Guidance for Country Code Flags

About This Page

ISO 3166 and Unicode CLDR define over 240 standard two-letter country codes, and it's common to represent those codes with flags. But it's not always obvious which flags go with which codes, or how they're supposed to be rendered. This page is a simple guide to help you choose and display country flags correctly. It contains:

This site is not associated with the International Organization for Standardization, the Unicode Consortium, or any other organization. All images and text on this site are public domain, but please do not hotlink them from this server. Send questions or comments to feedback@flaglog.com.

Download a full set of 720px public domain flag images (.zip, 15.8 MB)

General Advice

  1. Resize smartly. The flags of the world all have different height-to-width ratios. If you want to change that ratio — for example, to make a uniform set of icons — you need to make sure all of the flag's elements remain in proper proportion with one another. The list below shows the best way to resize a flag for a 2:3 ratio. For other ratios, like 1:1, you might need to use your best judgment.
  2. Plan for edge cases. Almost every flag on this list is a rectangle, but the flags of Switzerland (CH) and Vatican City (VC) are square, and the flag of Nepal (NP) is a double-tailed triangular pennant which requires a transparent background. Nepal also has the narrowest flag on the list, while the flag of Qatar (QA) is over three times as long. Your plan for displaying flags needs to account for these outliers.
  3. Do not repeat flags. Many of the country codes represent territories that are part of another country on the list. For example, Norway (NO) has sovereignty over Svalbard (SJ) and Bouvet Island (BV). But it's both incorrect and confusing to use the Norwegian flag for all three of these codes. It's incorrect because that flag symbolizes Norway as a whole, not any of its individual parts. (Just like how "the flag of the United Kingdom" is a distinct concept from "the flag of Scotland.") It's confusing because an overwhelming majority of people have even never heard of Bouvet Island, and even those who have would never assume that an icon with the Norwegian flag actually represents that territory. Use the national flag for the national code, and local symbols for the local code. And if there are no local symbols...
  4. Plan for codes without flags. Some codes represent remote, completely uninhabited rocks which simply don't have any kind of local symbols whatsoever. The Heard and McDonald Islands (HM) have never had a flag and probably never will — at least not until penguins learn how to sew. The best practice for a code like this is to just show an empty space instead of an icon. In the rare case where you can't avoid showing an image, you should use a very obvious placeholder icon with the country code written on it. Greyscale is recommended, since grey is a very uncommon colour on flags. There are examples of recommended placeholder images in the list below.
  5. Be aware of politics. Flags are political symbols, and there is no such thing as a "neutral" list of flags. When you include flags for Western Sahara (EH), Kosovo (XK) and Taiwan (TW), you are implicitly taking a stance on the sovereignty claims of Morocco, Serbia and China. You can't avoid this, so know what you're getting into instead.
  6. Use a consistent palette. Some countries suggest Pantone colours for their flags, but those values don't always translate well to a computer screen, and using them will often make flags appear much duller or darker than they are in real life. (The white stripe on Poland's flag was notoriously gray on Wikipedia for years due to an overly-literal interpretation of the country's flag law.) If you're drawing your own images from scratch, you only need a small number of colours to represent the vast majority of flag designs: red, orange, yellow, green, dark blue, light blue, maroon, black, and white.

Table of Country Code Flags

code locale name sample image
(2:3 ratio)
sample image
(official size)
notes
AC Ascension Island

The Union Jack should take up a quarter of the flag's total area and match the ratio of the overall image. (See GB for more details.)

The coat of arms should be centred on the right half of the flag.

AD Andorra

The yellow stripe is slightly wider than the other two.

AE United Arab Emirates

The red stripe should be 1/4 of the width of the flag or be the same thickness as the other stripes, whichever is larger.

AF Afghanistan

The emblem should overlap the green and black stripes.

As of August 2021, the Taliban have taken over Afghanistan and replaced the Afghan national flag with their own white and black banner. However the new regime and its flag have yet to be accepted by the international community. You should continue using the tricolour flag for all purposes.

AG Antigua and Barbuda
AI Anguilla

The Union Jack should take up a quarter of the flag's total area and match the ratio of the overall image. (See GB for more details.)

The coat of arms should be centred on the right half of the flag. The sides of the shield are straight and there is no orange border around it.

Anguilla also has an unofficial local "dolphin flag" which is widely flown on the island. It will be a recognizable and distinct icon but should never be used in a context which implies any kind of official status.

AL Albania
AM Armenia

The bottom stripe is orange and not yellow.

AO Angola
AQ Antarctica

Antarctica does not have a government or an official flag. In recent years, the most commonly-flown flag on the continent has been the "True South" flag.

Avoid using the light blue flag with a white map of Antarctica. Though sometimes described as the flag of Antarctica online, it is not flown in the real world.

AR Argentina
AS American Samoa

The white triangle should open towards the right side of the flag.

