Are these the exact official flag colours?

The hex values are close, widely used web approximations of each flag's colours. Official specifications often use Pantone or textile colour standards, so for print or manufacturing always check the country's official flag specification.

What does the layout field describe?

Layout describes the basic geometric design, such as horizontal tricolour, vertical tricolour, a cross, or a field with a canton. It is a quick way to group flags by their visual structure.

Why do so many flags use red, white, and blue?

Red, white, and blue spread widely through revolutionary and colonial history, notably from the French and American flags, and through pan-Slavic colours. They are bold, high-contrast, and easy to reproduce, which is why they recur so often.

What are pan-African and pan-Arab colours?

Pan-African colours are red, gold, green, and sometimes black, drawn from the Ethiopian flag and the early independence movements. Pan-Arab colours are red, white, black, and green. Many flags adopted them to signal regional solidarity.

Does the adopted year mean the country is that old?

No. The adopted year is when the current flag design took its present form, which is often much later than independence. Countries frequently revise their flag after constitutional changes, so a recent year does not mean a new nation.

National Flag Colours Reference

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Designers, quiz makers, and developers building country pickers all need quick access to flag colours. This reference lists the main colours of each national flag with hex swatches, the basic layout pattern, the adoption year, and a short note on what the design symbolises.

How it works

Each flag is described along three axes:

Colours — the dominant colours, shown as hex swatches you can copy. These are practical web approximations, not certified print specifications.
Layout — the geometric pattern, for example horizontal tricolour, vertical tricolour, cross, or canton with stripes.
Symbolism — a brief note on what the colours and emblems represent, plus the year the present design was adopted.

Filtering works on the country name and on colour words, so a search for green surfaces every flag that includes green.

Tips and notes

Colour families repeat across regions: pan-African red, gold, green and black; pan-Arab red, white, black and green; pan-Slavic red, white and blue. Recognising these palettes makes flags much easier to identify. For manufacturing or print, the hex values here are a starting point only — always reconcile them with the country’s official Pantone or textile flag specification.