Can You Identify These Flags in Black and White?

By: Jaclyn G. Lavine
Image: bjdlzx/E+/gettyimages

About This Quiz

Flags were initially used during warfare, as field signs, representative of a specific army. The oldest flag is the flag of Scottland, which has been in continuous use since 832 AD. Whereas, the first national flag was most likely the Union Jack, adopted by the UK in 1801 but in use since 1603. As nationalism sentiment became popular, many countries began choosing flags to illustrate pride in their country. In 1777, the United States of America adopted a national flag as did the French in the 1790s. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, many European countries began adopting national flags. Having a national flag became a sign of independence, unity, and nationalism. Flags are also frequently representative of a what a country stood for, their religion, and their history. Flags come in different colors and shapes. Some flags just use color while others include emblems or coat of arms, others use both. Gold, white, black, red, green, blue, and yellow are among the most popular color choices for flags. Today, there are 193 official national flags. What makes many of the flags so difficult to identify is the fact that a lot of them look so similar! Luckily, at the very least, each flag use's a different combination of colors. Imagine having to identify a list of 40 national flags based on a black-and-white image. Are you up for the challenge? Then take this quiz and find out if you can successfully identify these flags in black-and-white!

The colors of the Mexican flag are green, white, and red, but you can't see that in this black and white image. What stands out, however, is the national coat of arms at the center. The coat of arms stands for the Aztec legend of the eagle, sitting atop a cactus while eating a serpent, marking the founding of their city, Tenochtitlan.

The 13 stripes on the American flag stand for the original thirteen colonies, and the 50 stars represent the 50 states that make up the United States of America. The flag goes by many names, including, Old Glory and the Stars and Stripes.

The background color of the flag of Albania is a bright red which represents bravery, strength, and valor. The center image is of a double-headed eagle, which represents the state.

The Vietnam flag was first used during the uprising against French rule in 1940. On September 5, 1945, the flag was adopted to represent an independent North Vietnam and later in 1976, for all of Vietnam.

Like every flag, the colors of the flag of the Dominican Republic have a deeper meaning. The blue stands for liberty, the white for salvation, and the red for the blood of heroes.

The background color of the flag of Japan is white. The circular symbol in the middle is red and is representative of the sun and the country's nickname, "Land of the Rising Sun."

The flag of Belize was adopted on their first independence day in 19871. The Coat of Arms represents the logging industry.

The colors of the flag (black, green, and yellow), which you cannot see represent strength, creative, wealth, sunlight, and agricultural resources. The flag was adopted on August 6, 1962.

The symbol on the Brazilian flag is of a blue disc illustrating a starry sky. The motto in the middle means "Order and Progress."

Known as the "five-star red flag," the stars of the flag of China represent the unity of the Chinese people. The red background, which you cannot see, represents the communist revolution.

The top stripe of the Egyptian flag is red, the middle white, and the bottom black. The symbol in the middle is Egypt's national emblem, the Egyptian eagle of Saladin.

The Canadian flag often called the Maple Leaf, is a red and white flag. The symbol in the middle is of a maple leaf which represents unity, tolerance, and peace.

The New Zealand flag is red, white and blue. In the top corner is the Union Jack and on the other side, four red stars with white borders. The flag was officially adopted in 1902.

Another red, white, and blue flag, the flag of the United Kingdom is the Union, Jack. The Union Jack incorporates elements of three older national flags, the red cross of St. George for England, the white saltire of St. Andrew for Scottland, and the red saltire of St. Patrick for Ireland.

The flag of Argentina has three bands, the first is blue, the middle is white, and the second is blue again,

The border edge of the flag of Montenegro is gold while the center is red. The symbol in the middle is the coat of arms of Montenegro.

The flag of Bangladesh was adopted on January 17, 1972. The background is green which represents the land and the disc in the middle is red, representing the sun rising over Bengal.

The flag of Barbados has three banners. The first is a dark blue, the middle is yellow, and the last is dark blue again. The blue represents the seak and sky, and the gold represents the beaches. In the middle is the trident of Neptune.

The national flag of Pakistan was adopted on August 11, 1947. The majority of the flag is green, which represent Islam. The white crescent and star in the center represent progress and light.

The flag or Norway is red with a blue Scandinavian cross. The flag was based off a coat arms that was used for the ruler of Norway.

The national flag of the Netherlands has three bands, the first is red, the second is white, and the last is rule. The first flag was actually orange, white, and blue, for William I of Orange. The flag was officially adopted in 1937.

The flag of Chile was adopted on October 18, 1817. The first band is white, and the bottom band is red. The square in the upper corner is blue with a white star in the center. The blue symbolizes the sky and ocean, the white the Andes, and the red the blood spilled over the fight for independence.

The flag of Poland just has two banners, one white and one red, both are the country's national colors. The flag was officially adopted in 1919.

The national flag of Panama was adopted in 1925. The stars and quarters represent the different political parties, and the white represents peace.

The flag of Columbia is made up of three horizontal stripes. The first and the largest is yellow, the second is blue, and the last is red. Each color symbolizes something different. The yellow, riches, the blue, oceans and river, and the red, blood spilled for independence.

The flag of Peru has three vertical banners, the first is red, the middle is white, and the last is red. Like many of flags that incorporated the color red, red symbolizes the blood spilled in the fight for independence.

The golden sun with eight rays on this flag represents a Philippine province. Each star represents the three main island groups.

The design for the flag of Portugal was adopted on June 30, 1911. The first half of the flag is green which represents hope and the second half is red which represents the the blood of the heroes who died fighting for their country.

The flag of Costa Rica is blue, white, and red. The flag also includes the coat of arms of Costa Rica, which was updated in 1964 and 1998.

The flag of Russia has three horizontal banners, one white, one blue, and one red. Over history, the flag changed depending on who was in power, but in 1993 after the constitutional crisis, the current flag was fully restored.

The colors of the flag of Denmark, which you cannot see, are red with a white Scandinavian cross. The design reportedly dated back to the Kings of Denmark in the 14th century.

The flag of Iceland is blue with a white-edged red Nordic cross. The flag became official on June 17th, 1944, the same day in which Iceland became a republic.

The national flag of Ecuador consists of three horizontal bands. The top one, which is yellow, is double the width of the blue and red bands. The coat of arms was added to the flag in 1900.

The national flag of Greece is commonly referred to as the "blue-white" because it's actually blue and white! The cross in the corner symbolizes Eastern Orthodox Christianity, the religion of the Greek people.

The relatively new national flag of Africa was adopted in 1994 and replaced the one that had was used since 1928. The new flag was created to represent the country's new democracy after the end of apartheid.

The Spanish flag has three horizontal stripes. The top and bottom stripes are red, and the one in the center is yellow. The emblem in the center is the naval ensign of 1785. The flag was chosen out of 12 designs by Charles III.

The flag of France consists of three vertical bands, one blue, one white, and one red. The flag is known as the French Tricolour and was one of the first three-color flags ever. The tricolor bands have inspired many other national flags.

The tricolor flag of Germany was clearly inspired by the French flag. The bands are black, red, and yellow, the national colors of Germany, and represent the republican democracy.

The flag of Israel has three bands. The first is blue, the center is white, and the bottom is blue. The symbol in the center is the Star of David, the symbol of Jewish people.

The flag of turkey is red with a white star and resent at its center. The flag is often called "al bayrak" (the red flag) and was inspired by the late Ottoman flag.

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