AT Austria
AU Australia

The Union Jack should take up a quarter of the flag's total area and match the ratio of the overall image. (See GB for more details.)

The stars have seven points, except for the smallest one in the Southern Cross, which has five. Take care not to confuse with the similar flag of New Zealand (NZ) which has red stars.

AW Aruba
AX Åland Islands The red lines are slightly thicker than the yellow lines.
AZ Azerbaijan
BA Bosnia and Herzegovina

The base and the height of the triangle should be equal. There are seven full stars along the diagonal, with a half star "overlapping" the edge of the flag at either end.

BB Barbados
BD Bangladesh

The green should be very dark.

BE Belgium
BF Burkina Faso
BG Bulgaria
BH Bahrain

The serrated edge should have five white points. Do not use the version with eight points, it was replaced in 2002.

Take care not to confuse with the very similar flag of neighbouring Qatar. (QA)

BI Burundi
BJ Benin

The green stripe takes up 2/5 of the width of the flag.

BL Saint Barthélemy

Do not use the version with writing above the coat of arms. The version pictured here is more common.

Never use the French flag to represent this code. The flag of France is not the same thing as "the flag of Saint Barthélemy" (just as the American flag is not "the flag of Texas") and the potential for user confusion is extremely high.

BM Bermuda

The Union Jack should take up a quarter of the flag's total area and match the ratio of the overall image. (See GB for more details.)

The coat of arms should be centred on the right half of the flag.

BN Brunei

The diagonal lines do not reach all the way to the corners of the flag.

BO Bolivia

The "civil" version of the flag with the blank middle stripe is commonly flown and can be used if you need a simpler image. The "state" flag with the coat of arms is the preferred version when talking about the Bolivian government.

BQ

Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba

(Caribbean Netherlands)

The Caribbean islands of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba are three special municipalities of the Netherlands. There is no collective flag for the territory, but each island has its own flag. The flag of Bonaire is conventially used to represent this code, since it has around ten times the area and population of the other two.

BR Brazil
BS Bahamas

The black triangle should be equilateral or take up half the width of the flag, whichever is smaller.

Some digital images of the flag online show the blue colour as a dark teal, but it should be a bright and vibrant turquoise.

BT Bhutan

The bottom-right triangle is orange and not red.

BV Bouvet Island

Bouvet Island is a barren, uninhabited island lying 1700km north of Antarctica. It has no flag or local symbols whatsoever.

If possible, you should not show any flag image for this code. If you need to have a visible icon, use a placeholder image with the code BV in large bold letters, rendered in grayscale to visually distinguish it from actual flags.

Never use the Norwegian flag to represent this code. The flag of Norway is not the same thing as "the flag of Bouvet Island" (just as the American flag is not "the flag of Texas") and the potential for user confusion is extremely high.

BW Botswana
BY Belarus

The carpet pattern takes up the entire width of the white stripe. There are no white "margins" on the side of it. The width of the stripe is equal to 2/9 of the flag's height.

The traditional red and white flag of Belarus is a popular symbol of opposition to the current regime and was widely used at pro-democracy protests in the wake of the country's most recent election. Notably, the instant messenger service Telegram uses this flag in place of the official one. For most common use cases, the official flag is still the best one to use.

BZ Belize

Do not use the version with 3D shading and a yellowish skin tone. The design of the coat of arms was updated in 2019.

CA Canada

The central stripe should be exactly half the width of the flag.

CC Cocos (Keeling) Islands The Southern Cross should be identical to the one on the flag of Australia, except yellow. (See AU for more details.)
CD

Democratic Republic of the Congo

(Congo-Kinshasa)

This is the country that was formerly known as Zaire. Take care not to confuse with the other Congo. (CG)
CF Central African Republic
CG

Republic of the Congo

(Congo-Brazzaville)

Take care not to confuse with the other Congo. (CD)
CH Switzerland

The official ratio of the flag is square.

CI Côte d'Ivoire

(Ivory Coast)

Take care not to confuse with the similar flag of Ireland (IE) which has the stripes in the reverse order.

CK Cook Islands

The Union Jack should take up a quarter of the flag's total area and match the ratio of the overall image. (See GB for more details.)

There are 15 stars in the ring and they are pointed outwards.

CL Chile
CM Cameroon
CN China
CO Colombia
CP Clipperton Island

Clipperton Island is an uninhabited atoll lying around 1000km southwest of Mexico. It has no flag or local symbols whatsoever.

If possible, you should not show any flag image for this code. If you need to have a visible icon, use a placeholder image with the code CP in large bold letters, rendered in grayscale to visually distinguish it from actual flags.

Never use the French flag to represent this code. The flag of France is not the same thing as "the flag of Clipperton Island" (just as the American flag is not "the flag of Texas") and the potential for user confusion is extremely high.

CR Costa Rica

There is a "state" flag with a coat of arms on the red stripe, but the plain version is by far the most common and it's appropriate for all uses and contexts.

