Flags That Look Almost Identical (and How to Tell Them Apart)

When I built the flag round for the Daily Challenge on this site, I added one question I knew would trip people up: a blue, yellow and red flag with four options. Most people's first guess is Romania. The answer is Chad.

That's the thing about flags. There are around 195 countries and only so many colours and stripes to go around, so some of them ended up looking almost exactly alike. Below are the pairs that catch people out most often, plus the small details that tell them apart. By the end you'll win the next pub quiz flag round, or at least lose it with confidence.

1. Chad and Romania: the famous "twins"

 

Both are three vertical stripes: blue, yellow, red. Same order, same proportions. The only real difference is the shade of blue. Chad's blue is darker, closer to indigo, while Romania's is a brighter cobalt. Put them side by side and you can just about see it. Show one on its own and even people from those countries sometimes hesitate.

The similarity is a coincidence: Romania's colours date back to the 1800s, and Chad adopted its flag in 1959, just before independence. In 2004 Chad even raised the issue at the United Nations, and Romania made it clear it had no plans to change its flag. So the twins stay twins.

How to remember: Chad is darker. If you're not sure, it's a coin toss, so say Romania for the bonus points of sounding confident.

2. Indonesia and Monaco: red over white

 

Two horizontal bands, red on top and white below. The colours and layout are the same. The only difference is the shape: Indonesia's flag is longer (2:3), Monaco's is squarer (4:5). On a phone screen, with no edges to compare, they're basically identical.

Bonus confusion: flip it upside down and you get Poland: white on top, red below.

3. Ireland and Côte d'Ivoire: the same colours in reverse

 

Green, white and orange vertical stripes. Ireland has green next to the flagpole; Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) has orange next to the pole. Ireland's flag is also noticeably longer. Get these mixed up at a football match and you'll hear about it.

How to remember: Ireland is famously green, so green goes first. And watch out for Italy, which swaps the orange for red.

4. The Netherlands and Luxembourg

 

Red, white and blue horizontal stripes. Luxembourg's blue is a lighter sky blue and its flag is a little longer. The Dutch blue is deep and dark.

How to remember: Luxembourg is Light.

5. Australia and New Zealand: neighbours with matching outfits

 

Dark blue background, the Union Jack in the top corner, and stars of the Southern Cross. The giveaway is the stars. New Zealand has four red stars with white borders. Australia has white stars: five for the Southern Cross, plus a big seven-pointed star under the Union Jack.

The two countries joke about this constantly, and New Zealand even held a referendum in 2015–2016 on changing its flag. People voted to keep it.

6. Senegal and Mali

 

Vertical green, yellow and red stripes in the same order. Senegal has a green star in the middle; Mali has no star. Both use the Pan-African colours, which is why several West African flags rhyme with each other.

Bonus confusion: Guinea uses the same three colours in reverse: red, yellow, green.

7. Norway and Iceland: a Nordic cross colour swap

 

Both have the off-centre Nordic cross with a white border. Norway: red background, blue cross. Iceland: blue background, red cross. It's the same design with the colours swapped.

8. Slovenia, Slovakia and Russia

   

White, blue and red horizontal stripes for all three. Russia has no emblem. Slovakia has a shield with a white double cross standing on blue hills. Slovenia has a smaller shield in the top corner showing the mountain Triglav under three gold stars.

How to remember: look for the shield. A big shield with a cross is Slovakia; a small mountain in the corner is Slovenia.

9. Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela

   

Yellow, blue and red, all three of them, because they were once part of the same country, Gran Colombia. Colombia has a yellow band that takes up the top half and no emblem. Ecuador looks like Colombia but has a coat of arms with a condor in the centre. Venezuela has three equal stripes with an arc of white stars.

10. Qatar and Bahrain

 

Both have a white band with a zigzag edge next to a coloured field. Qatar is maroon with nine points and is very long and thin. Bahrain is bright red with five points, one for each of the five pillars of Islam.

11. Haiti and Liechtenstein: the Olympic mix-up

 

This one has the best story. At the 1936 Olympics, Haiti and Liechtenstein turned up with practically the same flag: blue over red. A year later Liechtenstein added a gold crown in the top corner so nobody could confuse them again. Haiti's flag has its coat of arms in a white panel in the centre.

Quick tricks for any flag quiz

• Check the shade. Dark blue versus light blue settles Chad/Romania and the Netherlands/Luxembourg.
• Check which colour touches the pole. That settles Ireland/Côte d'Ivoire and Mali/Guinea.
• Look for anything extra: a star, a shield, a crown. Plain flags usually have a decorated twin.
• Notice the shape. Very long, very square or very thin flags narrow it down fast (Qatar, Monaco, Switzerland).

Test yourself

Think you've got it? The Trivia Showdown has a flag round with 194 countries, and the Daily Challenge gives everyone in the world the same five questions every day, usually with at least one sneaky flag. Your score counts towards your country's place in the daily country battle, so no pressure.

And if you know a pair of lookalike flags I missed, tell me in the comments. I'll add the best ones (and probably use them to trick people in tomorrow's challenge).

Frequently asked questions

Which two flags are the most similar in the world?

Chad and Romania are usually called the most similar. They have the same three vertical stripes in the same order; only the shade of blue is different. Indonesia and Monaco are a close second: identical except for the proportions.

Why do so many flags look alike?

Mostly shared history and shared meaning. Neighbouring countries that were once one state (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela) kept similar colours, many African flags use the Pan-African green, yellow and red, and the Nordic countries share the Nordic cross. Sometimes it's pure coincidence, like Chad and Romania.

What is the difference between the Indonesian and Polish flags?

They are opposites. Indonesia is red on top and white on the bottom; Poland is white on top and red on the bottom.