Correct answer: It is the world's largest religious monument.
Angkor Wat is the largest religious monument on Earth, and the only temple shown on any national flag (Afghanistan's flag depicts a mosque). Built in the early 1100s as a Hindu temple to Vishnu, it became a Buddhist temple by around 1200 and remains Cambodia's proudest national symbol.
Correct answer: It is the only one built around people.
Belize's flag centers on two woodcutters — one of African and one of Mestizo descent — beside a mahogany tree, making it the only national flag with human figures as a major design element. The scene recalls the logwood and mahogany trade at the country's origins.
Correct answer: An open Bible.
At the center of the Dominican flag, the coat of arms shows an open Bible turned to the Gospel of John (8:32), "the truth shall set you free." No other national flag in the world depicts a Bible.
Correct answer: It is the only one more than twice as wide as it is tall.
With its stretched 11:28 shape, Qatar's flag is the only national flag whose width is more than twice its height. Its deep maroon color — rather than red — and nine-point serrated band set it apart from neighboring Bahrain's flag.
Correct answer: It is the only one taller than it is wide.
Nepal's crimson flag — two stacked triangular pennants — is the world's only non-rectangular national flag and the only one that is taller than it is wide. Its blue border stands for peace, and the red for bravery and the rhododendron, Nepal's national flower.
Correct answer: Uruguay.
Both countries display the Sun of May, a symbol of independence from Spain dating to the May Revolution of 1810.
Correct answer: An armillary sphere.
The armillary sphere, a model of the heavens once used by navigators, honors Portugal's Age of Discovery.
Correct answer: Heaven, earth, water, and fire.
The four trigrams come from the I Ching and frame the central Taegeuk, the red-and-blue symbol of cosmic balance.
Correct answer: "Freedom or Death".
"Eleftheria i Thanatos" — "Freedom or Death" — was the battle cry of the Greek War of Independence, its nine syllables matching the flag's nine stripes.
Correct answer: Wales.
The flag layers the crosses of England, Scotland and Ireland; Wales, already joined to England when the design formed, was left out.
Correct answer: Switzerland.
Vatican City and Switzerland are the only two states whose national flags are perfect squares.
Correct answer: The Red Cross.
The Red Cross chose a red cross on white to honor its Swiss founder, Henry Dunant, inverting the colors of the national flag.
Correct answer: The Communist Party.
The large star is the Communist Party leading the people, who are represented by the four smaller stars around it.
Correct answer: The Ashoka Chakra.
Taken from a 3rd-century-BC pillar of Emperor Ashoka, the wheel represents the eternal cycle of law and righteousness.
Correct answer: The United Kingdom's.
Canada flew the Red Ensign with the Union Jack in the corner until the maple leaf was adopted after a fierce national "Flag Debate."
Correct answer: A cedar.
The cedar of Lebanon is an ancient national symbol mentioned many times in the Bible.
Correct answer: Tenochtitlan.
Aztec prophecy said to settle where an eagle perched on a cactus devouring a snake; that spot became Tenochtitlan, today's Mexico City.
Correct answer: Diverse groups uniting and moving forward together.
Adopted in 1994 as apartheid ended, the converging Y joins separate paths into one; with six colors it is the most colorful national flag in the world.
Correct answer: Because it bears the Islamic declaration of faith.
Lowering the shahada, the sacred profession of faith written across the flag, is considered improper, so it always flies at full height.
Correct answer: A state or the federal district.
The stars map the night sky over Rio de Janeiro the morning the republic was proclaimed in 1889, each one standing for a state or the Federal District.
Correct answer: The original thirteen colonies.
The thirteen alternating red and white stripes honor the British colonies that declared independence in 1776.
Correct answer: Vanuatu.
The boar's tusk is a symbol of prosperity, the crossed fern leaves stand for peace, and the Y-shape echoes the layout of the islands.
Correct answer: Tuvalu.
The nine stars are positioned to match the actual geographic layout of the country's nine islands.
Correct answer: Solomon Islands.
The five stars originally stood for the country's five districts; blue is water, green the land, yellow the sun.
Correct answer: Palau.
The disc is the full moon, considered the ideal time for fishing and festivals; it is offset so it appears centered when the flag flies.
Correct answer: Federated States of Micronesia.
The four stars represent the four states of the federation; the light blue is the Pacific Ocean.
Correct answer: Marshall Islands.
The rising diagonal represents the equator and the islands' northward spread; the star's 24 points stand for the electoral districts.
