FLAG ENCYCLOPEDIA
Follow your curiosity,
feature by feature.
Explore shapes, colours, creatures, people and objects across national flags, with explanations linked to public sources.
Flags with unusual shapes and proportions
Nepal is non-quadrilateral, Switzerland and Vatican City use square flags, and Qatar has the striking proportion 11:28.
Nepal · Switzerland · Vatican City · Qatar →National flags that contain purple
Look closely at Dominica's sisserou parrot and the rainbow in Nicaragua's coat of arms.
Dominica · Nicaragua →Birds on national flags
Eagles, a crane, a parrot, a frigatebird and a bird-of-paradise make a memorable visual family.
Albania · Dominica · Ecuador · Kazakhstan →Animals and mythical creatures on flags
From Bhutan's dragon and Sri Lanka's lion to Mexico's eagle and snake, creatures carry national stories.
Bhutan · Sri Lanka · Mexico · Uganda →People and hands on national flags
Belize shows two people in its coat of arms, while Brunei's emblem includes a pair of hands.
Belize · Brunei →Weapons and tools on national flags
Swords, a rifle, hoes, axes and spears appear on flags, each with a country-specific meaning.
Angola · Belize · Guatemala · Mozambique →Flags distinguished by their stars
One, four, five, eight, ten or fifty: count the stars, then compare their colour, points and arrangement.
United States · China · Brazil · Australia →The sun and moon on national flags
Discs, crescents, rays and a sun with a face may look related, but their meaning differs by country.
Japan · Bangladesh · Argentina · Uruguay →Plants on national flags
Maple, cedar, olive, cactus and bodhi leaves: identify the plant and how it is placed on the flag.
Canada · Lebanon · Cyprus · Mexico →Crosses on national flags
Centred, offset, diagonal or repeated: the position and layering of crosses are key identification clues.
Switzerland · Denmark · Sweden · Norway →National flags with the Union Flag in the canton
The upper-hoist quarter is the canton. Compare the stars or shield placed beside the Union Flag.
Australia · New Zealand · Fiji · Tuvalu →Writing and inscriptions on national flags
Mottos, declarations of faith and repeated inscriptions can be identified by colour, position and repetition.
Brazil · Saudi Arabia · Iraq · Iran →