Flags of Western Europe
Recognise the 10 national flags of Western Europe by their colours and design, one family of flags at a time.
10 cards · Geography
Each Zap teaches up to 5 new cards, so you learn the deck a few at a time.
Checked by the Brain Zap team · reviewed 23 Oct 2026
Sources: Gallery of sovereign state flags (Wikipedia), flag-icons by Lipis, MIT licence (the pictures)
Preview
Blue, white and red vertical bands
Show answerHide answer: Blue, white and red vertical bands
France
Learn more: The tricolour dates from the 1789 Revolution: blue and red were the colours of Paris, white the king's.
Black, yellow and red vertical bands
Show answerHide answer: Black, yellow and red vertical bands
Belgium
Learn more: The colours come from the arms of the Duchy of Brabant. The flag dates from the 1830 revolution.
Red, white and blue horizontal bands
Show answerHide answer: Red, white and blue horizontal bands
Netherlands
Learn more: It began as orange, white and blue, the Prince of Orange's colours. Red replaced orange in the 1600s.
Red, white and light blue horizontal bands
Show answerHide answer: Red, white and light blue horizontal bands
Luxembourg
Learn more: A near twin of a neighbour's flag: here the blue is lighter and the flag longer. The colours come from its rulers' arms.
Black, red and gold horizontal bands
Show answerHide answer: Black, red and gold horizontal bands
Germany
Learn more: The colours go back to volunteers who fought Napoleon. The flag returned in 1949, and for the whole country in 1990.
About this topic
This chapter of Flags of the World covers the national flags of Western Europe. Each card shows a flag and asks which country flies it, with a hint and a short story of where its colours and shapes come from.
Western Europe gave the world the tricolour: three bands of colour, upright in France and Belgium, lying flat in the Netherlands, Germany and Austria. Some of its tiniest countries hide a crown or a coat of arms.
Learn the family first, then the one detail that sets each flag apart: the order of the colours, a shade of blue, a cross, a star or an emblem. Once you know most of this chapter's flags, the next chapter of the Book starts arriving in your Daily Zap.
All 10 cards
Blue, white and red vertical bands
France
Learn more: The tricolour dates from the 1789 Revolution: blue and red were the colours of Paris, white the king's.
Black, yellow and red vertical bands
Belgium
Learn more: The colours come from the arms of the Duchy of Brabant. The flag dates from the 1830 revolution.
Red, white and blue horizontal bands
Netherlands
Learn more: It began as orange, white and blue, the Prince of Orange's colours. Red replaced orange in the 1600s.
Red, white and light blue horizontal bands
Luxembourg
Learn more: A near twin of a neighbour's flag: here the blue is lighter and the flag longer. The colours come from its rulers' arms.
Black, red and gold horizontal bands
Germany
Learn more: The colours go back to volunteers who fought Napoleon. The flag returned in 1949, and for the whole country in 1990.
Red, white and red horizontal bands
Austria
Learn more: Legend says a duke's white tunic was soaked red with blood at the Siege of Acre in 1191, except under his belt.
White cross on a red square
Switzerland
Learn more: One of only two square national flags. The Red Cross emblem reverses its colours, honouring the founder's homeland.
Blue over red, with a gold crown
Liechtenstein
Learn more: The crown was added after the 1936 Olympics, where it found its flag matched Haiti's.
Red over white, two horizontal bands
Monaco
Learn more: Nearly the same as Indonesia's flag, only shorter. The colours are those of the Grimaldi family, rulers since 1297.
Blue, yellow and red bands, with a coat of arms
Andorra
Learn more: Its two co-princes are a Catalan bishop and the French President, both recalled in its coat of arms.
Image credits
- Blue, white and red vertical bands: flag-icons by Lipis, MIT, MIT Source: Blue, white and red vertical bands
- Black, yellow and red vertical bands: flag-icons by Lipis, MIT, MIT Source: Black, yellow and red vertical bands
- Red, white and blue horizontal bands: flag-icons by Lipis, MIT, MIT Source: Red, white and blue horizontal bands
- Red, white and light blue horizontal bands: flag-icons by Lipis, MIT, MIT Source: Red, white and light blue horizontal bands
- Black, red and gold horizontal bands: flag-icons by Lipis, MIT, MIT Source: Black, red and gold horizontal bands
- Red, white and red horizontal bands: flag-icons by Lipis, MIT, MIT Source: Red, white and red horizontal bands
- White cross on a red square: flag-icons by Lipis, MIT, MIT Source: White cross on a red square
- Blue over red, with a gold crown: flag-icons by Lipis, MIT, MIT Source: Blue over red, with a gold crown
- Red over white, two horizontal bands: flag-icons by Lipis, MIT, MIT Source: Red over white, two horizontal bands
- Blue, yellow and red bands, with a coat of arms: flag-icons by Lipis, MIT, MIT Source: Blue, yellow and red bands, with a coat of arms
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