Correct answer: Suriname.
The yellow star stands for unity and a golden future; red is progress, green hope, and white peace and justice.
Correct answer: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
The diamonds form a "V" for Vincent and recall the islands once nicknamed the "Gems of the Antilles."
Correct answer: Saint Kitts and Nevis.
The two white stars stand for the two islands and for hope and liberty.
Correct answer: Grenada.
The seven stars stand for the seven parishes; the nutmeg reflects Grenada's fame as the "Spice Isle."
Correct answer: El Salvador.
Like its neighbors it descends from the United Provinces of Central America; the triangle holds five volcanoes for the five member states.
Correct answer: The Bahamas.
The black triangle is the strength of the people; gold is the sand and sun, aquamarine the surrounding sea.
Correct answer: Antigua and Barbuda.
The rising sun marks a new era; black is the African heritage, blue hope, and the V a symbol of victory.
Correct answer: Tunisia.
One of the older crescent-and-star flags, its design dates to the 1830s and descends from the Ottoman flag.
Correct answer: Togo.
Its proportions were designed to follow the golden ratio; the five stripes stand for the country's five regions.
Correct answer: Sudan.
It carries the pan-Arab colors; the green triangle stands for Islam, agriculture and prosperity.
Correct answer: Sierra Leone.
Green is agriculture and the mountains, white unity and justice, and blue the natural harbor of Freetown.
Correct answer: Sao Tome and Principe.
The two black stars stand for the country's two main islands; the colors are pan-African.
Correct answer: Niger.
The orange disc is the sun; the bands stand for the Sahara in the north, purity, and the fertile lands by the river.
Correct answer: Mauritius.
One of the few flags with four horizontal stripes; red is independence, blue the ocean, yellow the light of freedom, green the land.
Correct answer: Mauritania.
The red stripes, added in 2017, honor those who died resisting colonization; green and gold are traditional Saharan and Islamic colors.
Correct answer: Mali.
It is Guinea's flag reversed; the pan-African colors stand for the land, its mineral wealth and the blood of sacrifice.
Correct answer: Malawi.
The rising sun marks the dawn of freedom and hope across Africa; black is the people, red the blood of independence, green the land.
Correct answer: Madagascar.
White and red were colors of the island's earlier monarchy, while green honors the rural peasantry.
Correct answer: Liberia.
Founded by freed American slaves, its flag deliberately mirrors the U.S. design; the eleven stripes recall the signers of its declaration of independence.
Correct answer: Guinea-Bissau.
The black star of African freedom and the pan-African colors echo the flag of Ghana, whose founder inspired the region's independence movements.
Correct answer: Guinea.
It is a mirror of Mali's flag; the pan-African colors stand for labor, justice and solidarity.
Correct answer: The Gambia.
The blue band is the River Gambia running the length of the country, red the sun and savannah, green the land.
Correct answer: Gabon.
Green is the equatorial forest, yellow the equator and sun, and blue the Atlantic coast.
Correct answer: Equatorial Guinea.
The silk-cotton (ceiba) tree marks a historic treaty site; blue represents the sea linking the mainland to its islands.
Correct answer: Djibouti.
Light blue is for the sea and sky, green for the earth, white for peace, and the red star for unity.
Correct answer: Ivory Coast.
Orange is the northern savannah, white peace and unity, and green the forests and hope of the south.
Correct answer: Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The red stripe stands for the blood of the country's martyrs, blue for peace, and the star for a bright future.
Correct answer: Republic of the Congo.
Green stands for the forests and agriculture, yellow for friendship and nobility, and red for the struggle for independence.
Correct answer: Comoros.
The four stripes and four stars each represent one of the islands of the archipelago.
Correct answer: Chad.
Chad's blue is a touch darker, and the two countries have argued over the near-identical design at the United Nations.
Correct answer: Central African Republic.
It deliberately joins the blue-white-red of France with the green-yellow-red of pan-Africanism, bound together by the vertical red stripe.
Correct answer: Cameroon.
It uses the pan-African colors with a gold "star of unity" binding the country's regions together.
Correct answer: Cabo Verde.
The ten stars represent the ten main islands of the Atlantic archipelago.
Correct answer: Burundi.
The three stars stand for the national motto "Unity, Work, Progress" and for the country's three main groups.
Correct answer: Burkina Faso.
The colors are pan-African; the gold star is the guiding light of the revolution that renamed the country "Land of Upright People."
Correct answer: Benin.
