Red, White and Yellow Flags

Which countries have red, white and yellow flags?

Guernsey, a Channel Islands crown dependency, is the only flag in this group. It is a red cross on white, the cross of St George, with a smaller gold cross on top. The gold cross is a reference to William the Conqueror and the ties between Normandy and the island. It is easy to mistake for the flag of England, but the yellow cross makes the difference.

Many more flags have these three colors in a larger palette. Brunei has a yellow field with white and black diagonal bands and a red emblem. Uganda has black, yellow and red stripes with a white disc holding a crowned crane. The Central African Republic, Dominica, Guyana, Kiribati, Comoros, Malaysia, Seychelles, Eswatini, South Africa and Zimbabwe all combine red, white and yellow with extra colors such as blue, green or black. Others on the list include Antigua and Barbuda, Mozambique, Myanmar, Niue and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Why do so many flags mix red, white and yellow with other colors?

Yellow, often shown as gold, stands for sun, wealth, minerals or the sun in many countries. Red usually means courage, blood or independence, and white stands for peace. The three colors are classic in heraldry because they contrast strongly with each other, so they fit easily into complex designs.

Many African and Pacific flags also use red and yellow as part of the Pan-African palette, then add green, black or blue. This is why the list is longer for flags that merely contain these colors than for flags made only from them. Combining only three colors without a fourth tone is unusual once an emblem is added.

How can you tell similar flags apart?

Start with the pattern. A cross on white points to Guernsey or England, and England has no inner yellow cross. Stripes with a hoist triangle point to Malaysia or Mozambique, and a field split in two with an emblem points to Brunei. If a flag carries a bird, such as the Ugandan crane or the Zimbabwe bird, it belongs to the long list of flags that mix these colors with black, green or blue. Browse the grid above to compare each one side by side.