Flags That Look Alike
Many countries share remarkably similar flag designs. Explore our side-by-side comparisons to discover the differences, shared history, and fascinating stories behind the world's most commonly confused flags.
Chad vs Romania
Chad and Romania have nearly identical flags — both feature blue, yellow, and red vertical stripes. Discover the differences, history, and why they look so alike.
Indonesia vs Monaco
Indonesia and Monaco flags are nearly identical — red over white horizontal stripes. Learn the key differences in dimensions, history, and meaning.
Ireland vs Côte d'Ivoire
Ireland and Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) flags both feature green, white, and orange vertical stripes — but reversed. Learn the differences and history.
Australia vs New Zealand
Australia and New Zealand flags both feature the Union Jack and Southern Cross on a blue background. Compare the key differences, history, and symbolism.
Netherlands vs Luxembourg
The Netherlands and Luxembourg flags both have red, white, and blue horizontal stripes. Learn how to tell them apart and their different origins.
Norway vs Iceland
Norway and Iceland flags share the Scandinavian Cross design with reversed colors. Compare the red-blue and blue-red designs, history, and meaning.
Senegal vs Mali
Senegal and Mali flags share the same green-yellow-red vertical stripes. The only difference? Senegal has a green star. Compare their history and symbolism.
Colombia vs Ecuador
Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela flags all share yellow-blue-red stripes from Gran Colombia. Compare their differences, shared history, and symbolism.
Russia vs Slovenia
Russia, Slovenia, and Slovakia flags all have white-blue-red horizontal stripes. Learn how to tell them apart by their coats of arms and subtle differences.
Qatar vs Bahrain
Qatar and Bahrain flags both feature a serrated white-and-maroon/red design. Learn the differences in color, points, and proportions.
Poland vs Indonesia
Poland, Indonesia, and Monaco flags all use red and white horizontal stripes. Learn how orientation, dimensions, and history set them apart.
India vs Niger
India and Niger flags both feature orange/saffron, white, and green horizontal stripes with a circle in the center. Compare their differences and origins.
Italy vs Mexico
Italy and Mexico flags both have green, white, and red vertical stripes. The key difference? Mexico adds its coat of arms. Compare their full history and meaning.
Belgium vs Germany
Belgium and Germany flags both use black, yellow/gold, and red — but one is vertical and the other horizontal. Compare their designs, history, and meaning.
Sweden vs Ukraine
Sweden and Ukraine flags both use blue and yellow — but with completely different designs. Compare the Scandinavian cross vs bicolor, plus their distinct histories.
United States vs Liberia
The US, Liberia, and Malaysia flags all feature red-and-white stripes with a blue canton. Discover why they look alike and how to tell them apart.
Turkey vs Tunisia
Turkey and Tunisia flags both feature a crescent and star on a red background. Compare the design differences, Ottoman heritage, and symbolism.
Japan vs Bangladesh
Japan and Bangladesh flags both feature a circle on a solid background — red on white and red on green. Compare their design, symbolism, and history.
Denmark vs Switzerland
Denmark and Switzerland flags both feature a white cross on a red background — but with very different cross designs. Compare the Scandinavian cross vs the Swiss cross.
Cuba vs Puerto Rico
Cuba and Puerto Rico flags have the same design with inverted colors — blue and red swapped. Learn the shared revolutionary history behind both flags.
Why Do Some Flags Look the Same?
With nearly 200 countries in the world, it's inevitable that some flags share similar designs. Flag similarity often stems from shared historical influences — colonial heritage, revolutionary movements, or regional traditions. The French Tricolore, for example, inspired dozens of vertical tricolor flags across Europe and Africa. The Pan-African colors (green, yellow, red) appear in many African nations' flags as a symbol of continental unity.
Some flags are similar by coincidence — like Chad and Romania, whose nearly identical blue-yellow-red designs evolved independently on different continents. Others, like Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela, share a common origin from Gran Colombia's dissolution in the 1830s.
Our comparison pages explore each pair in depth: the historical reasons for similarity, the subtle differences that distinguish them, and the fascinating diplomatic stories that have arisen from the confusion.