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.

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Africa

Country	Flag	Primary colours	Secondary colours	Primary	Secondary	Further information
Algeria		Green, white and red
Angola		Red, black and yellow
Benin		Green, yellow and red
Botswana		Light blue, black and white
Burkina Faso		Red, green and yellow
Burundi		Red, white and green
Cameroon		Green, red and yellow
Cape Verde		Blue, white, red and yellow
Central African Republic		Blue, white, green, yellow and red
Chad		Blue, yellow and red
Comoros		Yellow, white, red, blue and green
Congo, Democratic Republic of the		Blue, yellow and red
Congo, Republic of the		Green, yellow and red
Djibouti		Light blue, green, white and red
Egypt		Red, white and black
Equatorial Guinea		Green, white, red and blue
Eritrea		Green, blue, red and yellow
Eswatini (Swaziland)		Blue, yellow, red, black and white
Ethiopia		Green, yellow, red and blue
Gabon		Green, yellow and blue
Gambia		Red, blue, green and white
Ghana		Red, yellow, green and black	Black and white (used in sports)
Guinea		Red, yellow and green
Guinea-Bissau		Red, yellow, green and black
Ivory Coast		Orange, white and green
Kenya		Black, red, green and white
Lesotho		Blue, white, green and black
Liberia		Red, white and blue
Libya		Red, black, green and white
Madagascar		Red, green and white
Malawi		Black, red and green
Mali		Green, yellow and red
Mauritania		Green, yellow and red
Mauritius		Red, blue, yellow and green
Morocco		Red and green
Mozambique		Green, yellow, red, black and white
Namibia		Blue, red, green, white and yellow
Niger		Orange, white and green
Nigeria		Green and white
Rwanda		Sky blue, yellow and green
São Tomé and Príncipe		Green, yellow, red and black
Senegal		Green, yellow and red
Seychelles		Blue, yellow, red, white and green
Sierra Leone		Green, white and blue
Somalia		Blue and white
South Africa		Red, green, blue, gold, black and white[1]	Green and gold (used in sports)			National colours of South Africa
South Sudan		Black, red, green, blue, yellow and white
Sudan		Red, white, black and green
Tanzania		Green, yellow, blue and black
Togo		Green, yellow, red and white
Tunisia		Red and white
Uganda		Black, yellow and red
Zambia		Green, red, black and orange
Zimbabwe		Green, yellow, red, black and white

North America

Country	Flag	Primary colours	Secondary colours	Primary	Secondary	Further information
Anguilla		Orange, blue and white
Antigua and Barbuda		Red, white, blue, black and yellow
Aruba		Yellow, cerulean, white, red
Bahamas		Aquamarine, yellow and black
Barbados		Ultramarine, gold and black
Belize		Blue, red and white	Sky blue (used in sports)
Bermuda		Red, blue and white	Prussian blue (used in sports)
Bonaire		Yellow, blue and white
British Virgin Islands		Green, yellow and white
Canada		Red and white[2]	Black (only used in sports)			National colours of Canada
Cayman Islands		Blue, red and white
Costa Rica		Blue, white and red	Black (used in sports)
Cuba		Blue, white and red	Black
Curaçao		Blue, yellow and white
Dominica		Green, yellow, black, white and red	Blue (used in sports)
Dominican Republic		Blue, white and red
El Salvador		Blue and white
Grenada		Green, yellow and red
Guadeloupe		Green, red and white
Guatemala		Blue and white	Navy blue and green-blue
Haiti		Blue and red[3]
Honduras		Blue and white	Navy blue and midnight blue
Jamaica		Green, gold and black
Martinique		Blue and white	Light blue
Mexico		Green, white and red	Black, indian red, magenta and lime green (used only in sports)			National colours of Mexico
Montserrat		Black, green, dark blue, red and white
Nicaragua		Blue and white	Gold and denim (used only in sports)
Panama		Blue, white and red	Midnight blue and cadet blue (used only in sports)
Puerto Rico		Red, white and blue
Saint Kitts and Nevis		Green, red and white	Gold and black
Saint Lucia		Light blue, yellow, black and white	Blue (only in sports)
Saint Martin		Yellow and blue	Dark blue, red and white
Saint Pierre et Miquelon		Blue, white and red
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines		Blue, yellow and green
Sint Maarten		Red, blue and white
Trinidad and Tobago		Red, white and black	Maroon (only in sports)
Turks and Caicos		Blue, light blue, red and white	Green sheen (only in sports)
United States of America		Red, white and blue[3]				National colours of the United States
US Virgin Islands		White, yellow and blue	Light blue (used only in sports)

