Red, White, Blue and Yellow Flags
Five flags use only red, white, blue and yellow: Malaysia, Kiribati, Niue, the Turks & Caicos Islands and St. Barthélemy. Six more flags include these colors with others.
Flags that are only red, white, blue and yellow (5)
Flags with red, white, blue and yellow and other colors (6)
Which countries have red, white, blue and yellow flags?
- Malaysia (Asia): fourteen red and white stripes with a blue canton holding a yellow crescent and a 14-point star.
- Kiribati (Oceania): a red sky with a yellow frigatebird flying over a rising sun, above blue and white wavy stripes for the Pacific.
- Niue (Oceania): a yellow field with a Union Jack in the corner and a blue disc with stars.
- Turks & Caicos Islands: a blue ensign with a shield showing a conch, a spiny lobster and a cactus.
- St. Barthélemy: a flag built around the territory's coat of arms, which reflects its French and Swedish history.
Six other flags include all four colors along with more: Antigua & Barbuda, Central African Republic, Comoros, Seychelles, Eswatini and South Africa.
Malaysia is easy to mistake for the United States because of the stripes and canton, but its canton is blue with a yellow crescent, not white stars. Kiribati is the only one with a bird.
What do these colors mean?
Malaysia's fourteen stripes and the fourteen points of its star stand for the thirteen states and the federal territories. The yellow of the crescent and star is the color of the Malay rulers, blue shows the unity of the people, red stands for courage and white for purity.
Kiribati's flag is based on the coat of arms granted in 1937. The three wavy lines stand for the three island groups: the Gilbert, Phoenix and Line Islands. The frigatebird represents authority and freedom, and the sun shows the equator.
Niue is a self-governing state in free association with New Zealand, and its yellow flag stands for the sunshine and warm feelings toward New Zealand. Turks & Caicos flies the blue ensign, as do many British overseas territories.
Frequently asked questions
What country has a red, white, blue and yellow flag?
Malaysia is the best-known example, with red and white stripes, a blue canton and a yellow crescent and star.
Which flag has a frigatebird?
Kiribati. The yellow bird flies above a rising sun on a red background.
Which flag is yellow with a Union Jack?
Niue.
Why do the Malaysian and American flags look alike?
Both have stripes and a canton, but Malaysia has 14 red and white stripes, and its canton is blue with a yellow crescent and star.