Green is hope and the palm groves of the south, yellow the northern savannah, and red the courage of ancestors.
Correct answer: Algeria.
Green and white stand for Islam and purity, and the red crescent and star for liberty and faith.
Correct answer: Malaysia.
Nicknamed "Jalur Gemilang" (Stripes of Glory), its 14 stripes and 14 star points stand for the 13 states and the federal government.
Correct answer: Timor-Leste.
Yellow marks the traces of colonialism, black the obscurantism to be overcome, and the white star a guiding light of peace.
Correct answer: Palestine.
It derives from the 1916 Arab Revolt flag; Jordan's near-identical banner adds a white seven-pointed star.
Correct answer: Yemen.
It is the simplest of the pan-Arab "Arab Liberation" flags, carrying no central symbol at all.
Correct answer: Uzbekistan.
The crescent marks a young nation reborn; the twelve stars relate to the months and the signs of the zodiac.
Correct answer: Tajikistan.
Seven is a number of perfection and happiness in local tradition; the white central band is wider than the red and green.
Correct answer: Syria.
These colors and the three red stars come from the country's independence-era flag, readopted after the previous government fell.
Correct answer: Oman.
The emblem is the khanjar, a traditional Omani dagger; white is for peace, red for battles, green for fertility.
Correct answer: Afghanistan.
Afghanistan's flag has changed more often than that of any other country; this design centers on a mosque with its prayer niche facing Mecca.
Correct answer: Montenegro.
The eagle and lion come from the royal arms of the House of Petrovic-Njegos.
Correct answer: Monaco.
Its red and white are the heraldic colors of the ruling Grimaldi family and date back to the 14th century.
Correct answer: Moldova.
It closely resembles Romania's flag but adds the national arms; unusually, the emblem appears only on the front side.
Correct answer: Latvia.
Legend ties the deep "Latvian red" to a wounded chieftain's blood-stained sheet; it is among the oldest flags in the world.
Correct answer: Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The triangle's three points stand for the country's three main peoples; the neutral design was imposed in 1998 to avoid favoring any group.
Correct answer: Belarus.
The ornament is based on traditional woven cloth; red stands for past struggles and green for forests and the future.
Correct answer: Andorra.
The arms blend symbols of its two historic co-princes, the bishop of Urgell and the French head of state; the motto means "Strength United Is Stronger."
Correct answer: Tonga.
The red cross reflects the kingdom's strong Christian faith; the constitution requires that the flag never be changed.
Correct answer: Samoa.
The Southern Cross marks the nation's place in the Pacific; red, white and blue stand for courage, purity and freedom.
Correct answer: Trinidad and Tobago.
Red is for the warmth of the people and sun, black for strength and the land's wealth, and white for the sea and purity.
Correct answer: Dominican Republic.
It is the only national flag to feature a Bible in its coat of arms, shown open to a verse from the Gospel of John.
Correct answer: Guyana.
Green is the forests and farms, gold the mineral wealth, red the people's zeal, with black and white edges for endurance and rivers.
Correct answer: Ecuador.
An Andean condor crowns the arms above Mount Chimborazo and a steamship symbolizing progress.
Correct answer: Namibia.
The gold sun stands for life and energy, blue for the sky and Atlantic, green for vegetation and red for the people.
Correct answer: Zambia.
Unusually, the emblem sits off to one side rather than the center; green is for the land and the eagle for freedom.
Correct answer: Libya.
This 1951 design was restored in 2011, replacing the plain green flag that had been the world's only single-color national flag.
Correct answer: Senegal.
It shares the pan-African colors with its neighbors; the green star marks it apart from Mali's plain tricolor and Guinea's reversed one.
Correct answer: Somalia.
The star's five points represent the regions where Somali people live; the pale blue was inspired by the United Nations flag.
Correct answer: Morocco.
The green pentagram was added in 1915; green is a color of Islam and the five points evoke the Pillars of faith.
Correct answer: Kuwait.
It uses the pan-Arab colors; the trapezoid shape sets it apart from the similar flags of Jordan, the UAE and Sudan.
Correct answer: Georgia.
The Saint George's cross and four smaller crosses revive a medieval banner that was restored as the national flag in 2004.
Correct answer: Azerbaijan.
The eight points of the star are sometimes said to stand for eight Turkic peoples; the nation is nicknamed the "Land of Fire."
Correct answer: Armenia.
Red recalls the blood of those who died for the nation, blue the Armenian sky, and orange the people's hard work and creativity.
Correct answer: Maldives.