South America

Country	Flag	Primary colours	Secondary colours	Primary	Secondary	Further information
Argentina		Light blue and white[4]	Blue and black (used in sports)
Bolivia		Red, yellow and green	White (used in sports)
Brazil		Green and yellow	Blue and white
Chile		Red, white and blue
Colombia		Yellow, blue and red	Dark blue and white (used in sports)
Ecuador		Yellow, blue and red	Sky blue (used in sports)
French Guiana		Yellow and green	Blue (used in sports)
Guyana		Yellow and green	Red and black
Paraguay		Red, white and blue	Bluegray (used in sports)
Peru		Red and white
Suriname		White and green	Red and gold
Uruguay		Blue and white	Red; light blue and black are used in sports
Venezuela		Yellow, blue and red	Burgundy and khaki (used in sports)

Asia

Country	Flag	Primary colours	Secondary colours	Primary	Secondary	Further information
Afghanistan		Black, red, green and white	Blue (cricket)
Armenia		Red, blue and orange
Azerbaijan		Blue, red and green
Bahrain		Red and white
Bangladesh		Red, green and gold	White (football) [5]			First Flag of Bangladesh (1971)
Bhutan		Fulvous, gold and white	Red (football)
Brunei		Yellow, black, white and red	Blue and green (football)
Cambodia		Red and blue	Black (football)
China		Red and yellow	Dark blue, black and white (sports)
Georgia		Red and white
Hong Kong		Red and white	Black and gray
India		Saffron orange, blue, white and green	Sky blue (sports)
Indonesia		Red and white[6]	Green (sports)
Iran		Green, white and red	Black
Iraq		Red, white, black and green
Israel		Blue and white[7]				National colours of Israel
Japan		Red and white	Black (sports); Blue, white and spring bud (only used in football)			National colours of Japan
Jordan		Black, white, green and red
Kazakhstan		Blue and yellow	White and black (sports)
Korea, North (Democratic People's Republic of Korea)		Red, white and blue
Korea, South (Republic of Korea)		White, red, blue and black
Kuwait		Green, white, red and black	Blue and red (sports)
Kyrgyzstan		Red and yellow	Maroon, blue and white (football)
Laos		Red, blue and white	Black, gold and sky blue (football)
Lebanon		Red, white and green
Macau		Green and white	White and dark blue (sports)
Malaysia		Gold and black	Red, white, dark blue and yellow
Maldives		Red and white	Green and blue (football)
Mongolia		Blue, red and yellow	White (sports)
Myanmar		Yellow, green, red and white
Nepal		Crimson, blue and white
Oman		Red, white and green	Gold
Pakistan		Green and white	Lime green and gold (sports)
Philippines		Blue, red, white and yellow
Qatar		Maroon and white
Saudi Arabia		Green and white	Dark green (football)
Singapore		Red and white	Blue (football)
Sri Lanka		Maroon, gold, green and orange	Blue (sports)
Syria		Red, white, black and green	Gray and gold
Tajikistan		Red, white and green
Thailand		Red, white and blue	Royal yellow, royal purple and blue sapphire			Royal flags of Thailand
Timor-Leste		Red, yellow, black and white
Turkey		Red and white	Turquoise
Turkmenistan		Green and white	Sand
United Arab Emirates		Red, green, white and black	Gold and blue
Uzbekistan		Blue, white, red and green	Black (sports)
Vietnam		Red and yellow	White (sports)
Yemen		Red, white and black

