There are 197 recognized countries in the world, each with its own unique flag. Just like clothing speaks volumes about a person’s personality, a national flag reflects much about the country it represents.
1. Nepal
Nepal is the only country in the world with a flag that has an unusual shape. The two triangles symbolize the two peaks of Mount Everest, which lies on the border of this nation. According to legend, Nepal will exist as long as the sun and moon depicted on the flag remain in existence.
2. Vatican City and Switzerland
Flags of all other countries are rectangular. However, the national flags of Vatican City and Switzerland are slightly different—they are square.
The flag of the Red Cross, used by the International Red Cross Committee, is derived from the Swiss flag but with the colors inverted. This symbol was chosen to honor the founder of the ICRC, a Swiss man named Henry Dunant.
3. Jamaica
There are 55 flags around the world that are horizontal and feature three stripes. The most common colors on national flags are red, white, and blue, with at least one of these colors always appearing on a flag.
However, Jamaica’s flag features yellow, black, and green to commemorate Independence Day, August 6, 1962, when the country gained freedom from British rule. These colors are rarely seen on other flags.
4. Dominica
A rare color found on national flags is purple. Historically, the process of dyeing fabric purple was complex and expensive, and by the late 19th century, when synthetic dyes were developed, most countries adopted these for their flags.
Today, purple is only found on the flag of Dominica, represented by the breast of the sisserou parrot—the national symbol.
5. The Bahamas
Another rare color found on a national flag is aquamarine, symbolizing the water on the flag of The Bahamas, while the yellow stripe represents the coastline, and the black triangle symbolizes unity and determination of the Bahamian people.
This flag is relatively “young”—only 45 years old, as it was adopted in 1973.
6. Denmark
It is difficult to find a flag among the oldest existing flags, but the flag of Denmark is the oldest continuously used flag in the world. It dates back to the 14th century and is known as Dannebrog.
Interestingly, offending the flags of other nations is officially prohibited in Denmark, while there is no official punishment for someone who disrespects their own flag.
7. Seychelles
One of the youngest flags is that of Seychelles, which is only 22 years old, having been adopted in 1996. You can feel energy and brightness through the five “rays” on the flag.
8. Canada
The flag of Canada is also relatively young—53 years old, adopted in 1965. The maple leaf on the Canadian flag does not resemble any natural leaf. It is said that when the flag flies in the wind, the shape of the real leaf is altered in such a way.
9. Japan
Japan updated its flag 20 years ago, but only partially. In the flag used before 1999, the red circle was a different color and was not centered. The proportions of the flag were also different.
10. The United Kingdom
The flag of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland is called the Union Jack. It consists of the St. George’s Cross, St. Andrew’s Cross, and St. Patrick’s Cross.
However, Wales, a part of the country, is not represented on the flag.
11. Philippines
The Philippines is the only country that can change the colors of its national flag. In times of war, the red and blue stripes switch places.
12. Paraguay
The flag of Paraguay is unique because it has two sides. The front displays the national emblem, while the back shows the treasury seal.
13. Belize
We can see various animals, tools, and even weapons on many national flags, but the image of a human only appears on the flag of Belize.
14. Portugal
Portugal is the only country that depicts a scientific instrument on its flag. It is a globe—a navigational device used for calculating coordinates.
The flag serves as a reminder of Portugal’s great navigators and their remarkable voyages and geographical discoveries.
15. Bhutan
The flag of Bhutan features a dragon symbol, representing the country’s name in Tibetan: “Land of the Dragon.” The dragon holds jewels in its claws, symbolizing the nation’s wealth.
16. Mozambique
While many flags display various weapons, no country features a detailed depiction of an AK-47 assault rifle except Mozambique. The book, hoe, and rifle symbolize education, production, and the defense of the nation.
17. Brazil
The flag of Brazil is an image of a starry sky from November 15, 1889, at 8:30 AM, when Brazil was declared a republic.
18. Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Samoa
The Southern Cross is a famous constellation only visible south of the equator. In addition to Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Samoa, this symbol also appears on other national flags in the region.
19. Nauru
You can easily locate Nauru on the world map by looking at its national flag.
The yellow band represents the equator, the blue symbolizes the Pacific Ocean, and the star indicates the island’s position along the equator.
20. Qatar
Qatar has the longest flag. The right side of the flag used to be red until 1936, but the dyes faded to brown under sunlight, prompting a change in the flag’s color.
21. Indonesia and Monaco
The flags of Indonesia and Monaco look quite similar.
Indonesia declared independence in 1945 with its red and white flag. Monaco attempted to protest this due to their similar flag, but the protest was quashed because the Indonesian flag is a darker shade.
Today, the flags of these two countries differ only in their proportions: Indonesia’s flag ratio is 2:3, while Monaco’s is 4:5.
22. Romania and Chad
Romania and Chad have flags that are remarkably similar. The difference in the shades of blue is almost indistinguishable.
23. Mauritius
The national flag of Mauritius is unique as it features four horizontal stripes. It was designed in 1967 at the College of Arms of Great Britain.
24. Monochrome Flags
Today, there are no remaining monochrome flags in the world, but they did exist in the past.
From 1815 to 1830, France had a plain white flag.
From 1880 to 1901, the flag of Afghanistan was a solid black cloth.
From 1977 to 2011, Libya’s national flag was the only flag in the world that was a solid green rectangle.
Flags of different countries, much like people, can sometimes be strikingly similar and other times as different as black and white. Nevertheless, each flag represents a unique part of the culture of its respective nation.