Green and the crescent represent Islam and red the heroes who defended the nation; a striped hoist panel was dropped when the country became a republic.
Correct answer: Kazakhstan.
The sun's rays resemble grain, the steppe eagle represents freedom and power, and the vertical band is a traditional Kazakh ornament.
Correct answer: Slovakia.
The double-cross is an ancient Christian symbol; the three hills represent three mountain ranges named in the national anthem.
Correct answer: Lithuania.
Yellow stands for the sun and prosperity, green for forests and nature, and red for courage and bloodshed.
Correct answer: Estonia.
Blue is for the sky and sea, black for the soil and past hardships, and white for hope and the snowy winters.
Correct answer: Ukraine.
The blue represents the sky above the country's vast golden wheat fields.
Correct answer: Serbia.
The four "S" shapes stand for a national motto meaning "Only Unity Saves the Serbs."
Correct answer: Croatia.
The red-and-white "sahovnica" checkerboard has been a Croatian emblem for many centuries.
Correct answer: Luxembourg.
The two are so alike that Luxembourg has repeatedly debated switching to a banner with its heraldic red lion instead.
Correct answer: Belgium.
The colors come from the arms of the Duchy of Brabant — a gold lion with red claws and tongue on a black field.
Correct answer: Iceland.
Blue is for the mountains, white for ice and snow, and red for the island's volcanic fire.
Correct answer: Norway.
Norway added a blue cross to Denmark's red-and-white flag in 1821, combining the colors of liberty shared by France, Britain and the United States.
Correct answer: Uganda.
The gray crowned crane is Uganda's national bird; the black, yellow and red bands stand for the people, sunshine and brotherhood.
Correct answer: Slovenia.
Mount Triglav is the country's highest peak; the wavy lines are its rivers and Adriatic coast, and the three stars come from the medieval Counts of Celje.
Correct answer: The sixteen Gilbert Islands and Banaba.
The golden frigatebird above the sun symbolizes power over the sea and freedom, while the three white bands are the ocean waters around the islands.
Correct answer: Education.
The rifle stands for defense, the hoe for farming, and the open book for education — the three pillars of the young nation's hopes.
Correct answer: The bo (Bodhi) tree.
The bo-leaves stand for the four Buddhist virtues of loving-kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity.
Correct answer: The island's ten parishes.
The ten green-edged stars stand for Dominica's ten parishes; the Sisserou parrot at the center lives nowhere else on Earth.
Correct answer: The first eight provinces to revolt against Spain.
The eight rays honor the provinces placed under martial law for rising against Spanish rule in 1896; the three stars stand for Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao.
Correct answer: Endure as long as the sun and moon.
The moon sits in the upper pennant and the sun in the lower; together they voice the wish that Nepal last as long as these heavenly bodies.
Correct answer: Thunder Dragon.
Bhutan calls itself 'Druk Yul,' the Land of the Thunder Dragon; the jewels in the dragon's claws represent the nation's wealth and protection.
Correct answer: The forty Kyrgyz tribes united by Manas.
Legend says the hero Manas united forty scattered tribes into one people; the lines at the sun's center depict the crown of a traditional yurt.
Correct answer: The Majapahit empire.
The banner called 'Sang Saka Merah-Putih' echoes the red-and-white colors flown by the 13th-century Majapahit empire that once ruled much of the region.
Correct answer: The fifty states.
Each star is a state and each of the thirteen stripes an original colony; a new star is added on the Fourth of July after a state joins.
Correct answer: South Korea.
The central circle is the Taegeuk, a symbol of cosmic balance; the flag itself is called the Taegeukgi.
Correct answer: Brazil.
The band across the globe reads "Ordem e Progresso" — "Order and Progress."
Correct answer: India.
The 24-spoke wheel is the Ashoka Chakra, an ancient symbol of law and progress.
Correct answer: China.
One large star leads four smaller ones, a design adopted when the People's Republic was founded in 1949.
Correct answer: Canada.
The maple leaf has been a Canadian emblem for centuries; this design was adopted in 1965.
Correct answer: France.
Born of the French Revolution, this tricolor has inspired the flag designs of dozens of nations.
Correct answer: Japan.
The red disc represents the sun, fitting for a nation long known as the Land of the Rising Sun.
Correct answer: United Nations.
The map is a polar projection centered on the North Pole so that no single country sits at the middle; the olive branches are an ancient symbol of peace.
Correct answer: Greenland.
