Flags With Vertical Stripes

Where do vertical stripe flags come from?

Vertical tricolors began with the French flag of the 1790s, which used blue, white and red during the Revolution. Its design spread through Europe and Latin America as a symbol of liberty. Italy adopted a green, white and red version in 1797, and Ireland chose green, white and orange in 1848 to stand for peace between Catholics and Protestants.

The French flag also inspired many African flags, including those of Mali, Guinea, Senegal, Cameroon and Chad, which borrow the French layout. Several of them add Pan-African green, yellow and red.

Some vertical flags have more than three parts. Zambia has a green field with three vertical stripes in red, black and orange at the fly end, topped by an orange eagle. Barbados has ultramarine, gold and ultramarine stripes with a black broken trident, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines has blue, gold and green with three green diamonds.

Flags with vertical stripes

• Europe: France, Italy, Ireland, Belgium (black, yellow, red), Romania, Moldova and Andorra.
• Americas: Canada (red, white, red with a maple leaf), Mexico, Peru, Guatemala, Barbados and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
• Africa: Nigeria, Mali, Guinea, Senegal, Cameroon, Chad, Ivory Coast and Zambia.
• Asia: Mongolia (red, blue, red with the Soyombo symbol).
• Territories: French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Réunion, St. Martin and Norfolk Island.

Look-alike flags

Vertical tricolors cause plenty of confusion. Romania, Chad and Andorra have very close designs: blue, yellow and red stripes, with Andorra adding its coat of arms. Ireland and Ivory Coast use the same colors in reverse order, while Italy and Mexico share green, white and red and differ in the emblem on the white band.

Nigeria has green, white and green stripes in a simple design, and Peru has red, white and red with an emblem in the center, which sets it apart from Canada, where the center stripe is wider and holds a red maple leaf.