CU Cuba

The red triangle should be equilateral or take up half the width of the flag, whichever is smaller.

CV Cabo Verde

The red and white stripes are 1/12 the height of the flag, and they start 1/4 of the way up from the bottom. The ring of yellow stars should be centred 3/8 of the way in from the left side of the flag, and each individual star is roughly the same height as one of the stripes.

CW Curaçao

The yellow stripe is 1/8 the height of the flag and starts 1/4 of the way up from the bottom. The top-left star is a little smaller than the bottom-right one.

CX Christmas Island The Southern Cross should be identical to the one on the flag of Australia. (See AU for more details.)
CY Cyprus

This is the flag of the Republic of Cyprus, which only controls the southern Greek half of the island. The North is controlled by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which is not recognized by the international community. Avoid using the North's crescent-and-star flag.

CZ Czechia The triangle takes up half the width of the flag.
DE Germany
DG Diego Garcia Diego Garcia is the largest island in the British Indian Ocean Territory. Although the territory as a whole has a flag, the island of Diego Garcia does not.

If possible, you should not show any flag image for this code. If you need to have a visible icon, use a placeholder image with the code DG in large bold letters, rendered in grayscale to visually distinguish it from actual flags.

The Chagossian people, the native inhabitants of Diego Garcia, were forcibly expelled in 1971 to make way for a military base. They have adopted an orange, black and blue flag in exile. This is the closest thing to a flag of Diego Garcia, and could be used as an alternative image in certain contexts.

In any event, do not use the flag of the British Indian Ocean Territory for this code. The two locales are not synonymous (just as Maui is not the same thing as Hawaiʻi) and the BIOT has its own code at IO.

DJ Djibouti

The triangle takes up half the width of the flag. The star should be fairly large and pointing upwards.

DK Denmark

The top-left corner should be perfectly square.

DM Dominica

The flag of Dominica has been subtly tweaked several times since independence. On the current version of the flag, the stripes on the cross are in yellow-black-white order, the parrot faces to the left, the stars are the same colour as the background of the flag, and the outline around the stars is black.

DO Dominican Republic

There should always be a coat of arms in the centre of the cross.

DZ Algeria
EA Ceuta and Melilla

Ceuta and Melilla are two autonomous Spanish cities located on the coast of Morocco. Each city has its own flag, but there is no single symbol representing both of them together.

If possible, you should not show any flag image for this code. If you need to have a visible icon, use a placeholder image with the code EA in large bold letters, rendered in grayscale to visually distinguish it from actual flags.

If you need a non-placeholder image, you can combine the city flags into a single icon, as shown at left. However, this is not a real flag and it should never be used in educational texts or reference materials.

In either event, never use the Spanish flag to represent this code. The flag of Spain is not the same thing as "the flag of Ceuta and Melilla" (just as the American flag is not "the flag of Chicago") and the potential for user confusion is extremely high.

EC Ecuador

The coat of arms is half the height of the flag. There is a rarely used "civil" version of the flag without the coat of arms on it, but since it's identical to the flag of Colombia (CO) it should be avoided.

EE Estonia
EG Egypt

The emblem in the middle is sometimes just a gold outline but the coloured in version is recommended as it's easier to distinguish from the flag of Yemen. (YE)

EH Western Sahara

The triangle should take up a third of the flag, and the crescent and star should be centred. Make sure the triangle is on the left side of the flag.

Western Sahara is claimed and partially occupied by Morocco but considered a non-self-governing territory by the United Nations. The flag of the Polisario Front, shown here, is not recognized by Morocco or by the international community at large, but is the only flag that represents Western Sahara specifically.

ER Eritrea
ES Spain

The coat of arms is centred a third of the way in from the left side of the flag.

ET Ethiopia

The circle is 2/3 of the height of the flag and the blue colour should be fairly light.

EU European Union

There are twelve stars and they should all point upwards.

FI Finland
FJ Fiji

The Union Jack should take up a quarter of the flag's total area and match the ratio of the overall image. (See GB for more details.)

The coat of arms should be centred on the right half of the flag.

FK Falkland Islands

The Union Jack should take up a quarter of the flag's total area and match the ratio of the overall image. (See GB for more details.)

The coat of arms should be centred on the right half of the flag.

The Falkland Islands are claimed by Argentina under the name "Islas Malvinas." Do not use the Argentine flag to represent this territory.

FM Micronesia The four stars should point outwards.
FO Faroe Islands

The top-left corner should be perfectly square.

FR France
GA Gabon
GB United Kingdom

The flag consists of mutliple crosses overlaid on top of one another. From bottom to top: The diagonal white cross is 1/5 the flag's height thick. The red "pinwheel" stripe is 1/15 of the flag's height thick, placed so that its inner edge would touch a line drawn from one corner of the flag to the other. The "red part" of the diagonal is on the bottom on the left half of the flag and on top on the right half of the flag. The white upright cross is 1/3 of the flag's height thick. The red upright cross is 1/5 of the flag's height thick.