Called "Erfalasorput" ("our flag"), it is the only flag of a Nordic territory without a cross; the half-and-half disc suggests the sun setting over the ice and sea.
Correct answer: Macao.
Adopted in 1999 when Portugal transferred sovereignty to China, the lotus is the region's floral emblem while the bridge and water reflect its setting on the Pearl River estuary.
Correct answer: Hong Kong.
Adopted in 1997 when sovereignty passed from Britain to China, each of the flower's five petals carries a small red star, echoing China's national flag.
Correct answer: Nauru.
The gold line is the Equator; the 12-pointed star sits just below it and slightly off-center, showing where Nauru actually lies in the Pacific.
Correct answer: Kiribati.
The sun's 17 rays and the frigatebird represent power, freedom and the spread of the country's islands across the Pacific.
Correct answer: Fiji.
The sky-blue field represents the Pacific Ocean. Although Fiji became a republic, it has kept the colonial-era Union Jack on its flag.
Correct answer: Papua New Guinea.
Susan Karike sketched the winning design in her school exercise book in 1971. The red, black and yellow are drawn from traditional art and clothing.
Correct answer: New Zealand.
A 2016 national referendum considered replacing it with a silver-fern design, but voters chose to keep the current flag.
Correct answer: Australia.
The seven-pointed star stands for the six states plus the territories. New Zealand's similar flag drops the big star and uses four red stars instead of five.
Correct answer: Dominica.
The endangered Sisserou parrot lives only on Dominica. The cross of yellow, black and white bands represents the island's peoples, soil and faith; its purple plumage makes Dominica one of only two countries to use purple on a flag.
Correct answer: Barbados.
The broken shaft marks independence from Britain in 1966; the blue bands are the sea and sky, the gold the island's sand.
Correct answer: Saint Lucia.
Blue is the sea, gold the sunshine, and the black-and-white peaks the two volcanic Pitons rising from the sea — and the harmony of the island's peoples.
Correct answer: Uruguay.
The nine stripes stand for the country's nine original departments; the sun, with a human face, is shared with Argentina as a symbol of independence.
Correct answer: Haiti.
Tradition says the flag was made by tearing the white band out of the French tricolor. The motto means "Unity Makes Strength."
Correct answer: Panama.
The blue and red were said to represent the country's two main political parties, with the white standing for peace between them.
Correct answer: Nicaragua.
Nicaragua is one of only two countries to use purple on its flag — in the tiny rainbow of its emblem. The five volcanoes again recall the Central American federation.
Correct answer: Honduras.
The five stars represent the members of the United Provinces of Central America, kept on the flag in hope of one day reuniting.
Correct answer: Guatemala.
The resplendent quetzal symbolizes liberty — it is said not to survive in captivity. The blue-white-blue recalls the old Central American federation.
Correct answer: Venezuela.
Bolivar called for a star to honor each province of the independence movement; an eighth was later added. The state arms show a wild horse galloping toward freedom.
Correct answer: Colombia.
The colors come from Gran Colombia, the union led by Simon Bolivar: yellow for the land's gold, blue for the seas, red for the blood of independence.
Correct answer: Costa Rica.
The red band was added in 1848, inspired by the ideals of the French Revolution. The state version's arms show three volcanoes and two oceans.
Correct answer: Jamaica.
Gold is for sunshine and mineral wealth, green for the land, black for the strength and creativity of the people.
Correct answer: Cuba.
Its design closely mirrors Puerto Rico's flag in reverse colors. The triangle's red is the blood of independence; the white star is the nation.
Correct answer: Bolivia.
Since 2009 the square, seven-colored Wiphala has held equal status as a national symbol. On the tricolor, red is valour, yellow mineral wealth, green the land.
Correct answer: Peru.
Legend says the colors were inspired by flamingos the liberator San Martin saw taking flight. The state version's arms show a vicuna, a cinchona tree and a cornucopia.
Correct answer: Chile.
Adopted in 1817, it actually predates the similar-looking Lone Star flag of Texas; the single star is a guide to progress and honor.
Correct answer: Argentina.
The sun commemorates the May Revolution of 1810 against Spanish rule. Uruguay's flag carries a similar sun, but over blue-and-white stripes.
Correct answer: Mexico.
The scene comes from the Aztec legend that foretold where to found their capital, Tenochtitlan — the site of today's Mexico City.
Correct answer: United States.
In 1958 Robert Heft, 17, sewed a 50-star flag before Alaska and Hawaii had even joined. When it matched the design Congress later adopted, his teacher changed the grade to an A. The 50 stars are the states; the 13 stripes the original colonies.
