Yellow and White Flags

Which countries have yellow and white flags?

The Vatican City flag is split vertically into yellow at the hoist and white on the fly side, with the papal tiara and two crossed keys on the white half. Its square shape is rare, and only Switzerland has the same proportion. The yellow stands for the gold key of heaven and white for the silver key.

The US Virgin Islands has a white field with a yellow eagle holding an olive branch and three arrows, a shield, and the letters V and I on either side.

Many more flags use both colors with others. Brunei, Bhutan, Guernsey and Niue have yellow fields or accents. The Central African Republic, Comoros, Kiribati, Malaysia, Myanmar, Seychelles, Mozambique, Uganda and Eswatini combine them with blue, red or green. Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Caribbean Netherlands, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Turks and Caicos, Dominica, Guyana, South Africa and Zimbabwe also contain both.

Why are yellow and white used on flags?

Yellow and white are the colors of gold and silver in heraldry, so they often stand for wealth, faith or royal power. Papal colors are the best-known case, going back to the early 19th century, when the Papal States used a yellow and white banner.

For other flags, yellow represents the sun or sand and white represents peace, so the pair suits countries with sun-bright landscapes. With so little contrast, they work best when separated by a strong third color, which is why most flags that use both also include blue, red or green.

How can you tell these flags apart?

The Vatican City flag is square and split vertically, with yellow on the hoist side. The US Virgin Islands is a white rectangle with a large eagle. Flags that merely contain both colors are easy to tell apart by their main field: yellow for Brunei and Niue, blue for Kiribati, red for Malaysia, and green for Dominica. Use the grid above to check.