International Standards Organisation by Harribobs

Puzzle explanation

The extra letters in wordplay spelt out “flags replace twelve nations in array”. Apart from the perimeter, the grid initially consisted of 3×3 blocks of cells containing the jumbled names of the following countries, in order: Nicaragua, San Marino, Lithuania, Cabo Verde, Macedonia, Singapore, Guatemala, Costa Rica, The Gambia, Argentina, Australia, Venezuela. The names were either unjumbled in situ, as shown here, or replaced by drawings of the countries’ flags. Pictorial elements of flags, such as stars or coats of arms, were ignored (though without stars the Australian flag is indistinguishable from New Zealand’s). For Macedonia, the flag of the republic now called North Macedonia was accepted, but not flags of other places called Macedonia, which are (or were, historically) regions, not nations.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Answer Explanation [extra letter]
Across
1 GUERNSEY GUY around (N in ERSE)
9 NOUNAL (A + L) after (NO + [F]UN)
10 HAUT (Frenc)H AUT(hor)
12 GRANITA GRAN + ITA[L]
13 CRIB C[A]RIB
14 ALINE (I + N) in [G]ALE
15 BEDIM (I(mpede) + M) in BED[S]
17 OVAL (L + A[R]VO) <
19 ZOEAE Z + [E](x)O(n)E(r)A(t)E(d)
20 ARECA [P]ARE + CA
21 COSINE ((N + ISO) in EC) <
23 NAUTIC CALCU[L]ATION * − COAL *
25 SABHA SAB[A] + HA(ve)
26 REALO LO after A[C]ER <
29 AIMS S[E]MI-A(utomatic) <
31 GETAS GET A[T] + S
33 RENGA [W]AGNER <
34 ZEAL ZEALAND − AND
35 RATITAE (r)[E](g)I(s)T(r)A(r) in RATE
36 AINU [L]AIN + (Jimm)U
37 PLEURA L in RA[V]E-UP *
38 KALYPTRA L(eigh) in (K[E]Y PART) * + A
Down
1 GLOBAL (LO[N]G * + BALL) − L
2 BRANE homophone of BRAIN
3 ANDIRON (AND + I + ON) around R[A]
4 CAIMANS ANIMA[T]RONICS * − IRON *
5 MANSE S(tevenag)E after MA[I]N
6 SATIRE VERITAS < − V
7 QUANGO (A + N[O] GO) after QU
8 ATHEIZES SIZE * after HATE *
11 ACADIA CA[N]ADIA(n) *
16 PASHA HA[S] after PAS
18 METRO MET + RO[I]
20 ANOUROUS (URUS after ANO(a)) around O
22 VATMAN V + ATMAN
24 COASTAL CO[N]STABULARY * − RUBY *
25 ACTUARY ACTUA(l) + R[A]Y
27 UNREAL UN + L after REA[R]
28 AGNAIL [R]AG + NAIL
30 APPLES APP[A]LS around E
31 ALIAS ALAS around I
32 GENET [Y]EN in GET
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