Correct answer: Seychelles.
The oblique bands of blue, yellow, red, white and green represent a dynamic young country moving boldly into the future.
Correct answer: Tanzania.
The country was formed by uniting Tanganyika and Zanzibar; green is the land, blue the lakes and ocean, black the people and gold the mineral wealth.
Correct answer: Zimbabwe.
The bird is a national emblem recovered from the ruined stone city of Great Zimbabwe; the colored stripes reflect the land, its minerals and its people.
Correct answer: Botswana.
The blue is rain and water, precious in the Kalahari — the national motto is "Pula," meaning rain. The black-and-white band signals harmony between peoples.
Correct answer: Lesotho.
Adopted in 2006 to mark 40 years of independence, the hat replaced an older design that showed weapons — a deliberate turn toward peace.
Correct answer: Eswatini.
The shield's black and white symbolize Black and white people living together in peace. The country was renamed from Swaziland in 2018.
Correct answer: South Sudan.
Independent only since 2011, it joins the pan-African black, red and green with a blue triangle and a gold "Star of Bethlehem" for unity.
Correct answer: Nigeria.
Michael Taiwo Akinkunmi won the 1959 competition. Green stands for the country's forests and agriculture, white for peace.
Correct answer: Angola.
The black-and-red flag reflects the Marxist movement that won independence from Portugal: the machete for peasants and armed struggle, the cogwheel for industrial workers.
Correct answer: Eritrea.
The olive symbolizes the long struggle for independence from Ethiopia; green is for agriculture and blue for the Red Sea.
Correct answer: Rwanda.
The earlier red-yellow-green flag was dropped to break with the violence; the rising sun stands for enlightenment and a fresh start.
Correct answer: Ethiopia.
Because Ethiopia resisted European colonization, newly independent African nations adopted its colors in solidarity. A golden star sits on the central blue disc.
Correct answer: Ghana.
Ghana was the first West African colony to win independence, in 1957, helping spark decolonization across the continent. Its "Black Star" echoes the Black Star Line of pan-Africanist Marcus Garvey and names the national football team.
Correct answer: Egypt.
The Eagle of Saladin is a pan-Arab symbol named for the 12th-century sultan; the red, white and black bands are the Arab Liberation colors.
Correct answer: Kenya.
Black is for the people, red for the blood shed for freedom, green for the land — and the shield with spears for the defense of all three.
Correct answer: Turkmenistan.
The five carpet "guls" represent the country's five main tribes. The flag also carries a crescent, five stars and two olive branches, and is often called the world's most detailed national flag.
Correct answer: Bahrain.
The five points were standardised in 2002; the zigzag edge distinguishes Bahrain's red flag from the similar maroon flag of Qatar.
Correct answer: Qatar.
Qatar's flag is unusually elongated — wider than twice its height. Its maroon began as a red dye that darkened under the desert sun, setting it apart from neighboring Bahrain.
Correct answer: Brunei.
The crest's pair of upturned hands symbolizes the government's pledge to promote welfare and peace; yellow is the color of the sultan.
Correct answer: Myanmar.
The single large star represents the union of the country; yellow, green and red stand for solidarity, peace and courage.
Correct answer: Bangladesh.
The disc is deliberately off-center so it appears centered when the flag flutters. Red is the blood of the 1971 liberation war; green is the fertile land.
Correct answer: Laos.
The white circle represents the full moon over the Mekong River and national unity. Unusually for a communist-led state, the flag bears no red star.
Correct answer: North Korea.
The red star represents the revolution; the blue bands stand for sovereignty and peace, and the white for purity.
Correct answer: Thailand.
Red is the nation, white is religion, and blue the king; the blue band was reportedly added to show solidarity with the Allies during the First World War.
Correct answer: United Arab Emirates.
The four colors appear in a famous medieval Arabic poem as emblems of Arab virtues and dynasties. The red band sits vertically at the hoist.
Correct answer: Jordan.
The seven points of the star are said to stand for the seven verses of the opening chapter of the Quran. Palestine's flag is nearly identical but without the star.
Correct answer: Iraq.
The red, white and black are pan-Arab colors; the inscription was redrawn in its current clean Kufic style in 2008.
Correct answer: Iran.
"Allahu Akbar" is written 22 times along the edges of the white band, marking the 22nd of the month Bahman — the date of the 1979 revolution.
Correct answer: Kyrgyzstan.
