Weeping Vexillologists V: Flag Mathematics Quiz

Answer: 9

France's flag consists of THREE vertical stripes of blue white and red.
(The three colours represent several concepts but the most popular theory is freedom (blue), equality (white), and fraternity or brotherhood (red) which dates back to the French Revolution.

Germany's flag contains THREE horizontal bands of black red and gold
The German flag dates back to 1848 and while there have been several theories for the meaning of the three colours it is generally accepted that the three colours represent the national colours of Germany.

3x3 = 9

Answer: 2

Poland has a two horizontally striped flag of white over red. Indonesia and Monaco have two horizontally striped flags of red over white.
Colours used in all three flags: Red + White
Total Colours = 2

Sukarno, the first Indonesian president said "Red is the symbol of courage, White is the symbol of purity. Our flag has been there for 600 years".

With the Monaco flag, red (top) and white (bottom), are the heraldic colours of the Monaco's Royal Family dating back to at least 1339.

In Poland, white and red were officially adopted as national colours in 1831, though their history through royal banners has a much older history. They are of heraldic origin and were derived from the coats of arms of the two constituent nations of the powerful Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (i.e. the White Eagle of Poland, and the 'Pursuer of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania', a white knight riding a white horse), both on shields of solid red.

Answer: 10

The national South African flag is complex: From the top. the flag has horizontal bands of red and blue separated by a central green band which splits into a horizontal white "Y" shape. The arms of the white Y end at the corners of the hoist side. The "Y" encloses a black isosceles triangle. Narrow yellow or gold bands separate the black from the white Y shape. The red and blue bands are separated from the green band with the narrow white stripes of the Y shape. Three of the flag's colours (blue, green white) were lifted from the flag of the South African Republic (see Q9), which, in turn, were derived from the flag of the Netherlands, and the Union Jack, while the other three colours (black, yellow red) were taken from the African National Congress flag.

Total Colours: Red, Blue, White, Green, Yellow, Black = 6

The Venezuelan flag can trace its origin of yellow, blue and red horizontal stripes back to 1811. Neighbouring Colombia and Ecuador also have very similar flags:
Yellow represents the 'riches of the country, the wealth of Venezuelan soil, gold, sovereignty, harmony, justice and agriculture' and the sun. Blue represents the Sea of the Caribbean that surrounds the country, including Venezuela's beaches. Red represents the 'blood spilt in the battle of independence from Spain'.
Seven white stars were arranged in a semicircle in the middle band to represent the seven signatories to the Venezuelan Declaration of Independence, being the seven provinces of Caracas, Cumaná, Barcelona, Barinas, Margarita, Mérida, and Trujillo. Later an eighth white star was added for Guayana.

Total Colours: Red, Blue, Yellow, White = 4
Total Colours = 6+4=10

Answer: 1

Number of stars in each flag:

USA 50 (one for each state)

Australia 6 (Southern Cross 5 + 1 large Federation star)

Brazil 27 One star per federal unit (26 states + 1 federal district)

New Zealand 4 (Stylised Southern Cross)

Tajikistan 7 (pictured)
The crown represents the Samanid dynasty and Tajik people, surrounded by seven stars as the number seven in Persian mythology represents perfection and happiness. (The heavens feature seven mountains and seven orchard gardens with a star shining above each mountain).

China 5
The five stars and their relationship represents the unity of the Chinese people under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Revolution. The large star symbolizes the CCP, and the four smaller stars around the larger star represent the 'four social classes of China: the working class, the peasantry, the urban petite bourgeoisie, and the national bourgeoisie'.


50 - (6+27+5+4+7)
50 - 49 = 1

Answer: 3

Chile has a flag of white and red horizontal stripes with a dark blue canton. Within the canton is a single white star which represents Venus, significant to the country's indigenous people and according to legislation also symbolises a 'guide to progress and honor'

Liberia's flag is based on the United States flag. It has 11 alternating red and white stripes The eleven stripes represent the signatories of the Liberian Declaration of Independence and also represent courage and moral excellence. A single white star represents the first independent republic in Africa, on the blue square of the canton which represents the African continent.

