World Flags Quiz – Printable Version
20 multiple-choice questions with an explained answer key, ready to print.
Print the sheet (or save it as a PDF from the print window), hand it out, then mark it together using the answer page: every answer is explained. Perfect for a party, a birthday, a classroom, a care home or a team activity.
Name: ………………………………Score: ……… / 20
- Which is the only national flag that is not rectangular in shape?
- A. Ecuador
- B. Switzerland
- C. Tonga
- D. Nepal
- Which country had, from 1977 to 2011, an entirely green flag with no other design, unique in the world?
- A. Saudi Arabia
- B. Libya
- C. Oman
- D. Qatar
- Which South American country has a "Sun of May" with a human face on its flag?
- A. Peru
- B. Chile
- C. Colombia
- D. Argentina
- Which Asian country has a lion holding a sword on its flag?
- A. Myanmar
- B. Cambodia
- C. Bhutan
- D. Sri Lanka
- Which country has a yin-yang symbol (taegeuk) at the center of its flag?
- A. Vietnam
- B. Mongolia
- C. South Korea
- D. North Korea
- Which country has a machete and a cogwheel on its flag?
- A. Zimbabwe
- B. Angola
- C. Zambia
- D. Mozambique
- Which country has an eagle holding a snake and perched on a cactus at the center of its flag?
- A. Panama
- B. Guatemala
- C. Ecuador
- D. Mexico
- Historically, where do the colors of the French flag — blue, white, red — come from?
- A. Blue and red, the colors of Paris; white, the royal color
- B. Copied from the American flag
- C. Chosen at random in 1789
- D. Liberty, equality, fraternity
- Which is the most recently independent country, in 2011, whose flag was created for the occasion?
- A. Eritrea
- B. South Sudan
- C. Kosovo
- D. East Timor
- Which country has a white crescent and star on a red background?
- A. Algeria
- B. Pakistan
- C. Turkey
- D. Tunisia
- Which color dominates the largest number of national flags in the world?
- A. Green
- B. Blue
- C. Yellow
- D. Red
- Which Himalayan kingdom only adopted its current flag in 1971, when it joined the UN?
- A. Ladakh
- B. Sikkim
- C. Nepal
- D. Bhutan
- How many points does the large Commonwealth Star beneath the Union Jack on the Australian flag have?
- A. 5
- B. 7
- C. 8
- D. 6
- Which traditional dagger appears on the flag of the Sultanate of Oman?
- A. The khanjar
- B. The yataghan
- C. The kukri
- D. The kris
- What peculiarity makes Zambia's flag unique among national flags?
- A. Its emblem sits in the bottom-right corner
- B. It changes with the season
- C. It contains no primary colour
- D. It is square
- Which ritual object inspired the blue stripes of the Israeli flag?
- A. The veil of the Temple
- B. The high priest's mantle
- C. The Ottoman naval ensign
- D. The prayer shawl (tallit)
- What do the thirteen stripes of the United States flag represent?
- A. The thirteen original colonies
- B. The thirteen founding presidents
- C. The thirteen signers of the Constitution
- D. The thirteen battles of independence
- Which Andean animal appears on the coat of arms of Peru's flag?
- A. The llama
- B. The puma
- C. The vicuña
- D. The alpaca
- Which country's flag features both a bird and a cross, unique among Commonwealth states?
- A. Dominica
- B. Saint Lucia
- C. Jamaica
- D. Barbados
- Which Central American country's flag features a triangle with volcanoes, a rainbow and a Phrygian cap at its centre?
- A. Honduras
- B. Costa Rica
- C. El Salvador
- D. Nicaragua
Answer key — World Flags Quiz
- D. NepalThe Nepali flag is made up of two stacked triangular pennants, unique in the world.
- B. LibyaUnder Muammar Gaddafi, Libya flew the only national flag in history to be a single solid color.
- D. ArgentinaThe Sun of May, also present on Uruguay's flag, depicts a smiling human face.
- D. Sri LankaThe lion represents the Sinhalese people, and its sword symbolizes national sovereignty.
- C. South KoreaAround the taegeuk are four trigrams borrowed from the I Ching, representing the elements and the cardinal directions.
- B. AngolaBeneath a star, the machete stands for the peasants and the armed struggle for independence, and the cogwheel for industrial workers.
- D. MexicoThis scene illustrates the legend of the founding of Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital that became Mexico City.
- A. Blue and red, the colors of Paris; white, the royal colorThe tricolor cockade combined blue and red, the colors of the city of Paris, with white, the color of the monarchy.
- B. South SudanSouth Sudan's flag uses pan-African colors with a star on a blue background representing the country's unity.
- C. TurkeyThis symbol, inherited from the Ottoman Empire, has adorned the Turkish flag for centuries.
- D. RedA symbol of courage and blood shed for independence, red appears on a majority of national flags.
- D. BhutanBhutan formalized its dragon flag upon joining the United Nations.
- B. 7Six points for the original federated states, plus a seventh added in 1908 for the territories collectively.
- A. The khanjarThe national emblem combines a khanjar, a curved dagger worn at the belt, with two crossed swords joined by a horse bit.
- A. Its emblem sits in the bottom-right cornerAlmost every flag places its main device in the centre or near the hoist.
- D. The prayer shawl (tallit)The tallit, a white shawl striped with blue, served as the model at the first Zionist Congress in 1897.
- A. The thirteen original coloniesSeven red stripes and six white, one per founding colony. The stars, by contrast, track the number of states: there have been twenty-seven versions of the flag since 1777.
- C. The vicuñaThe shield has three quarters: the vicuña for fauna, the cinchona tree for flora, and a cornucopia spilling gold coins for mineral wealth.
- A. DominicaDominica's flag displays a sisserou parrot surrounded by stars on a tricolour cross, a unique symbolism among national flags.
- D. NicaraguaNicaragua's coat of arms, like those of several Central American countries, features the triangle-and-volcanoes emblem inherited from the former Federal Republic of Central America.