Don't omit the red pinwheel or turn it into a fully centred diagonal cross. If resizing the flag, make sure everything stays in proportion. Be careful not to display the flag upside down by mistake.

GD Grenada
GE Georgia

Do not use the maroon flag, it was replaced in 2004.

GF French Guiana

The nationalist green and yellow flag was formally adopted by the local administration in 2010 but fell out of official use when the government was restructured in 2015. Nevertheless it remains a popular symbol of the territory and is the only recommended flag for this code.

Never use the French flag to represent this code. The flag of France is not the same thing as "the flag of French Guiana" (just as the American flag is not "the flag of Texas") and the potential for user confusion is extremely high.

GG Guernsey
GH Ghana

The star should be the exact same height as the yellow stripe.

GI Gibraltar
GL Greenland
GM Gambia The blue stripe is thinner than the red or green ones. The white and blue areas put together make up a third of the flag.
GN Guinea
GP Guadeloupe

The most common flag associated with Guadeloupe is the nationalist flag pictured at top left. Although unofficial, it is recommended for general use.

The regional government flies a white flag with its logo on it. This flag is official, but very rarely seen and never flown by private citizens. It might be more appropriate to represent the island in reference materials, but in most cases the first flag is better.

Never use the French flag to represent this code. The flag of France is not the same thing as "the flag of Guadeloupe" (just as the American flag is not "the flag of Texas") and the potential for user confusion is extremely high.

You should also avoid the black flag with the sun on it. That flag is never actually flown in the real world, and appears to be an online invention.

GQ Equatorial Guinea
GR Greece There are nine stripes and the top one is blue. The blue square is 5 stripes high, and the cross is exactly one stripe thick.
GS South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

The Union Jack should take up a quarter of the flag's total area and match the ratio of the overall image. (See GB for more details.)

The coat of arms should be centred on the right half of the flag.

GT Guatemala
GU Guam

Do not omit the red outline.

GW Guinea-Bissau

The red bar should take up a third of the flag.

GY Guyana

The point of the black arrow should be right in the middle of the flag.

HK Hong Kong

Do not use the Chinese flag to represent Hong Kong. The city has its own local symbols.

HM Heard and McDonald Islands

The Heard and McDonald Islands are a barren, uninhabited island group lying around 4000km southwest of Australia. The territory has no flag or local symbols whatsoever.

If possible, you should not show any flag image for this code. If you need to have a visible icon, use a placeholder image with the code HM in large bold letters, rendered in grayscale to visually distinguish it from actual flags.

Never use the Australian flag to represent this code. The flag of Australia is not the same thing as "the flag of the Heard and McDonald Islands" (just as the American flag is not "the flag of Texas") and the potential for user confusion is extremely high.

HN Honduras

The blue colour should be a bright turquoise. Do not use the darker blue version, it was replaced in January 2022. The stars should take up a third of the width of the flag.

HR Croatia

The top-left square on the chequerboard should always be red. The version with white at the top-left was flown by a Nazi puppet state during the Second World War.

HT Haiti

The white box doesn't have a fixed size and can be substantially larger than the version pictured here, especially on smaller icons. There is a rarely-used "plain" version of the flag with no box at all, but the version with arms is recommended for all uses and contexts.

HU Hungary
IC Canary Islands

The blue stripe has a coat of arms in the middle.

ID Indonesia

When displayed at a standard ratio, the flags of Indonesia and Monaco (MC) look identical. Make sure users have a way to distinguish them.

IE Ireland

The right stripe is orange and not yellow. Take care not to confuse with the similar flag of Côte d'Ivoire (CI) which has the stripes in the reverse order.

IL Israel
IM Isle of Man

The feet face clockwise.

IN India
IO British Indian Ocean Territory

The Union Jack should take up a quarter of the flag's total area and match the ratio of the overall image. (See GB for more details.)

There are six blue wavy lines on the flag with five peaks that sort of lean to the left. The blue lines don't show through the holes in the crown.

Diego Garcia, the largest island in the territory, has its own country code at DG but the BIOT flag should only be used for IO.

IQ Iraq

The inscription should look like geometric calligraphy instead of handwriting, and there shouldn't be any stars on the flag. (The writing was changed in 2004 and the stars were removed in 2008.)

IR Iran

The ornamental bands are made of calligraphy reading "God is great" 11 times in a row on each stripe. If you need to have a shorter ratio than the official version, shrink the entire band proportionally so that all 22 instances of the phrase fit on the flag without being stretched or squished. Do not "simplify" the text into squiggles.

At the official ratio there are thin gaps between the ends of the bands and the edges of the flag, but those gaps can be trimmed out if need be.

IS Iceland

The top-left corner should be perfectly square.

IT Italy
JE Jersey
JM Jamaica
JO Jordan

The red triangle is half the width of the flag. The star has seven points and should be quite small.

