Flags of the EU – answers and explanations
Here are the answers to all 27 questions in the Flags of the EU quiz, each with a short explanation. Name the country from its flag. All 27 EU member states. Haven't played yet? Take the quiz first and compare your score.
Play the quiz · 27 questions1. Which country's flag is this?
Answer: Bulgaria
Bulgaria's white, green and red tricolour dates from 1879, after liberation from Ottoman rule. It echoes the Russian tricolour, with green replacing blue for the country's farmland.
2. Which country's flag is this?
Answer: Finland
Finland adopted its blue Nordic cross on white in 1918, soon after independence. The blue is said to stand for the country's thousands of lakes, the white for winter snow.
3. Which country's flag is this?
Answer: Czech Republic
The blue triangle was added in 1920 to tell the Czechoslovak flag apart from Poland's white-and-red. The Czech Republic kept the design after the 1993 split with Slovakia.
4. Which country's flag is this?
Answer: Portugal
Portugal's green-and-red flag was adopted in 1911 after the republican revolution ended the monarchy. The armillary sphere recalls the great age of Portuguese navigation.
5. Which country's flag is this?
Answer: Luxembourg
Luxembourg's red, white and blue looks much like the Dutch flag, but the blue is lighter and the flag longer. It came into use in the 19th century and was made official in 1972.
6. Which country's flag is this?
Answer: France
The tricolour was born in the French Revolution: blue and red are the colours of Paris, placed around the white of the monarchy.
7. Which country's flag is this?
Answer: Greece
The nine blue and white stripes are often said to match the nine syllables of the battle cry 'Freedom or Death'. The cross stands for Greek Orthodox Christianity.
8. Which country's flag is this?
Answer: Estonia
The blue-black-white began as a student society's flag in 1881, became national in 1918, and was banned under Soviet rule before being restored in 1990.
9. Which country's flag is this?
Answer: Belgium
Belgium's black, yellow and red come from the arms of the Duchy of Brabant and were raised during the 1830 revolution that won independence from the Netherlands.
10. Which country's flag is this?
Answer: Germany
Black, red and gold were colours of 19th-century movements for German unity and freedom, flown at the 1848 Frankfurt parliament and readopted in 1949.
11. Which country's flag is this?
Answer: Latvia
A medieval chronicle tells of a wounded Latvian chief wrapped in a white sheet stained red at the edges. The flag was adopted in 1921 and restored in 1990.
12. Which country's flag is this?
Answer: Italy
Inspired by the French tricolour, the green, white and red was first used by the Cispadane Republic in 1797 and became Italy's flag with unification in 1861.
13. Which country's flag is this?
Answer: Sweden
Sweden's blue and gold come from the national coat of arms, and the cross design goes back to the 16th century. Current proportions were fixed in 1906.
14. Which country's flag is this?
Answer: Slovenia
Adopted in 1991 at independence, the crest shows Mount Triglav, Slovenia's highest peak, with wavy lines for the sea and three gold stars from the Counts of Celje.
15. Which country's flag is this?
Answer: Denmark
Legend says the Dannebrog fell from the sky during a battle in Estonia in 1219. It is regarded as the oldest national flag still in use.
16. Which country's flag is this?
Answer: Romania
The blue, yellow and red tricolour dates from the union of Wallachia and Moldavia around 1859. In 1989 revolutionaries cut the communist emblem out of the centre.
17. Which country's flag is this?
Answer: Malta
The George Cross in the corner was awarded to Malta by King George VI in 1942 for the islanders' bravery under heavy bombing in World War II.
18. Which country's flag is this?
Answer: Spain
King Charles III chose the red-yellow-red in 1785 because it was easy to spot at sea. The arms include the Pillars of Hercules with the motto 'Plus Ultra'.
19. Which country's flag is this?
Answer: Ireland
Green stands for the Gaelic Catholic tradition and orange for Protestant followers of William of Orange, with white for peace between them. Official since 1937.
20. Which country's flag is this?
Answer: Croatia
The chequered 'sahovnica' shield is a centuries-old Croatian symbol. The flag was adopted in 1990, with five small crests of historic regions above the shield.
21. Which country's flag is this?
Answer: Cyprus
Adopted at independence in 1960, it deliberately avoids Greek and Turkish colours. The copper map recalls the island's copper, and the olive branches mean peace.
22. Which country's flag is this?
Answer: Slovakia
Slovakia added its shield to the white-blue-red tricolour in 1992 to distinguish it from Russia's. The double cross stands on three hills from the medieval arms.
23. Which country's flag is this?
Answer: Austria
Legend links the red-white-red to Duke Leopold V, whose blood-soaked tunic stayed white under his belt in 1191. It became the republic's flag in 1918.
24. Which country's flag is this?
Answer: Poland
The white and red come from Poland's coat of arms, a white eagle on a red field. The two-band flag was officially adopted in 1919 after independence.
25. Which country's flag is this?
Answer: Hungary
The red, white and green come from Hungary's historic coat of arms and were raised in the 1848 revolution. In 1956 rebels cut the communist emblem out of the flag.
26. Which country's flag is this?
Answer: Lithuania
Lithuania's yellow-green-red tricolour was first adopted in 1918, banned during Soviet rule, and restored in 1989. The colours are said to stand for the sun, the forests and courage.
27. Which country's flag is this?
Answer: Netherlands
The Dutch red-white-blue is one of the oldest tricolours. Its top band was originally orange, after William of Orange, but shifted to red during the 17th century.