Flags of the World Quiz
Can You Tell These Near-Identical Flags Apart?
Ten questions on the flags that are most often confused, plus the design rules that explain why so many national flags resemble each other.
There are around two hundred national flags and a surprisingly small number of underlying designs, which is why so many of them are confusable.
The reason is historical. Flags spread by imitation: a country adopting a new flag at independence or after a revolution generally borrows the visual language of a movement or an ally, which is how tricolours, Nordic crosses, pan-African and pan-Arab colour schemes all became families rather than individual designs.
There are also practical constraints. A flag has to be recognisable at distance, in poor light, when limp and when reversed, which rules out most detail. That pushes almost every designer towards the same small set of solutions: bands, crosses, triangles and a single central emblem.
Ten questions below.
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Ten questions about flags that are routinely confused.
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1 Chad and Romania have flags that are nearly identical. What are the three colours?
Both are vertical tricolours of blue, yellow and red, differing only very slightly in the shade of blue. Chad raised the similarity at the United Nations when Romania readopted its version after 1989.
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A. Blue, yellow, red — Both are vertical tricolours of blue, yellow and red, differing only very slightly in the shade of blue. Chad raised the similarity at the United Nations when Romania readopted its version after 1989.
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2 Monaco and Indonesia have the same flag design. What is it?
Both are red over white. They differ in proportion: Monaco's is squarer, Indonesia's longer. Poland, confusingly, is white over red — the same two colours the other way up.
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A. Two horizontal bands, red over white — Both are red over white. They differ in proportion: Monaco's is squarer, Indonesia's longer. Poland, confusingly, is white over red — the same two colours the other way up.
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3 The flags of Australia and New Zealand are frequently confused. What is the clearest difference?
Australia has six white stars including a seven-pointed Commonwealth Star below the Union Flag; New Zealand has four red stars with white borders and no Commonwealth Star.
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A. The number and colour of the stars — Australia has six white stars including a seven-pointed Commonwealth Star below the Union Flag; New Zealand has four red stars with white borders and no Commonwealth Star.
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4 Which two Scandinavian countries have flags that differ only in colour, not design?
All the Nordic countries use the same off-centre cross design, which is generally traced to the Danish flag. They differ in colours and proportions, not structure.
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D. All of them share the same design — All the Nordic countries use the same off-centre cross design, which is generally traced to the Danish flag. They differ in colours and proportions, not structure.
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5 Ireland and Côte d'Ivoire have flags with the same three colours. What distinguishes them?
Ireland runs green, white, orange from the hoist. Côte d'Ivoire runs orange, white, green — the same bands reversed.
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A. The order of the colours — Ireland runs green, white, orange from the hoist. Côte d'Ivoire runs orange, white, green — the same bands reversed.
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6 What is a canton on a flag?
The canton is the upper hoist-side quarter. It is the most visually prominent area when a flag is hanging limp, which is why so many designs put their key element there.
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A. The upper corner nearest the flagpole — The canton is the upper hoist-side quarter. It is the most visually prominent area when a flag is hanging limp, which is why so many designs put their key element there.
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7 Which of these is NOT rectangular?
Nepal is the only national flag that is not a rectangle, consisting of two stacked pennants. Switzerland and Vatican City are square, which is unusual but still rectangular.
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B. Nepal — Nepal is the only national flag that is not a rectangle, consisting of two stacked pennants. Switzerland and Vatican City are square, which is unusual but still rectangular.
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8 Why do so many flags use red, white and blue?
The combination spread largely through imitation of a few influential flags, particularly during periods of revolution and independence. Dye availability played a part historically, but influence is the main driver.
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B. Historical influence from a small number of widely copied designs — The combination spread largely through imitation of a few influential flags, particularly during periods of revolution and independence. Dye availability played a part historically, but influence is the main driver.
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9 What is the main practical design rule most modern flags follow?
Simplicity, meaningful symbolism, two or three basic colours, no lettering or seals, and distinctiveness are the commonly cited principles. Flags with written text on them are widely regarded as poor design, partly because they read backwards from one side.
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A. Simple enough for a child to draw from memory — Simplicity, meaningful symbolism, two or three basic colours, no lettering or seals, and distinctiveness are the commonly cited principles. Flags with written text on them are widely regarded as poor design, partly because they read backwards from one side.
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10 Which flag element is designed specifically to be visible when the flag is hanging limp?
When there is no wind, most of a flag hangs in folds against the pole and only the upper hoist area remains readable, which is exactly why so many designs place their key symbol there.
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A. The canton — When there is no wind, most of a flag hangs in folds against the pole and only the upper hoist area remains readable, which is exactly why so many designs place their key symbol there.
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Where this came from
- National flags and emblems reference — Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Country profiles including national symbols — CIA World Factbook
- Heraldry and vexillology collections — The British Library
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