The flag of Togo has five equal horizontal bands of green alternating with yellow. These are the pan-African colours of Ethiopia, common to many African flags. There is a white five-pointed star on a red square in the canton. Red represents bloodshed to gain independence; green represents the forests, agriculture, and nature; yellow represents Togo's natural resources; The white star represents hope. The five stripes represent the five regions of Togo.
Both Greece and Tonga have a single cross each in their cantons but no stars

No. of stars in canton:
Chile 1
Greece 0 (1 cross)
Liberia 1
Togo 1
Tonga 0 (1 cross) (pictured)
Total stars in canton = 3

Answer: 7

The flag of Israel is a white field with two thin blue horizontal stripes near the top and bottom with a blue Jewish Star in the centre. This star is composed of two large triangles, one inverted, giving 6 smaller triangles as the star's points, yielding eight triangles in total.
The blue stripes represent the stripes on a tallit, a traditional Jewish prayer shawl. The Jewish Star is the universal symbol of the Jewish people and Judaism. Blue symbolises glory and purity. The white field represents Chesed which, roughly translated, is Divine Benevolence.

The flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina is a medium blue field bisected with a single yellow right triangle There are seven full five-pointed white stars and two half stars running along the hypotenuse of the triangle. The triangle is the approximate shape of the country, The stars especially the broken ones represent infinity and the blue colour of the field is a connection to the United Nations.

Israel: 2 large triangles + 6 small triangles = 8 (pictured)
Bosnia and Herzegovina: yellow triangle = 1
Total 8-1=7

Answer: 4

Birds on flags:
Domenica - 1 (Sissou Parrot) (pictured)
Papua New Guinea - 1 (Bird of Paradise)
Uganda - 1 (Grey crowned crane)
Yemen - 0 (No bird)
Zimbabwe - 1 'Zimbabwe' Bird
Total = 4

Each of the birds depicted represents a bird endemic to that country and therefore unique to that country further promoting each country's identity.

The Yemeni flag has no bird. It is a horizontal tricolour of red over white over black and is the same as the Arab Liberation Flag of 1952 which served as the inspiration for the flags of Yemen, Egypt, Iraq, Sudan, Palestine and Syria.
According to Yemeni legislation, the red stands for unity and the bloodshed of martyrs, the white for a bright future, and the black for the dark past.

Answer: 5

Number of Eagle heads on flags:

Albania - 1 eagle (stylised), 2 heads (pictured)
Kazakhstan - 1 eagle (unspecified type)
Mexico - 1 eagle - Mexican (golden) eagle
Zambia - 1 eagle - African fish eagle

Total eagle heads = 5

The double-headed eagle is a heraldic figure indicating great power. Albania, Serbia, Montenegro and Russia have a double-headed eagle in their coat of arms with Albania having a black double-headed eagle directly on the field of the flag (Serbia has its entire coat of arms on its flag). The Eagle itself is an apex predator and with its ability to fly, one can appreciate why it appears on so many national flags.

Answer: 6

Flags containing Union Jack - 3: Fiji +Tuvalu + Bermuda

At one stage Fiji, Tuvalu, and Bermuda were all part of the British Empire or Commonwealth. As such all three show this link by retaining a Union Jack in the canton. Bermuda and Fiji also have the coat of arms as an identifier on their flag with Bermuda having a dark blue and Fiji a light blue field. Tuvalu retains the union Jack and also has nine stars arranged in the geographic approximation of their position. The field is light blue.

Flags within Flag of South Africa (1928-94) [pictured]- 3:
British colonies of Cape Colony and Natal (Union Jack, left) + flag of the former Boer republics of Orange Free State (centre) and the South African Republic (right). The Orange, white and blue colours of the larger flag was based on the "Prince's Flag" (Prinsenvlag in Afrikaans) which was originally the Dutch flag that consisted of orange, white, and blue horizontal stripes.

Total flags within flags 3+3= 6

Answer: 8

The Scandinavian flags are similar with an offset cross on a plain field. Iceland has a red cross edged in white on a dark blue background. Norway's is the reverse of Iceland's flag. Sweden has a yellow cross on a blue background. The Finnish flag is a blue cross on a white background.

The English flag is simple and a component of the Union Jack. It consists of a symmetrical red cross on a white field.

Iceland - Red, White, Blue (pictured)
Norway - Red, White, Blue (pictured)
Sweden - Blue, Yellow (pictured)
Finland - Blue, White

England - Red, White (pictured)

(Red+White+Blue+Yellow) x (Red+White)
4x2 = 8