Blue, White and Black Flags

Which countries have blue, white and black flags?

Estonia is the single exact match. Its flag has three equal horizontal stripes of blue, black and white, from top to bottom. It is sometimes called the sinimustvalge, a word formed from the three color names. Blue stands for the sky, lakes and sea, black for the soil of the country and its history, and white for the snow and the hope of freedom. The same colors were used by Estonian student societies in the 19th century, and the flag became official in 1918.

Other flags use all three colors in more complex designs. South Korea has a white field, a red and blue circle at the center and four black trigrams in the corners. Eswatini has blue, yellow and red bands with a Swazi shield in black and white. South Africa has a Y shape holding green, black, yellow, red, white and blue. Antigua and Barbuda has a red field with a triangle of black, blue and white and a yellow rising sun.

Why do blue, white and black appear together so rarely?

Blue and white are very common on flags, and black is common on its own, but the three together are unusual. Black normally appears with red, yellow or green, which are the standard Pan-African, Pan-Arab and German color sets, rather than with blue.

Estonia's version comes from national romantic movements in the 19th century. The Estonian Students' Society chose the three colors in 1881, and they became a symbol of national awakening. Blue, black and white on the same flag also keep it easy to tell apart from neighbours such as Finland, which is blue and white, and Latvia, which is red and white.

How can you tell these flags apart?

Estonia is the only plain tricolor, and its stripes run blue, black, white from top to bottom. Eswatini and South Africa are very colorful, and South Korea is the only one with a white field. If a flag has black at the top and white at the bottom, it is not Estonia, which is easy to confirm in the grid above.