Orange and Yellow Flags

Which countries have orange and yellow flags?

Bhutan is the best match: its flag is split diagonally from the lower hoist to the upper fly into yellow and orange triangles, with a white dragon along the dividing line. Yellow stands for the civil authority of the king, and orange for the Buddhist spiritual tradition.

Sri Lanka has a golden lion holding a sword on a maroon panel, set beside orange and green stripes and edged in yellow. The orange stripe stands for the Tamil community. Andorra has vertical blue, yellow and red bands with the national coat of arms in the center.

Orange appears on only a few other flags, such as those of Ireland, India, Niger, Ivory Coast, Cyprus and the Marshall Islands, but these do not combine it with yellow.

Why is orange so rare on flags?

Orange sits between red and yellow, and in poor light it can be hard to separate from either. Many flag designers choose red or yellow instead. When orange is used, it usually has a clear meaning: religion in Bhutan, a community in Sri Lanka, or the desert and savanna in West Africa.

Yellow, by contrast, is common, and often shown as gold. It typically stands for the sun, wealth or minerals. Together, orange and yellow suggest warmth, so they work best when separated by a darker or whiter color.

How can you tell these flags apart?

Bhutan is the only flag split diagonally into yellow and orange with a dragon. Sri Lanka has a lion and orange and green stripes, and Andorra has vertical bands with a coat of arms. For orange without yellow, see Ireland, India, Niger and Ivory Coast, all of which pair it with white and green. Use the grid above to compare.