National flags can look wildly different, but when you dig a little, you see that they are all built out of a shockingly small kit of parts. Tricolors (France, Italy, Ireland, Mexico) came out of the French Revolution and traveled with it. Horizontal bands of red, white, green, and black are Pan-Arab and make up most flags of the Middle East. Red, gold, and green are Pan-African colors inspired by Marcus Garvey's 1920 UNIA flag. The off-center "Scandinavian Cross" is Danish (Denmark got there first) and every neighboring country followed suit like Norway and Sweden.
Once you can see these flag families, you can start to read a wall of flags the way you read a map. (This is the part where being a flag nerd stops being a trivia bit and starts being useful.)
Our national flags are built like everything else here:
- heavy polyester that actually holds its color
- a canvas header with grommets
- a triple-stitched fly edge (reinforced because it is the edge that whips itself to death first)
Shop by region: Europe, Africa, Asia, and South America. If we don't carry the country you want yet, email us!
Frequently Asked Questions
What size is a standard country flag?
3 by 5 feet is the standard house-pole size in the USA and what most people are looking for. Commercial poles of 20 feet or taller usually take a 4 by 6 or a 5 by 8. See our Flag Size Guide for more sizing tips!
(Shop poles and brackets here)
What is a tricolor, and why are there so many?
Three equal bands of color, vertical or horizontal. The French flag of 1794 made the tricolor design politically legible as a clean break from monarchy, and newly independent countries have been following that trend ever since as shorthand for "we're a republic now." Ireland, Italy, and Mexico are all the same idea wearing different colors.
Why do the Nordic flags all have an off-center cross?
Denmark's Dannebrog is the oldest continuously used national flag on Earth, and its offset cross became the regional signature. Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands all followed it.
Can you get a flag you don't currently stock?
Often, yes! Email us the country and we'll tell you honestly whether we can source it well or not.
