Guide
Flags that look alike
Some flags are nearly identical. Here's how to tell them apart: the shade, the order of the stripes, or one small symbol.
Test yourself in the hard flag quizWhy so many flags look alike
Most look-alikes have a shared origin. Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela kept the yellow, blue and red of Gran Colombia. The Nordic cross spread from Denmark's flag to its neighbours. Many African countries took the green, yellow and red of Ethiopia's flag at independence, and several Arab states use the red, white, black and green of the 1916 Arab Revolt flag.
Other pairs are coincidences. Chad and Romania arrived at almost the same tricolour separately, and Monaco and Indonesia both use red over white for unrelated historical reasons.
Chad, Romania, Andorra and Moldova
Chad and Romania are near-identical blue, yellow and red vertical tricolours; Chad's blue is a darker indigo. Andorra and Moldova use the same colours but add a coat of arms in the centre.
Indonesia, Monaco and Poland
Indonesia and Monaco are both red over white. Only the shape differs: Indonesia's flag is 2:3, Monaco's is 4:5. Poland reverses the order, with white on top.
Australia and New Zealand
Both show the Union Jack and the Southern Cross on dark blue. Australia's stars are white, with a large seven-pointed star under the Union Jack. New Zealand has four red stars with white borders.
Ireland, Ivory Coast and Italy
Ireland is green, white, orange from the flagpole side. Ivory Coast is the mirror image: orange, white, green. Italy swaps the orange for red.
Netherlands, Luxembourg, Croatia and Paraguay
The Netherlands and Luxembourg are red, white and blue stripes; Luxembourg's bottom stripe is a lighter sky blue. Croatia adds a red-and-white chequered shield, and Paraguay adds a round seal.
Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Serbia
Russia is plain white, blue and red. Slovakia adds a shield with a white double cross; Slovenia's smaller shield shows a white mountain. Serbia reverses the order to red, blue, white and adds its coat of arms.
Mali, Senegal, Guinea and Cameroon
Mali is a plain green, yellow, red vertical tricolour. Senegal adds a green star in the middle. Guinea reverses the order to red, yellow, green. Cameroon is green, red, yellow with a yellow star in the centre.
The Nordic crosses
Denmark: white cross on red. Norway: blue cross with a white border on red. Iceland: red cross with a white border on blue. Sweden: yellow cross on blue. Finland: blue cross on white.
Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela
All three are yellow, blue and red. Colombia's yellow stripe fills the top half. Ecuador uses the same layout with its coat of arms in the centre. Venezuela has three equal stripes and an arc of eight white stars.
Egypt, Iraq and Yemen
Red, white and black stripes. Egypt has a golden eagle and Iraq has green Arabic script. Yemen's flag is the plain tricolour.
Jordan, Palestine, Sudan, Kuwait and the UAE
Jordan and Palestine share black, white and green stripes with a red triangle; Jordan adds a small white star. Sudan puts red on top and a green triangle. Kuwait uses a black trapezoid, and the UAE a vertical red band.
Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala
Blue, white, blue from the old Central American federation. Honduras has five blue stars. Nicaragua and El Salvador have different coats of arms in the centre. Guatemala's stripes are vertical and light blue.
Bolivia, Ghana, Lithuania and Ethiopia
Bolivia is red, yellow, green. Ghana uses the same order with a black star. Lithuania is yellow, green, red. Ethiopia is green, yellow, red with a blue disc and star.
Austria, Latvia, Lebanon and Peru
Austria has three equal red, white, red stripes. Latvia's red is a darker carmine and its white stripe is narrower. Lebanon has a green cedar tree. Peru's stripes are vertical.
Qatar and Bahrain
Both have a white band with a zigzag edge. Qatar is maroon with nine points; Bahrain is red with five points.
Hungary, Bulgaria, Iran and Tajikistan
Hungary is red, white, green from the top. Bulgaria is white, green, red. Iran is green, white, red with a red emblem. Tajikistan is red, white, green with a gold crown and stars.
Belgium and Germany
Same three colours. Belgium's stripes are vertical (black, yellow, red); Germany's are horizontal (black, red, gold).
Niger and India
Orange, white and green stripes. Niger has an orange disc and is almost square. India has a navy-blue 24-spoke wheel.
Haiti and Liechtenstein
Blue over red. Haiti has its coat of arms on a white panel in the centre; Liechtenstein has a gold crown near the flagpole.
United States, Liberia and Malaysia
Red and white stripes with a blue canton. The United States has 13 stripes and 50 stars. Liberia has 11 stripes and one large star. Malaysia has 14 stripes and a yellow crescent and star.
Turkey and Tunisia
White crescent and star on red. On Tunisia's flag they sit inside a white disc; on Turkey's they sit directly on the red.
Japan, Bangladesh and Palau
Japan is a red disc on white. Bangladesh is a red disc on green, set slightly toward the flagpole. Palau is a yellow disc on light blue.
Cuba and Puerto Rico
Mirror images. Cuba has blue stripes and a red triangle; Puerto Rico has red stripes and a blue triangle.
Mexico and Italy
Green, white and red vertical stripes. Mexico adds its eagle-and-snake coat of arms, and its flag is longer.