Austria
Red, white, red runs across Austria’s flag in three equal horizontal bands. The plain version shown here has no emblem. The federal service flag adds the national coat of arms at the center. Latvia’s narrow white stripe gives you a useful comparison with Austria’s equal bands.
Japan
A single deep-red disk sits in the center of a white field on the flag of Japan. It represents the sun.
Japan’s Cabinet Office gives the disk’s diameter as three-fifths of the flag’s height. The wide white margin keeps the circle clearly separate from the edges.
Lebanon
Lebanon puts a green cedar between two red bands. The white middle band takes up half the flag’s height. Each red band takes a quarter. Green is a third color here, carried entirely by the tree. Article 5 of the Constitution specifies the cedar and band proportions.
Greenland
Autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. Greenland has white above red, with an off-center disk toward the hoist. The upper half of the disk is red and its lower half is white. Each half contrasts with the band behind it.
The Greenland flag was adopted in 1985. Its circular design sets it apart from the crosses on many Nordic flags.
Peru
Peru uses three equal vertical bands: red at each side and white in the middle. The plain national flag has no central emblem. Some official flags carry the coat of arms, so both forms may appear in photographs.
The simple bicolor is a contrast to neighboring Brazil, whose flag uses green, yellow and blue.
Switzerland
Switzerland’s national flag is square, with a free-standing white cross on red. The cross stops before it reaches any edge. England’s cross does the opposite: it extends across the whole field.
Singapore
Singapore has red above white in equal horizontal bands. In the upper-hoist corner, a white crescent sits beside five white stars arranged in a circle.
The stars stand for democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality. Toh Chin Chye led the committee that developed the flag, as recorded by Singapore’s National Heritage Board.
Poland
White sits above red on the flag of Poland. The bands are equal in height. A version with the national coat of arms is used in certain official contexts, but the plain flag shown here has just the two fields.
Poland kept the white-over-red arrangement during the Soviet Bloc period too. Turn to Indonesia below for the reverse order: red above white.
Canada
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The flag of Canada places an eleven-pointed red maple leaf in a white square. Red panels fill both sides.
The flag first flew officially on 15 February 1965. George Stanley proposed the central concept. The Canadian Heritage history explains the design process and later refinements.
Denmark
The Dannebrog of Denmark has a white Nordic cross on red. Its vertical bar sits closer to the hoist than to the center. The long horizontal arm stretches toward the fly.
Bahrain
Five white triangles form the serrated edge between Bahrain’s white hoist band and red field. Compare that edge with Qatar’s nine points. Bahrain also uses a brighter red.
Turkey
The Turkish Flag has a white crescent and a five-pointed star on a red field. The star sits beside the open side of the crescent, toward the fly. There is no white disk enclosing the pair.
Tunisia uses the same two colors and similar symbols in a different arrangement. See the red crescent-and-star flags for that comparison.
Qatar
Qatar’s main field is maroon, called Al Adaam. A white band at the hoist meets it along nine serrated points. Both features appear in the Amiri Diwan’s flag description.
Beside Bahrain, look for the deeper red and the extra points. Qatar also has a noticeably long, narrow shape.
Monaco
Monaco has two equal horizontal bands, red above white. The plain national flag has neither a cross nor a central shield. Indonesia uses the same color order. Monaco is commonly shown in 4:5 proportions, while Indonesia uses 2:3.
Tonga
Tonga places a small red cross inside a white rectangle at the upper hoist. A broad red field fills the rest of the flag.
Tunisia
Tunisia places a white disk in the center of a red field. Inside the disk are a red crescent and red five-pointed star. The disk is the key difference from Turkey, where the crescent and star are white against the red background.
Georgia
Georgia’s flag has five red crosses on white. One large upright cross reaches all four edges. A smaller cross occupies each quarter. The national flag law dates from 2004. Beside England’s single-cross flag, look for the four smaller crosses.
Indonesia
Indonesia’s Merah Putih has two equal horizontal bands: red above white. Its 2:3 proportions make it more elongated than Monaco’s usual 4:5 version.
England
Constituent country of the United Kingdom. England uses St George’s Cross: a red upright cross on white. Both arms reach the edges, dividing the white into four quarters.
Latvia
Latvia’s red is described in its national flag law as carmine. A narrow white stripe divides the dark red field. The band heights are 2:1:2, so white takes up only one-fifth of the total height.
The flag’s history reaches a thirteenth-century Livonian chronicle, from the era of the Northern Crusades. The deep red and thin white stripe are the easiest details to check beside Austria.
How to tell similar flags apart
Two colors can still produce very different flags. Check these details first:
- Band order: Poland is white over red; Indonesia and Monaco are red over white.
- Shape: Switzerland’s national flag is square.
- The emblem: a disk, cross, maple leaf or crescent can settle the question quickly.
For a wider color range, compare the Red, Yellow and Green Flag and Green, White and Red Flag collections.