app = QApplication( sys.argv )
     from main_window import MainWindow
diff --git a/main_window.py b/main_window.py
index 9a54910..85267d1 100644
--- a/main_window.py
+++ b/main_window.py
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ from PyQt5.QtWidgets import QMessageBox , QAction
 from PyQt5.QtGui import QPainter , QPixmap , QIcon , QBrush
 
 import asl_cards.db as db
+from asl_cards import natinfo
 from constants import *
 import globals
 from add_card_widget import AddCardWidget
@@ -179,7 +180,11 @@ class MainWindow( QMainWindow ) :
         index = self._find_add_card_tab()
         assert index is not None
         self.tab_widget.removeTab( index )
-        widget = self.tab_widget.insertTab( index , AslCardWidget(card) , card.name )
+        fname = natinfo.get_flag( card.nationality )
+        if fname :
+            widget = self.tab_widget.insertTab( index , AslCardWidget(card) , QIcon(fname) , card.name )
+        else :
+            widget = self.tab_widget.insertTab( index , AslCardWidget(card) , card.name )
         self.tab_widget.setCurrentIndex( index )
         self._update_ui()
     def on_add_card_cancelled( self ) :