FLAG MOTIF · 08
Red, White and Blue Horizontal Tricolours
Red, white and blue on every flag. Are they all the same?
This time, look from top to bottom.
LOOK · COMPARE · REVEAL
What changes when you read downwards?
Compare the top, middle and bottom bands. Then look for a mark on the flag.
Looked closely? Reveal the answer
STEP 1 · READ FROM TOP TO BOTTOM
The same colours, in two orders
Group A · Red → white → blue
Netherlands
Red → white → blue · no coat of arms
Luxembourg
Red → white → sky blue · no coat of arms
Croatia
Red → white → blue · coat of arms in the centre
Group B · White → blue → red
Russia
White → blue → red · no coat of arms
Slovenia
White → blue → red · with a coat of arms
Slovakia
White → blue → red · with a coat of arms
Changing the order changes the flag. Sharing three colours does not, by itself, mean that all six flags have the same origin.
STEP 2 · LOOK AT THE BLUE
Netherlands and Luxembourg: compare the bottom band
Both read red, white, then blue. Luxembourg's government describes its blue as sky blue (bleu ciel), and the Dutch blue as ultramarine (bleu outremer). Compare the bottom bands side by side.
STEP 3 · FIND THE COAT OF ARMS
Three flags in the same order. Where should you look next?
Russia
White → blue → red · no coat of arms
Slovenia
White → blue → red · with a coat of arms
Slovakia
White → blue → red · with a coat of arms
Russia has no coat of arms on its national flag. Slovenia and Slovakia do. Colour order is one clue; the presence of a coat of arms is another.
STEP 4 · LOOK INSIDE THE SHIELD
Both have a coat of arms. Is the design inside the same?
Slovenia and Slovakia both place a shield towards the flagpole side. Look inside each shield, then explore the dedicated comparison.
STEP 5 · LOOK AT THE CENTRE
What makes Croatia different?
Croatia also reads red, white, then blue, like the Netherlands and Luxembourg. Its coat of arms in the centre is a clear extra clue. Check the middle of the flag as well as the bands.
STEP 6 · THREE WAYS TO LOOK
Read the order. Find the coat of arms. Compare the shades.
① Read from top to bottom
Which colour is at the top, in the middle and at the bottom?
② Look for a coat of arms
Is there a shield or emblem? Where is it placed?
③ Compare shades of the same colour
Put similar flags side by side and compare their blue bands.
Red, white and blue do not make every flag the same. Order, coats of arms and shades help you find the differences.
PUBLIC SOURCES
Check the designs in official sources
Explore the six countries
What changes when the bands run vertically?
Try another way of reading flags, and look for more differences.