Geography Games

Flags With Three Horizontal Stripes (Horizontal Tricolours)

The horizontal tricolour predates the vertical one — the Dutch were flying red-white-blue bands in the 16th century. Around 30 countries use the format today.

Updated August 28, 2026

Flags With Three Horizontal Stripes (Horizontal Tricolours)

Three equal horizontal bands. The Dutch flag (originally orange-white-blue, later red-white-blue) is the ancestor; it influenced the Russian tricolour and, through it, the whole Pan-Slavic family. Grouping by colour scheme is the way to learn them.

Pan-Slavic (red / white / blue in some order)

  • Russia — white-blue-red.
  • Netherlands — red-white-blue.
  • Luxembourg — red-white-blue (lighter blue, longer flag).
  • Slovakia and Slovenia — white-blue-red with a coat of arms toward the hoist.
  • Serbia — red-blue-white with arms.
  • Croatia — red-white-blue with a checkerboard shield.

Pan-Arab (red / white / black, usually with green)

  • Yemen — plain red-white-black.
  • Egypt — red-white-black with a golden eagle.
  • Iraq — red-white-black with green script.
  • Syria — red-white-black with two green stars.
  • Sudan — red-white-black with a green triangle at the hoist.

Gran Colombia (yellow / blue / red)

  • Colombia — yellow (double width), blue, red.
  • Ecuador — yellow-blue-red with the coat of arms.
  • Venezuela — yellow-blue-red with an arc of eight white stars.

German-influenced and other

  • Germany — black-red-gold.
  • Belgium is vertical, not here; Austria is red-white-red (two colours).
  • Hungary — red-white-green.
  • Bulgaria — white-green-red.
  • Lithuania — yellow-green-red.
  • Estonia — blue-black-white.
  • Armenia — red-blue-orange.
  • The Gambia — red-blue-green separated by thin white fimbriations.
  • Sierra Leone — green-white-blue.
  • India — saffron-white-green with the Ashoka Chakra.
  • Bolivia — red-yellow-green.
  • Ghana — red-gold-green with a black star.
  • Lithuania, Bolivia, Ghana, Guinea (vertical), Mali (vertical) — the Pan-African horizontal set is Ethiopia, Ghana, Bolivia (not African but same colours), Guinea-Bissau (mixed).

Horizontal tricolours are three equal bands, so their colour proportions are near-identical thirds. The flag pie chart game forces you to reason from the exact hues instead.

Learn by colour proportion

FAQ

Which flag was the first horizontal tricolour?
The Dutch flag, flown in the 16th century during the revolt against Spain — originally orange-white-blue, later standardised as red-white-blue. It influenced the Russian tricolour and the wider Pan-Slavic family.
What are the Pan-Slavic colours?
Red, white and blue, arranged in horizontal bands, derived from the Russian civil flag of 1699. Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia and Croatia all use them; the coat of arms and band order tell them apart.
How do I tell the red-white-black Arab tricolours apart?
By the green element and any central emblem. Yemen is plain; Egypt has a gold eagle; Iraq has green script; Syria has two green stars; Sudan adds a green triangle at the hoist.

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