JP Japan
KE Kenya
KG Kyrgyzstan The flag was changed in December 2023. The correct version has 40 straight rays, separated from the centre of the sun.
KH Cambodia
KI Kiribati

There are 6 white and blue wavy lines, with white on top and blue on the bottom. The waves form six "peaks" and take up half the height of the flag.

KM Comoros
KN Saint Kitts and Nevis
KP North Korea

The star is centred a third of the way in from the left.

KR South Korea

The radius of the red and blue Taeguk is 1/4 the height of the flag. You can draw the emblem by putting a red circle and a blue circle (each 1/4 of the height of the flag in diameter) next to each other, and then "filling in" the rest of the larger circle. The emblem is oriented around the diagonal of the flag — in other words, if you were to draw a line from the top-left corner of the flag to the bottom-right, it would pass straight down the middle of those two circular "lobes".

The black trigrams should also be oriented along the diagonals. Make sure they're in their correct positions. (Clockwise from top-left: ☰ ☵ ☷ ☲)

KW Kuwait

The trapezoid should be 1/4 of the width of the flag or be the same thickness as the other stripes, whichever is larger.

KY Cayman Islands

The Union Jack should take up a quarter of the flag's total area and match the ratio of the overall image. (See GB for more details.)

Unlike on other British ensigns, the coat of arms should be inside a large white disc, around half the height of the flag in diameter.

KZ Kazakhstan

The ornamental band doesn't reach the edges of the flag.

LA Laos
LB Lebanon

The tree should be entirely green, with no brown on the trunk.

LC Saint Lucia

The background should be light blue.

LI Liechtenstein
LK Sri Lanka

The right panel should be 40% of the width of the flag, and the left panel should be 26% of the width of the flag.

The red colour should be a deep maroon.

LR Liberia

There are eleven stripes, six red and five white. The blue square is 5 stripes high and rests on a white stripe.

LS Lesotho

The white stripe should take up 2/5 of the flag. Do not use the flag with the diagonal stripes and the brown shield, it was replaced in 2006.

LT Lithuania
LU Luxembourg The bottom stripe should be light blue.
LV Latvia

The flag should be a deep maroon and the white stripe should take up 1/5 of the height.

LY Libya

The black stripe should take up half the height of the flag. Do not use the plain green flag, it was replaced in 2011.

MA Morocco

The star should be fairly large, especially at smaller sizes. It does not have any kind of outline on it.

MC Monaco

When displayed at a standard ratio, the flags of Monaco and Indonesia (ID) look identical. Make sure users have a way to distinguish them.

MD Moldova
ME Montenegro

Do not omit the yellow outline. It should be a bright golden colour, not dull.

MF Saint Martin

This is the French half of the island. (See SX for the Dutch half).

Do not use the blue flag with a white "Y" shape on it. That flag is an online invention.

Never use the French flag to represent this code. The flag of France is not the same thing as "the flag of Saint Martin" (just as the American flag is not "the flag of Texas") and the potential for user confusion is extremely high. The local flag pictured here is suitable for all use cases.

MG Madagascar

All three stripes should have the same area.

MH Marshall Islands
MK North Macedonia

The rays should be drawn so that the the red and yellow areas meet exactly at the corners of the flag. Six of the yellow rays intersect the top and bottom of the flag, and the other two intersect the sides.

ML Mali
MM

Myanmar

(Burma)

Do not use the red and blue flag. It was replaced in 2010.

MN Mongolia
MO

Macau

(Macao)

Do not use the Chinese flag to represent Macau. The city has its own local symbols.

MP Northern Mariana Islands

The blue is typically a medium-to-dark shade.

MQ Martinique

The long political and legal debate around the flag of Martinique was only officially resolved in February 2023, when the red-green-black flag pictured here was officially adopted by the territorial Assembly. This flag should be used for all purposes.

Never use the French flag to represent this code. The flag of France is not the same thing as "the flag of Martinique" (just as the American flag is not "the flag of Texas") and the potential for user confusion is extremely high.

Do not use the blue and green flag with a conch shell on it. It was annulled in 2021.

You should never under any circumstances use the "snake flag" to represent this code. Although common online, this is a deeply charged symbol that is widely associated with the slave trade. The flag is seen by many as racist and it has been largely removed from the public sphere in recent years. Again, do not use the snake flag for any reason. If you are already using it, make it a priority to remove it.

MR Mauritania

Make sure the flag has red stripes at the top and bottom. They were added in 2017.

MS Montserrat

The Union Jack should take up a quarter of the flag's total area and match the ratio of the overall image. (See GB for more details.)

The coat of arms should be centred on the right half of the flag.

MT Malta
MU Mauritius
MV Maldives
MW Malawi

Do not use the flag with the white sun. It was only used from 2010 to 2012.