The criss-cross inside the sun is a "tunduk," the wooden crown at the peak of a nomad's yurt — a symbol of home and family.
Correct answer: Sri Lanka.
The four leaves are from the sacred bo (Bodhi) tree; the green and orange stripes represent the island's Muslim and Tamil communities.
Correct answer: Philippines.
In peacetime the blue band is on top. The white triangle holds a golden sun with eight rays for the first eight provinces to revolt against Spain, and three stars for the main island groups.
Correct answer: Mongolia.
The Soyombo is a national emblem made of stacked elemental symbols. The red panels stand for prosperity, the blue for the eternal sky.
Correct answer: Lebanon.
The Cedar of Lebanon, mentioned throughout the Bible, symbolizes holiness, eternity and peace.
Correct answer: Israel.
The two blue bands recall the stripes of the tallit; the six-pointed star is the Magen David, the "Shield of David."
Correct answer: Cambodia.
Angkor Wat has appeared on Cambodian flags since the 19th century. Its white silhouette shows three towers — the temple seen from the front — though the real complex has five towers in all.
Correct answer: Vietnam.
Known as the "golden star flag," its five points are said to represent workers, peasants, soldiers, intellectuals and youth.
Correct answer: Saudi Arabia.
Because the sacred Shahada must not be dishonored, the flag is never lowered to half-mast and is printed on both sides so the script reads correctly from either.
Correct answer: Singapore.
The crescent is a rising young country; the five stars are democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality.
Correct answer: Indonesia.
Called "Sang Saka Merah-Putih" — red for courage, white for purity. Turned upside down, it becomes the flag of Poland.
Correct answer: The country's religious minorities.
Green with the crescent and star stands for the Muslim majority; the white band is a deliberate pledge to the nation's minority communities.
Correct answer: The people united under the Communist Party.
The large star is the Communist Party; the four smaller stars originally stood for the four social classes of the revolution, all gathered around it.
Correct answer: Gandhi's spinning wheel.
Early versions carried the charkha, Gandhi's spinning wheel and emblem of self-reliance; at independence in 1947 it was replaced by the 24-spoke Ashoka Chakra, the wheel of dharma.
Correct answer: Czechia.
When Czechoslovakia split in 1993, the Czech Republic kept the former joint flag — adding the blue triangle to the historic white and red of Bohemia.
Correct answer: Liechtenstein.
The crown represents the principality's monarchy and the unity of its people with the ruling house.
Correct answer: North Macedonia.
Called the "new sun of liberty," this design was adopted in 1995 to settle a dispute over an earlier, different sun symbol.
Correct answer: San Marino.
One of the world's oldest surviving republics, its three towers stand on Monte Titano and its motto is simply "Libertas" — Liberty.
Correct answer: Romania.
Romania's and Chad's flags are nearly indistinguishable. Moldova's version adds a coat of arms in the center.
Correct answer: Bulgaria.
White stands for peace, green for the country's fertile farmland, and red for the courage and blood of its people.
Correct answer: Hungary.
The colors are read as strength (red), faithfulness (white) and hope (green), and appear in Hungarian heraldry going back centuries.
Correct answer: Poland.
White over red comes from the country's medieval coat of arms: a white eagle on a red shield.
Correct answer: Russia.
The design is often traced to Tsar Peter the Great's fascination with Dutch ships; the colors are read as nobility, faithfulness and courage.
Correct answer: Malta.
King George VI awarded the George Cross to the entire population of Malta in 1942, honoring its endurance under relentless WWII bombing.
Correct answer: Albania.
The eagle is linked to the 15th-century hero Skanderbeg. Albanians call their homeland "Shqiperia," often translated as the Land of the Eagles.
Correct answer: Turkey.
The crescent and star began as an imperial and astronomical emblem and only later became widely associated with the Islamic world as a whole.
Correct answer: Greece.
The cry is "Eleftheria i thanatos" — "Freedom or Death" — from the war of independence against the Ottomans. The white cross honors Greek Orthodox Christianity.
Correct answer: Austria.
One of the oldest flags still in use, its design is traditionally dated to a blood-soaked siege during the Third Crusade.
Correct answer: Finland.
Blue stands for the country's thousands of lakes and the sky; white for the snow that blankets the land for much of the year.
Correct answer: Sweden.
The off-center cross is shared by every Nordic flag. Sweden's blue and gold are drawn from its royal coat of arms.
Correct answer: Netherlands.
