There are several countries with a red and white flag. From England to Canada, to Tunisia in Africa, and to countries across Europe and Asia, there are about 20 countries using these colors in their flags.
Each of these colors has significance and meaning to a country. In this article, you will get to know about some of the countries with red and white flags and what these colors represent to them.
What countries have red and white flag?
1. England
England is a notable country that’s part of the United Kingdom. Its flag originates from the Saint George’s cross with a red cross and white background. It was adopted in the 1990s.
The red cross is an emblem of England that can be traced back to the Late Middle Ages, particularly in the design of the Union Jack in 1606. The flag represents the aspirations, dreams, and identity of the English people.
2. Singapore
Adopted on the 3rd of December, 1959, the Singaporean flag features two-equal horizontal bands with red above and white beneath. On the upper left of the red band is a white crescent moon with five white stars arranged in a circle right beside it.
The crescent moon symbolizes a young growing nation while the five stars represent democracy, progress, peace, equality, and justice which are what Singapore stands for.
The red band depicts equality and togetherness while the white signifies long-lasting and true purity and virtue.
3. Canada
Canada adopted their current flag on the 15th of February, 1965. The flag is popularly known as the Maple Leaf flag because of the red maple leaf in its center.
The flag combines red on both ends and white in the middle in a vertical order. The white band, however, had a width that is twice larger than the red. The symbols and colors in the flag represent peace, hope, neutrality, and tranquility noticeable in the country.
4. Japan
Japan’s national flag is also known as Nisshoki or Hinomaru which is translated to mean Land of the Rising Sun. It features a rectangular white background with a crimson red circle at the center.
The white background signifies peace, purity, and honesty. The red disc represents the Hinomaru, which is the circle of the sun in Japan’s tradition. The country adopted this flag on the 13th of August, 1999.
5. Switzerland
The Swiss flag is square-shaped with a white Swiss cross at the center of a red layer. It’s been used since the 12th of December, 1889 and it’s one of two square-shaped flags in the world.
The flag’s design is inspired by the Battle of Laupen in the carton of Bern in 1339. To distinguish themselves from their enemies, the Swiss soldiers decided to tie a white cross to their armor on the battlefield.
6. Tunisia
The Tunisia national flag dates back to October 1827 when it was adopted. It has a red layer and a white sun disc in its center. This sun disc contains a red star that’s surrounded by a red crescent.
The white sun disc is a symbol of peace and the radiance of the country as the sun. The crescent and five-pointed star stand for the five Muslim pillars as well as their unity. They also believe firmly that the crescent and red star bring good fortune.
7. Denmark
Denmark’s flag also known as Dannebrog in Danish has a white Scandinavian cross on a red background. The vertical bar on the cross is shifted more to the upper side and the flag has been in use since the 15th of June, 1219.
The white Scandinavian cross symbolizes the fight for Christianity as a region and the red signifies their battles and victories.
8. Indonesia
The Indonesians adopted their flag on the 17th of August, 1950. The Indonesia flag contains only two colors; red at the top and white at the bottom.
Some believe that the red color signifies courage while others believe that it represents physical life or the human body. Some are also of the opinion that White represents purity while some take it to mean the soul or spiritual life.
Apart from the national flag, the Indonesian Navy has a variant called Naval Jack. It is found on the mast of every Indonesian warship with as many as nine alternating stripes of red and white color.
9. Turkey
Turkey’s national flag was adopted in 1936. It is commonly known as Al bayrak it Al sancak and it originates directly from the Ottoman flag. It has a red background, a white crescent, and stars surrounding the crescent.
The red color signifies bravery while the white crescent stands for Islam. The stars are symbols of independence and the flag itself serves as a reassurance of hope for the people of Turkey.
10. Poland
Poland introduced their current flag on the 1st of August, 1919. The flag has two equal horizontal bands of white and red with white at the top and red at the bottom.
Both colors originate from their coat of arms which has been in use since the 13th century. The red and white represents the rich history of the country.
The white also symbolizes honor and the red is a symbol of the blood of brave individuals who fought against the country’s invasion.
11. Qatar
Qatar adopted its flag on July 6, 1971. The flag looks almost like the flag of Bahrain, with slightly different proportions. Also, Qatar’s flag is maroon instead of red.
It is the only country whose flag is twice as wide as its height. The maroon color reflects the many lives that Qatar has lost as a result of the constant war.
