National colours

National colours are frequently part of a country’s set of national symbols.

Many states and nations have formally adopted a set of colours as their official "national colours" while others have de facto national colours that have become well-known through popular use. National colours often appear on a variety of different media, from the nation’s flag to the colours used in sports.

Table

Country	Flag	Primary colors	Secondary colors	Further information
Afghanistan		Green, red, white and black
Albania		Red and black
Argentina		Light blue and white[1]
Armenia		Red and blue
Australia		Green and gold	Blue and white	National colours of Australia
Bangladesh		Red, Green and Gold	White and Blue
Belgium		Red	Black and yellow, light blue (cycling)[2]
Bosnia and Herzegovina		Blue, Gold and White
Brazil		Green and yellow	Blue and white
Canada		Red and white[3]	Black (hockey only)	National colours of Canada
Chile		Red, white, and blue
China		Red and Yellow
Czech Republic		White, red, and blue[4][5][6]
Estonia		Blue, black, and white[7]
Finland		White and blue	Red and gold
France		Blue, white, and red[8]
Germany		Black, red and gold	Black and white	National colours of Germany
Ghana		Red, Gold, Green and Black	White and black
Greece		Blue and white		National colours of Greece
Haiti		Red and blue[9]
Hungary		Red, white and green
India		Blue and orange
Indonesia		Red and white[10]
Iran		Green, white and red
Ireland		Green	White, green and orange
Israel		Blue and white[11]		National colours of Israel
Italy		Green, white and red[12]	Azure	National colours of Italy
Jamaica		Green, gold and black
Libya		Red,Black,Green and White
Malaysia		Gold and black	Red, white, yellow and blue
Mexico		Green, white and red
Nepal		Crimson
Netherlands		Orange	Red, white and blue
New Zealand		Black[13]	White, silver, ochre red	National colours of New Zealand
Norway		Red, white and blue	Red and gold
Pakistan		Green and white
Philippines		Blue, red, white and yellow
Poland		White and red
Portugal		Green and red
Russia		White, blue and red
Serbia		Red, blue and white[14][15][16]		National colours of Serbia
Slovakia		White, blue and red
Slovenia		White, blue and red[17]	Green, blue and white (sports)[18]
Sweden		Blue and gold
Tajikistan		Green, yellow, red and white
Ukraine		Blue and yellow		National colours of Ukraine
United Kingdom		Red, white and blue		National colours of the United Kingdom
United States		Red, white, and blue[9]
Uruguay		Blue and white	Red; light blue is used in sports
Venezuela		Yellow, blue and red	Burgundy (sports)
Vietnam		Yellow and red

See also

• Tricolour
• List of international auto racing colours
• Lists of national symbols

References

1. "Símbolos nacionales". Government of Argentina. Archived from the original on 2015-10-09. La primera enseña patria es la Bandera Nacional. Creada por el general Manuel Belgrano el 27 de febrero de 1812, fue consagrada con los mismos colores ‘celeste y blanco’ por el Congreso de Tucumán el 20 de julio de 1816 y ratificada por el mismo cuerpo en Buenos Aires, el 25 de febrero de 1818.
2. "Rode Duivels brengen eerbetoon aan wielrenners met uitshirts". Sporza. Retrieved 2016-08-20.
3. "National Colours: Red and White". Government of Canada. Retrieved 2013-10-26.
4. "Státní symboly". hrad.cz.
5. "Symboly současné České republiky". vlast.cz.
6. "Státní symboly České republiky". toulkypocechach.com.
7. "National symbols of Estonia".
8. "Le drapeau tricolor" [The Tricolor Flag] (in French). 2002-06-20. Archived from the original on 2005-01-28. Retrieved 2015-07-18. Le pavillon, ainsi que le drapeau national, sera formé des trois couleurs nationales disposées en trois bandes égales, de manière à ce que le bleu soit attaché à la garde du pavillon, le blanc au milieu et le rouge flottant.
9. "National Symbols". The World Factbook (52nd ed.). Washington, DC: Central Intelligence Agency, Office of Public Affairs. 2014. ISBN 978-0-16-092553-5. OCLC 913577992.
10. Minahan, James B. (2009). The Complete Guide to National Symbols and Emblems. ABC-CLIO. p. 65. ISBN 978-0-313-34497-8. Retrieved 2015-10-26. National colors: Red and white
11. "Israel National Symbols: The Israeli Flag". Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved 2014-06-11.
12. Ferorelli, Nicola (1925). La vera origine del tricolore italiano. Rassegna storica del Risorgimento. 12. pp. 654–680.
13. "Design of The New Zealand Orders Insignia". The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Government of New Zealand. Retrieved 2013-03-20.
14. The Journal of the Orders & Medals Research Society of Great Britain. Orders and Medals Research Society. 1969. p. 207).
15. Chronicles. Rockford Institute. 1994. p. 39.
16. Thomas, Nigel; Mikulan, Krunoslav (2006). The Yugoslav Wars (2): Bosnia, Kosovo and Macedonia 1992–2001. Osprey Publishing. p. 58. ISBN 978-1-84176-964-6.
17. "National Insignia". Government of the Republic of Slovenia. Retrieved 2016-08-21. the three national colours (white, blue and red) of Carniola - the central historic state on the territory of the Slovenian people - are used
18. "Sport in Slovenia" (PDF). Government Communication Office of the Republic of Slovenia. Retrieved 2016-08-21. The Olympic Committee of Slovenia suggests that sports organisations use the following ratio when designing national sports equipment: 50% green, 30% blue and 20% white.