Red and White Flags

About Red & White

Two-color flags using only red and white are an unusually old and durable family. The Danish Dannebrog, traditionally dated to 1219, is the oldest still in use, but red and white together appear on the flags of Switzerland, Austria, Poland, Indonesia, Singapore, Tunisia, Bahrain, Qatar, Canada, Japan, Latvia, Greenland, and several others — each with its own story. Red is the most common color in vexillology because dyes for red were among the cheapest and most colorfast in the pre-industrial world, and white was the natural complement on undyed linen or wool. The combination scales from the simplest national flag possible (Indonesia and Monaco are essentially identical horizontal red-and-white bicolors) to the elaborate serrated edge of Bahrain or Qatar. Red and white together still dominate maritime ensigns and signaling because the contrast is the easiest to read at distance.