The white color represents the peace they want, and the nine-dot zigzag line means Qatar is the ninth member of the “Reconciled Emirate” of the Persian Gulf close to the conclusion of the Qatar-British Treaty in 1916.
12. Lebanon
Lebanon uses a flag with horizontal red and white stripes and a green Lebanon Cedar tree at the center. The white stripes divide the two red stripes in the middle.
They generally refer to the flag as the Land of the Cedars flag which is present on the flag. The Cedar of Lebanon represents holiness, eternity, and peace.
The two red stripes represent the bloodshed of many Lebanese in the struggle to stop the continuous invasion of their land. The white there stands for the snow in their country which is a symbol of peace and purity. The current flag has been adopted since December 1943.
13. Latvia
Latvia currently uses a flag that it introduced in 1918 after its independence from Russia in the First World War. The flag has a red background that is divided by a narrow white stripe horizontally.
The red color symbolizes the will of the people to fight for their freedom and independence of their country at the expense of their lives. The Latvians also associate their flag with their leader who was wounded during the fight.
It was said that his wound was wrapped in a white cloth that got stained by the blood. As a result, some claim that the red is the leader’s blood and the white is the sheet wrapped around his wound.
14. Monaco
Monaco adopted their flag as far back as the 4th of April, 1881 with two equal horizontal stripes of red and white. It’s really similar to that of Indonesia with the only difference being their dimension ratios. Monaco’s flag is at 4:5 while Indonesia’s is at 2:3.
The white signifies the purity of the spiritual life while the red color represents positive human values as well as the human flesh.
15. Bahrain
Bahrain adopted its national flag on the 14th of February, 2002. The flag has a white band on the left that’s separate from the red area with five white triangles on the right. It looks so much like the flag of Qatar.
The five white triangles are the five pillars of Islam while the red color represents the Kharijite sect of the Islamic religion that controls part of the Arabian Peninsula. The white color stands for peace.
16. Tonga Flag
Tonga, officially known as the Kingdom of Tonga, is a small Polynesian state located in Oceania. The country’s flag was introduced on the 4th of November, 1875. The flag is a bicolor of a red background and a white color at the top left corner with a red cross on it.
Tonga is a country with Christianity as its sole religion. Therefore, the red cross symbolizes the Christian faith of the people. The red background symbolizes the blood of Jesus Christ when he was crucified. And the white represents purity.
17. Greenland flag
Greenland’s current flag was introduced in May 1989 with equal horizontal bands of red and white. There is a large circle tilted slightly to the left and set in the middle of the bands. As a result, the circle has a white background above and red below.
This flag is a design by Thue Christiansen. The red color is called Aappalaartoq (“red”). The red and white are symbols of the hundred years of being part of Denmark. The large disk represents the setting sun on the horizon and the return of sunshine and warmth in midsummer.
18. Austria
The flag of Austria is one of the oldest in the world. The country adopted its flag as early as 1230. It combines horizontal stripes of red and white.
The red band is at the top and bottom, while the white band separates them in the middle. The red color represents the bravery and strength of the Austrian people and white symbolizes peace and honesty.
19. Georgia
Georgia’s flag was adopted on the 25th of January, 2004. The flag features a rectangle with a white background and a large red cross that touches all four sides of the flag at the center.
There are also four red crosses at each corner of the cross. This is why the flag is often referred to as the Five Cross Flag. The five red crosses are the symbols of Christianity representing Jesus Christ and the four evangelists.
The white color on the other hand signifies purity, wisdom, and innocence while red itself represents love, courage, bravery, and justice.
20. Peru
Another country with a red and white flag is Peru. Peru officially adopted its national flag on the 25th of February, 1825. The flag has vertical stripes with red on the right and left end and white in the middle. There’s a coat of arms in the middle of the flag also.
The red color is a symbol of those killed in Peru’s struggle for independence. The white signifies peace and purity and the coat of arms represents pride and wealth.
FAQs
How many countries have a red and white flag?
About 20 countries have red and white flags.
Which country has a vertical red and white flag?
Canada’s flag has red and white vertical stripes.
Conclusion
Countries do not use colors and symbols on their flags for aesthetic sake. They always consider their background, history, dreams, and aspirations.
For most countries, red represents the struggles of the people for their freedom while white stands as a symbol of peace. Because of the significance of a nation’s flag, citizens value and appreciate their countries’ flags.
You may also read the article on countries with red and yellow flags.
I hope this article helped. Thanks for reading.