MX Mexico
MY Malaysia

There are fourteen stripes, and the top stripe should be red. The blue rectangle is half the width of the flag and 8 stripes high. The star has 14 points.

MZ Mozambique
NA Namibia
NC New Caledonia

There are two widely flown flags in New Caledonia. Supporters of independence fly the blue-red-green Kanak flag, while the anti-independence camp prefers the French flag. By law, the two flags fly next to each other on public buildings. The local flag is the recommended for all situations. The French flag should be avoided because of the high potential for user confusion.

The yellow circle is centred 1/3 of the way in from the left side of the flag.

FIFA uses a combination of the two flags to represent the country's national football team. In the specific context of international sport, you can use this icon instead of the local flag.

NE Niger

The official ratio of the flag is 2:3, not 6:7 as is sometimes reported.

NF Norfolk Island

The white stripe is wider than the green stripes. It should take up 9/23 the width of the flag.

NG Nigeria
NI Nicaragua
NL Netherlands
NO Norway

The top-left corner should be perfectly square.

NP Nepal

Nepal has the world's only non-rectangular national flag, and the only one that's taller than it is wide. Be prepared to accommodate this edge case in your layout.

Never use an image with an opaque background. Everything outside the pennants should be transparent. If transparency is completely impossible, use a light gray background that won't be confused with a part of the flag.

It's recommended that you use the flag in its natural shape and size, even when you're displaying every other flag at a uniform ratio. If you need to, you can "stretch out" the pennants while keeping the sun and moon emblems at the same size.

NR Nauru

The centre of the star is 25% of the way in from the left side of the flag, and the very top of it is touching the yellow stripe.

NU Niue

The Union Jack should take up a quarter of the flag's total area and match the ratio of the overall image. (See GB for more details.)

The smaller stars are all the same size, and they should be small enough to just fit within the red stripes.

NZ New Zealand

The Union Jack should take up a quarter of the flag's total area and match the ratio of the overall image. (See GB for more details.)

The stars are all slightly different sizes and have a thin white outline. Take care not to confuse with the similar flag of Australia (AU) which has white stars.

OM Oman

The red vertical stripe should always be half as wide as it is tall.

PA Panama
PE Peru

The "civil" version of the flag with the blank middle stripe is commonly flown and can be used if you need a simpler image. The "state" flag with the coat of arms is the preferred version when talking about the Peruvian government.

PF French Polynesia
PG Papua New Guinea
PH Philippines

The white triangle should be equilateral or take up half the width of the flag, whichever is smaller.

The blue stripe should be on top. The flag is sometimes flown with a red stripe on top to indicate a state of war.

PK Pakistan

The white stripe should take up a quarter of the flag.

PL Poland

The top stripe should be pure white. (Some online sources incorrectly show the stripe as gray.)

There is a "state" flag with a coat of arms on the white stripe, but the plain version is by far the most common and it's appropriate for all uses and contexts.

PM Saint Pierre and Miquelon

The panels on the left are a little over a quarter of the width of the flag.

The flag is technically unofficial but widely recognized as the main symbol of the islands.

Never use the French flag to represent this code. The flag of France is not the same thing as "the flag of Saint Pierre and Miquelon" (just as the American flag is not "the flag of Texas") and the potential for user confusion is extremely high.

PN Pitcairn Islands

The Union Jack should take up a quarter of the flag's total area and match the ratio of the overall image. (See GB for more details.)

The coat of arms should be centred on the right half of the flag.

PR Puerto Rico

The triangle is always equilateral.

PS Palestine

The triangle should take up a third of the flag.

PT Portugal

The green stripe takes up 2/5 of the flag.

PW Palau

The yellow moon is centred 7/16 of the way in from the left side of the flag. Its radius is 3/16 of the width of the flag.

PY Paraguay

The front and the back of the flag have different designs. Use the front (the side with the star on it.)

The coat of arms should not have any red or blue inside it. That version was updated in 2013.

QA Qatar

There should be 9 white points, and the serration should take up 8% of the width of the flag.

The colour of the flag is maroon, not red. It should be noticeably darker than the very similar flag of Bahrain. (BH)

Qatar has the widest flag in the world — 27% longer than the next widest. If you're displaying flags at their official ratios, you'll need to be aware of the large discrepancy when planning your layout. Reducing the height of the image or shrinking it to a 1:2 ratio are acceptable fallbacks if you absolutely cannot accommodate the flag at its natural width.

RE Réunion

The flag is technically unofficial but widely recognized as the main symbol of the country.

Never use the French flag to represent this code. The flag of France is not the same thing as "the flag of Réunion" (just as the American flag is not "the flag of Texas") and the potential for user confusion is extremely high.

Do not use the flag with four triangles and a white circle. It was an earlier proposal for the flag of Réunion that never took off.

RO Romania

The flags of Romania and Chad (TD) are identical. Make sure users have a way to distinguish them.

RS Serbia

There is a "civil" version of the flag with no coat of arms on it, but this version is more common and is suitable for all uses.

