Flags of the world
The national flags of all 197 countries, continent by continent, with a line on what each one shows.
197 flagsShort notes, not sourcedSuggest a correction
Most national flags are less than a century old, and many of them borrow from each other. The green, gold and red of Ethiopia, which kept its independence through the colonial scramble for Africa, turn up across the continent. Red, white, black and green are the pan-Arab colours of the 1916 Arab Revolt. The Nordic countries all fly the off-centre cross, Latin America's tricolours echo the wars of independence, and the Southern Cross marks the flags of the South Pacific.
A few stand apart by shape: Switzerland and Vatican City fly square flags, and Nepal's two stacked pennants make it the only national flag that isn't a rectangle. Some pairs are near-twins: Chad and Romania, Indonesia and Monaco, Ireland and Côte d'Ivoire.
North America and the Caribbean
Bahamas
Aquamarine and gold stripes with a black triangle at the hoist: sea, sand and the strength of the people.
On the globe →
Barbados
Blue, gold and blue with a black trident head, its shaft broken to mark the break from colonial rule.
On the globe →
Belize
Blue with red edges and a busy coat of arms showing two woodcutters under a mahogany tree.
On the globe →
Cuba
Five blue and white stripes and a red triangle with a white star, La Estrella Solitaria.
On the globe →
Dominica
A Sisserou parrot in a red disc on a three-coloured cross, one of only two national flags with purple.
On the globe →
Dominican Republic
A white cross between blue and red quarters, with arms that show an open Bible.
On the globe →
El Salvador
Blue, white and blue, the colours of the old Central American federation, with the national arms.
On the globe →
Grenada
Seven yellow stars for its parishes and islands, and a nutmeg in the green triangle at the hoist.
On the globe →
Guatemala
Sky blue and white, with a quetzal and a scroll dated 15 September 1821, the day of independence.
On the globe →
Haiti
Blue over red; by tradition, the French tricolour with the white torn out in 1803.
On the globe →
Honduras
Blue, white and blue with five stars for the five states of the old Central American federation.
On the globe →
Jamaica
A gold saltire on green and black, the only national flag with no red, white or blue.
On the globe →
Mexico
Green, white and red, with an eagle on a cactus eating a snake, from the founding legend of Tenochtitlan.
On the globe →
Panama
Quarters of white, red and blue with a blue star and a red one, said to stand for its two old rival parties.
On the globe →
Saint Kitts and Nevis
A black diagonal edged in yellow, carrying two white stars, between green and red.
On the globe →
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Blue, gold and green, with three green diamonds set in a V for Vincent.
On the globe →
United States
Fifty stars for the states and thirteen stripes for the original colonies.
On the globe →
South America
Bolivia
Red, yellow and green with the national arms. The checkered Wiphala is a second national flag.
On the globe →
Brazil
The night sky over Rio on 15 November 1889, with a star for each state and the motto Ordem e Progresso.
On the globe →
Ecuador
Yellow, blue and red like Colombia's, with arms showing a condor over Chimborazo.
On the globe →
Guyana
The Golden Arrowhead: a gold triangle edged in white on green, with a red one edged in black.
On the globe →
Paraguay
Red, white and blue with a different emblem on each side: the arms on the front, the treasury seal on the back.
On the globe →
Europe
Andorra
Blue, yellow and red with arms that join the mitre of the Bishop of Urgell to the stripes of the old French counts.
On the globe →
Austria
Red, white and red, one of the oldest national flags, by legend from a duke's bloodied tunic.
On the globe →
Belgium
Black, yellow and red in vertical bands, from the arms of the Duchy of Brabant.
On the globe →
Bosnia and Herzegovina
A yellow triangle on blue, roughly the shape of the country, edged by a line of white stars.
On the globe →
Croatia
Red, white and blue with a red and white chequered shield crowned by five smaller ones.
On the globe →
Czechia
White over red with a blue triangle, kept by Czechia when Czechoslovakia split.
On the globe →
Denmark
The Dannebrog, a white Nordic cross on red, said to be the oldest national flag still in use.
On the globe →
Germany
Black, red and gold, from the 19th-century movement for a united, democratic Germany.
On the globe →
Ireland
Green, white and orange: Irish nationalists, Ulster's Protestants, and peace between them.
On the globe →
Latvia
Carmine red with a narrow white band, a design recorded as far back as the 13th century.
On the globe →
Liechtenstein
Blue over red with a gold crown, added after the 1936 Olympics showed Haiti flew the same flag.
On the globe →
Malta
White and red with the George Cross, awarded to the island by King George VI in 1942.
