Greece
Nine alternating stripes make the flag of Greece easy to spot: five blue and four white. A white cross sits in the blue square at the upper hoist, beside the pole. Within Southern Europe, Greece is a familiar example of blue and white used without a third color.
Argentina
Light blue, white and light blue form three equal horizontal bands on the flag of Argentina. A golden Sun of May sits in the middle of the white band. Its 32 rays alternate between straight and wavy.
The Argentine Flag dates back to Manuel Belgrano’s flag first raised in 1812. The sun occupies the middle of the white band.
Israel
The flag of Israel places a blue Star of David between two horizontal blue stripes on a white field. White margins remain above and below the stripes. The six-pointed star is an open geometric form made from two overlapping triangles. The blue-and-white arrangement draws on the tallit, the Jewish prayer shawl.
Guatemala
Guatemala's flag turns the blue-white-blue arrangement upright. Its three equal vertical bands have light blue at both sides and white in the middle. Its central coat of arms contains a green quetzal, a scroll, crossed weapons and a laurel wreath. The current basic arrangement dates to 1871.
Uruguay
Uruguay combines nine horizontal stripes, five white and four blue, with a golden sun in a white square at the upper hoist. The Sun of May has 16 rays. Argentina puts its sun in the center, so the position is a useful clue when comparing the two.
El Salvador
The flag of El Salvador has three equal horizontal bands: blue, white and blue. On the version bearing the national arms, a triangular emblem sits in the white middle band. It contains five volcanoes, a rainbow and a liberty cap, surrounded by flags and a wreath.
The emblem adds green, gold and other small colors between the broad blue bands. The country’s independence from Spain dates to 1821.
Honduras
Look for five blue stars in the white center band of the Honduran flag. Four form the corners of a rectangle, with the fifth in the middle. Equal blue bands sit above and below.
Honduras specifies azul turquesa, or turquoise blue, for the bands and stars. The five stars recall the former Central American federation.
Finland
Finland’s blue Nordic cross on white reaches every edge of the flag. Its upright bar sits closer to the hoist, leaving a longer white area toward the fly. The plain national flag shown here has no central emblem.
Known as the siniristilippu, or blue-cross flag, the design became official in 1918.
Micronesia
A light-blue field holds four white five-pointed stars, arranged around the center. They represent the four states of the Federated States of Micronesia: Chuuk, Kosrae, Pohnpei and Yap.
Nicaragua
Nicaragua uses three equal horizontal bands: blue, white and blue. The coat of arms sits in the center, with a triangle containing five volcanoes, two seas, a rainbow and a liberty cap.
The outer bands are cobalt blue. Gold lettering circles the emblem, while the rainbow and green volcanoes supply its other small color details.
Somalia
Somalia’s flag has one white five-pointed star on a light-blue field. The star sits at the center, with no bands, border or coat of arms. One large star separates it from Micronesia’s four smaller ones.
Which blue and white flag are you looking for?
- A cross: Finland has one large blue Nordic cross. Greece combines a white cross with stripes.
- A sun: Argentina places it in the center. Uruguay puts it in the upper-hoist corner.
- Stars on plain blue: Somalia has one; Micronesia has four. Compare more flags with stars by number and placement.
- Blue-white-blue bands: Guatemala uses vertical bands. El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua use horizontal ones.
You can use the Flag coloring pages to sketch these layouts. If the flag you remember also had red, look through Red, White And Blue Flags.