RU Russia
RW Rwanda

The sun is on the right side of the flag, and it's a slightly darker shade of yellow than the stripe.

Do not use the flag with the letter R on it. It's associated with the Rwandan genocide and was replaced in 2001.

SA Saudi Arabia

The inscription is a religious creed which reads "There is no god but God and Muhammad is the messenger of God." Displaying it improperly is considered blasphemous, and Saudi Arabia takes flag desecration extremely seriously.

The inscription must always be in a legible orientation. If reversing the flag, keep the writing as it was originally. If displaying the image vertically (i.e. 90° rotated) keep the text and the sword in their original horizontal orientation. If cropping the image, make sure the entire inscription is within the crop. Do not "simplify" the text to squiggles or abstract shapes. Do not depict the flag flying at half-mast. Do not print the flag on anything which is intended to be thrown out (like a disposable food wrapper) or treated roughly (like a soccer ball). Do not print the flag on an alcoholic beverage. Do not place the flag where it might be stepped on or get dirty. Do not depict the flag on fire or otherwise damaged.

If you're unable to follow these restrictions, there is a semi-official secondary flag which you can use instead, showing a palm tree above two crossed swords. This flag has no special meaning and can be used however you want.

SB Solomon Islands
SC Seychelles

The flag is divided into five unequal sections by diagonal lines stretching from the lower-left corner to the top and right edges of the flag, each one intersecting a point 1/3 of the way along the edge.

SD Sudan

The triangle takes up 1/3 of the width of the flag.

SE Sweden
SG Singapore
SH Saint Helena

The Union Jack should take up a quarter of the flag's total area and match the ratio of the overall image. (See GB for more details.)

The coat of arms should be centred on the right half of the flag. The top part of the shield should be bright yellow and not dull.

SI Slovenia

The centre of the coat of arms is 25% of the way in from the left side of the flag. Take care not to confuse with the very similar flag of Slovakia (SK)

SJ Svalbard and Jan Mayen

Svalbard is a sparsely-populated Arctic archipelago lying halfway between Norway and the North Pole. Jan Mayen is a small island with no permanent population some 950km to the southwest. Neither territory has a flag.

If possible, you should not show any flag image for this code. If you need to have a visible icon, use a placeholder image with the code SJ in large bold letters, rendered in grayscale to visually distinguish it from actual flags.

Svalbard also has a shield-shaped emblem, mainly used as a logo by the Governor's office. Although it is never flown on a flag in the real world, it can serve as a flag shaped icon if you need a non-placeholder image. However, it is not a real flag and it should never be used in educational texts or reference materials.

In any event, never use the Norwegian flag to represent this code. The flag of Norway is not the same thing as "the flag of Svalbard and Jan Mayen" (just as the American flag is not "the flag of Texas") and the potential for user confusion is extremely high.

SK Slovakia

Take care not to confuse with the very similar flag of Slovenia (SI)

SL Sierra Leone
SM San Marino
SN Senegal
SO Somalia
SR Suriname

The green stripes each take up 20% of the flag's height, the white stripes take up 10%, and the red stripe takes up 40%.

Take care not to confuse with the very similar flag of Guadeloupe. (GP)

SS South Sudan

The blue triangle should be equilateral or take up half the width of the flag, whichever is smaller. The star should point up. The white stripes are 5% of the height of the flag. The official shade of blue is very light.

ST São Tomé and Príncipe

The left star is dead in middle of the flag, and the right star is centred 25% of the way in from the right side of the flag. The width of the triangle is half its height.

SV El Salvador

Always use the version with the coat of arms in the middle. Do not use the version with the blank stripe or the version with the motto "DIOS UNION LIBERTAD" in gold lettering, since those are secondary flags that won't be as familiar to users.

SX Sint Maarten

This is the Dutch half of the island. (See MF for the French half)

SY Syria

The Syrian opposition flies a green-white-black flag with three red stars. However, the official flag pictured here is currently the correct one to use in all contexts.

SZ

Eswatini

(Swaziland)

TA Tristan da Cunha

The Union Jack should take up a quarter of the flag's total area and match the ratio of the overall image. (See GB for more details.)

The coat of arms should be centred on the right half of the flag.

TC Turks and Caicos Islands

The Union Jack should take up a quarter of the flag's total area and match the ratio of the overall image. (See GB for more details.)

The coat of arms should be centred on the right half of the flag.

TD Chad

The flags of Chad and Romania (RO) are identical. Make sure users have a way to distinguish them.

TF French Southern Territories

Use the flag with five stars around the monogram. The flag with three stars was flown by the administrator of the territory before 2007.

TG Togo
TH Thailand

The blue stripe is twice the height of any of the other stripes.

TJ Tajikistan

The white stripe is around 3/7 the height of the flag.