The orange — for the House of Orange — gradually shifted to red, which showed up better at sea. Luxembourg's near-identical flag uses a lighter blue.
Correct answer: Portugal.
The sphere recalls the Age of Discovery. The five small blue shields on the central arms are traditionally said to represent five Moorish kings defeated in a legendary battle.
Correct answer: Spain.
"Plus Ultra" — "further beyond" — defied the ancient warning that nothing lay past the Strait of Gibraltar, celebrating Spain's voyages into the New World.
Correct answer: Germany.
The colors echo the black coats with red facings and gold buttons of Napoleonic-era volunteer soldiers, later raised by the 1848 revolutionaries demanding a united, democratic Germany.
Correct answer: Peace between the two traditions.
Green stands for Gaelic and Catholic Ireland, orange for Protestant followers of William of Orange, and the white between them for a lasting peace.
Correct answer: Italy.
First adopted by a northern Italian republic in 1797, the colors are often read poetically as the green of the land, the white of the Alpine snow and the red of patriots' blood.
Correct answer: The French Revolution.
White was the royal color of the Bourbon kings, placed between the red and blue of the city of Paris — the monarchy symbolically embraced by the people.
Correct answer: England, Scotland and Ireland.
Wales is not represented because it had already been united with England when the flag took shape. The red diagonal saltire stands for Ireland's Saint Patrick.
Correct answer: Vatican City.
The gold and silver keys represent the keys of Heaven entrusted to Saint Peter. With Switzerland, it is one of only two square national flags in the world.
Correct answer: Switzerland.
The only other square national flag belongs to Vatican City. Reversing Switzerland's colors — red on white instead of white on red — gives the emblem of the Red Cross, created in honor of the movement's Swiss founder.
Correct answer: Denmark.
Legend says it fell from the sky to rally Danish troops during a battle in Estonia in 1219. Its off-center "Scandinavian cross" became the model for the flags of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland.
Correct answer: Paraguay.
The front shows a yellow star inside a wreath; the reverse shows the treasury seal with a lion and the words "Paz y Justicia" (Peace and Justice). Nearly every other country in the world flies an identical design on both sides.
Correct answer: Belize.
The two men, one of African and one of Mestizo descent, flank the mahogany that built the colonial timber economy; the motto reads "Sub Umbra Floreo" ("Under the shade I flourish"), and the ring of 50 leaves marks 1950, when the independence movement began.
Correct answer: South Africa.
It was designed in under a week and meant only as a temporary flag, but proved so popular it was kept. Officially no meaning is assigned to the individual colors — the converging Y is the whole message.
Correct answer: Hinomaru.
The red disc is the sun, apt for the "Land of the Rising Sun." Although the design is centuries old, Japan only made it the legally official national flag in 1999. (Kyokujitsu, the rising-sun rays, is the separate naval ensign.)
Correct answer: Cyprus.
The copper color nods to the island's ancient copper mines — the very word "copper" comes from Cyprus — while the olive branches symbolize peace between its Greek and Turkish communities. Kosovo is the only other flag that maps itself.
Correct answer: To look sharpest when fluttering in the wind.
Wind-tunnel tests showed an eleven-point leaf stayed crispest in motion, so the count was chosen for clarity rather than symbolism — unusual among national flags.
Correct answer: Rio de Janeiro.
The 27 stars — one for each state and the federal district — are placed as the sky looked over Rio at about 8:30 a.m. on 15 November 1889, drawn as if seen from outside the celestial sphere; the motto "Ordem e Progresso" was borrowed from the French philosopher Auguste Comte.
Correct answer: Bhutan.
The Druk, or Thunder Dragon, gives Bhutan its own name for itself — Druk Yul, "Land of the Thunder Dragon." The jewels in its claws mean wealth and its white color means purity; the orange and yellow halves stand for Buddhism and the monarchy.
Correct answer: Mozambique.
The rifle and bayonet are crossed over a hoe and laid on an open book, standing for defense, agriculture and education; the gun dates from the 1975 independence struggle, and repeated proposals to remove it have failed.
Correct answer: The I Ching (Book of Changes).
The four trigrams stand for heaven, earth, water and fire and surround a red-and-blue taegeuk symbolizing the balance of opposing forces — the emblem that gives the flag its name, Taegukgi.
Correct answer: Nepal.
Nepal's flag is two stacked triangular pennants evoking the Himalayas, and its exact shape is fixed by a step-by-step geometric construction written into the national constitution; the moon and sun were meant to express the hope that Nepal would last as long as they do.
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