On the globe →
Moldova
Blue, yellow and red with an eagle holding a cross; without the arms it would match Romania's.
On the globe →
Netherlands
Red, white and blue, which began as the orange, white and blue of William of Orange.
On the globe →
Portugal
Green and red with an armillary sphere and the national shield, adopted after the 1910 revolution.
On the globe →
Russia
White, blue and red horizontal stripes, first flown on ships under Peter the Great.
On the globe →
Slovenia
White, blue and red with a shield showing Triglav, its highest peak, under three stars.
On the globe →
Spain
Red, yellow and red with the yellow twice as wide, and the arms set toward the hoist.
On the globe →
Switzerland
A white cross on red, one of only two square national flags, with Vatican City's.
On the globe →
United Kingdom
The Union Jack, combining the crosses of St George, St Andrew and St Patrick.
On the globe →
Vatican City
Square, yellow and white, with the crossed keys of St Peter under the papal tiara.
On the globe →
Africa
Burkina Faso
Red over green with a yellow star, adopted in 1984 when Upper Volta became Burkina Faso.
On the globe →
Cabo Verde
Blue with a red and white stripe and a ring of ten yellow stars for the islands.
On the globe →
Central African Republic
Four horizontal stripes crossed by a red vertical band, with a yellow star.
On the globe →
Comoros
Four stripes for the four islands, and a white crescent with four stars on green.
On the globe →
Equatorial Guinea
Green, white and red with a blue triangle and arms showing a silk-cotton tree.
On the globe →
Ethiopia
Green, yellow and red, the colours that inspired much of Africa, with a blue disc and star.
On the globe →
Liberia
Eleven red and white stripes and a white star on blue, modelled on the US flag.
On the globe →
Libya
Red, black and green with a white crescent and star, the flag of 1951 restored in 2011.
On the globe →
Mozambique
A rifle crossed with a hoe over a book, the only national flag with a modern firearm.
On the globe →
São Tomé and Príncipe
Green, yellow and green with a red triangle and two black stars for the two islands.
On the globe →
South Africa
A green Y with six colours, adopted for the first democratic election in 1994.
On the globe →
Uganda
Six stripes of black, yellow and red, with a grey crowned crane in a white disc.
On the globe →
Zimbabwe
Seven stripes and a white triangle with the Zimbabwe Bird, a soapstone carving.
On the globe →
Asia
Afghanistan
Since 2021 a white flag with the shahada; the old tricolour is still used by some embassies abroad.
On the globe →
Bangladesh
A red disc on green, set toward the hoist so it looks centred when the flag flies.
On the globe →
Iran
Green, white and red with the national emblem, and 'God is great' repeated 22 times along the edges.
On the globe →
Kazakhstan
Sky blue with a golden sun, a steppe eagle and an ornamental pattern at the hoist.
On the globe →
Malaysia
The Jalur Gemilang: fourteen red and white stripes, with a yellow crescent and star on blue.
On the globe →
Philippines
Blue over red with a white triangle, sun and stars; in wartime it flies red side up.
On the globe →
Qatar
Maroon and white with a nine-point serrated edge; at 11:28 it is the widest national flag.
On the globe →
Syria
Green, white and black with three red stars, the independence-era flag flown again since 2024.
On the globe →
Turkmenistan
Green with a stripe of carpet patterns at the hoist, a crescent and five stars.
On the globe →
Oceania
Australia
The Union Jack, the seven-pointed Commonwealth Star and the Southern Cross on blue.
On the globe →
Naoero
A thin yellow line for the Equator and a white 12-point star just below it, where the island lies.
On the globe →
Papua New Guinea
A bird of paradise on red and the Southern Cross on black, designed by a 15-year-old.
On the globe →
Tonga
Red with a red cross in a white canton; the constitution says it may never be changed.
On the globe →
Vanuatu
Red and green divided by a black-edged yellow Y, with a boar's tusk and crossed fern leaves.
On the globe →
More flags
- Argentina’s province flags
- Australia’s state and territory flags
- Belgium’s regional and provincial flags
- Brazil’s state flags
- Canada’s provincial and territorial flags
- Flags of autonomous regions and islands
- Flags of disputed territories
- Flags of former countries
- Flags of international organizations
- Flags of the British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies
- Flags of the Dutch Caribbean
- France’s regional and overseas flags
- Germany’s state flags
- Ireland’s province flags
- Italy’s regional flags
- Japan’s prefectural flags
- Liberia’s county flags
- Mexico’s state flags
- Russia’s regional flags
- Spain’s regional flags
- Switzerland’s canton flags
- The Netherlands’ province flags
- U.S. state flags