TK Tokelau The stars should have the same relative sizes as the stars on the flag of New Zealand (NZ) only further spread out.
TL

Timor-Leste

(East Timor)

The yellow triangle takes up half the width of the flag, and the black triangle takes up a third. The star points at the top left corner of the flag, so it appears slightly askew.

TM Turkmenistan

The carpet pattern is extremely complicated but some of the elements have important symbolic meaning. If simplifying the carpet for a small icon, try to make sure there are still five distinct roundels to represent the five Turkmen tribes and a wreath at the bottom to represent Turkmenistan's permanent neutrality.

The five stars point downwards.

TN Tunisia

The circle is half the height of the flag.

TO Tonga

The white field is 5/12 the width of the flag and 1/2 the height.

TR Turkey
TT Trinidad and Tobago
TV Tuvalu

The Union Jack should take up a quarter of the flag's total area and match the ratio of the overall image. (See GB for more details.)

The stars should point in different directions.

TW

Taiwan

(Republic of China)

The People's Republic of China regards Taiwan as an integral part of its territory, and the display of the Taiwanese flag is banned on the mainland.

Taiwan competes in international sporting events under the name "Chinese Taipei", usually flying the white flag pictured here. This flag is appropriate in the context of sport but should not be used to represent the code otherwise.

Under no circumstances should the flag of the People's Republic of China be used to represent this code.

TZ Tanzania
UA Ukraine Depending on the manufacturer, the blue stripe can sometimes be a very light sky blue, but flags used by the Ukrainian government are typically more of a royal blue.
UG Uganda

The circle is exactly two stripes high.

UK see GB (United Kingdom)

UM U.S. Minor Outlying Islands

The United States Minor Outlying Islands consist of eight uninhabited Pacific island groups, plus one more off the coast of Haiti. They are only grouped together for statistical reasons and have no collective government or flag.

If possible, you should not show any flag image for this code. If you need to have a visible icon, use a placeholder image with the code UM in large bold letters, rendered in grayscale to visually distinguish it from actual flags.

You should never use the American flag to represent this code, any more than you would use it to represent an individual state. The potential for user confusion is extremely high, especially since the US code is very close in alphabetical order.

Wake Island, home to the territory's largest non-bird population, has an unofficial flag which could stand in if a placeholder image absolutely wouldn't work. However, it should not be used this way in educational texts or reference materials.

UN United Nations
US United States

There should always be 13 stripes and the top one must be red. The blue field should be seven stripes high and rest on a white stripe. The width of the blue field should either be 40% of the width of the overall flag or 120% of the height of the blue field, whichever is larger. There should be 50 stars, arranged in staggered rows of 6 and 5.

(There is an official government specification ("G-Spec") which defines the exact dimensions of the flag even more precisely than this, but those rules only apply to flags flown on government buildings. For most purposes, any image that matches the above description will look correct.)

A new star is added to the flag every time another state joins, but the change does not happen until the next July 4th after the state is admitted to the Union. Avoid updating flag images prematurely.

UY Uruguay

There are nine stripes, and the top and bottom ones should be white. The white square is five stripes high.

UZ Uzbekistan There are very thin red outlines on either side of the white stripe. There are twelve stars arranged in a trapezoid pattern.
VA

Vatican City

(Holy See)

The official ratio of the flag is square.

VC Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

The top two diamonds in the V shape are vertically centred on the flag.

VE Venezuela

The "civil" version of the flag with the blank top-left corner is commonly flown and can be used if you need a simpler image. The "state" flag with the coat of arms is the preferred version when talking about the Venezuelan government.

Do not use the version with only seven stars. An eighth star was added in 2006.

VG Virgin Islands (British)

The Union Jack should take up a quarter of the flag's total area and match the ratio of the overall image. (See GB for more details.)

The coat of arms should be centred on the right half of the flag.

VI Virgin Islands (U.S.)
VN Vietnam
VU Vanuatu
WF Wallis and Futuna

The design of the cross isn't fixed, and is sometimes drawn as four entirely separated triangles. But this version is more common within the territory. The French flag has a thin white outline and is quite small, around 1/4 of the height of the flag.

Never use the French flag to represent this code. The flag of France is not the same thing as "the flag of Wallis and Futuna" (just as the American flag is not "the flag of Texas") and the potential for user confusion is extremely high.

WS Samoa

The blue field should should take up a quarter of the flag's total area and match the ratio of the overall image.

XK Kosovo

The map should be a vibrant golden yellow.

YE Yemen
YT Mayotte

The seahorses should be white and not gray. Do not use the version with "MAYOTTE" in red text above the coat of arms. That flag was replaced in 2016.

Never use the French flag to represent this code. The flag of France is not the same thing as "the flag of Mayotte" (just as the American flag is not "the flag of Texas") and the potential for user confusion is extremely high.

ZA South Africa
ZM Zambia
ZW Zimbabwe

Update History

This page is regularly reviewed for accuracy. The most recent review was on 2024-01-10.