Europe

Country	Flag	Primary colours	Secondary colours	Primary	Secondary	Further information
Albania		Red and black
Andorra		Blue, yellow and red
Austria		Red and white
Belarus		Red, white and green
Belgium		Red	Black and yellow; Light blue (used in cycling)[8]
Bosnia and Herzegovina		Blue and gold
Bulgaria		White, green and red
Croatia		Red, white and blue
Cyprus		Blue and white	Orange
Czech Republic		White, red and blue[9][10][11]				National colours of the Czech Republic
Denmark		Red and white
Estonia		Blue, black and white[12]
Finland		White and blue	Red and gold
France		Blue, white and red[13]
Germany		Black, red and gold	White; Silver (used in motor racing)			National colours of Germany
Greece		Blue and white				National colours of Greece
Hungary		Red, white and green
Iceland		Blue, white and red
Ireland		Green	White and orange			Green relates to Goídel Glas, Father of Goidelic (Gaelic) languages and Gaels, Blue relates to St. Patrick, White as it appears on the Irish flag relates to peace between the Gaelic nationalism and the Loyalist supporters of William of Orange and Orange for William of Orange.
Italy		Green, white and red[14]	Azure			National colours of Italy
Kosovo		Blue, yellow and white	Black
Latvia		Red and white
Liechtenstein		Blue and red
Lithuania		Yellow, green and red
Luxembourg		Red, white and light blue
Malta		Red and white
Moldova		Blue, yellow and red
Monaco		Red and white
Montenegro		Red and gold
Netherlands		Orange	Red, white and blue
North Macedonia		Red and yellow
Norway		Red, white and blue
Poland		White and red				National colours of Poland
Portugal		Green and red	(Before the 1910 revolution: White and blue)
Romania		Blue, yellow and red
Russia		White, blue and red	Green
San Marino		White and light blue
Serbia		Red, blue and white[15][16][17]				National colours of Serbia
Slovakia		White, blue and red
Slovenia		White, blue and red[18]	Green, blue and white (sports)[19]
Spain		Red and gold
Sweden		Blue and gold
Switzerland		Red and white
Ukraine		Blue and gold				National colours of Ukraine
United Kingdom		Red, white and blue	British racing green			National colours of the United Kingdom

Oceania

Country	Flag	Primary colours	Secondary colours	Primary	Secondary	Further information
American Samoa		Blue, red and white
Australia		Green and gold	Blue and white			National colours of Australia
Cook Islands		Green and white
Fiji		Light blue	White and black (rugby and other sports)
French Polynesia		Red and white
Guam		Indigo and red	Blue and white
New Caledonia		Gray, white and red
New Zealand		Black[20]	White, silver, ochre red and teal			National colours of New Zealand
Niue		Yellow golden and blue
Samoa		Red, white and blue
Solomon Islands		Olive green, yellow and blue	Green and white
Tonga		Red and white
Tuvalu		Sky blue, yellow and white	Blue

Countries with limited or no recognition

These are the national colours for countries or states that have limited or no recognition.

Country	Flag	Primary colours	Secondary colours	Primary	Secondary	Further information
Abkhazia		Green, white and red
Artsakh		Red, blue and orange	White
Donetsk People's Republic		Black, blue and red
Islamic State		Black
Luhansk People's Republic		Light blue, blue and red
Northern Cyprus		Red and white
Palestine		Black, white, green and red
Somaliland		Green, white and red
South Ossetia		White, red and yellow
Taiwan		Blue, white and red	Verdigris (University Sports)
Transnistria		Red and green

Former countries

Country	Flag	Primary colours	Secondary colours	Primary	Secondary	Further information
Byzantine Empire		Red, Gold, Purple				Byzantine flags and insignia
East Germany		Black, red and gold	Blue			National colours of Germany
France (Kingdom of France 987–1792, 1814–1848)		White, Blue				French Blue, French Flags
German Empire		Black, White, Red				German Flags
Holy Roman Empire		Gold, Black	White, Red			Flags of the Holy Roman Empire
Rhodesia		Green
Roman Empire		Red, Purple
Roman Republic		Red
Soviet Union		Red	Gold
South Africa (pre-1994)		Orange, white and blue	Green (sports)
South Yeman		Red, sky blue, white and black
Yugoslavia		Blue, white and red

Caliphates

Country	Flag	Primary colours	Secondary colours	Primary	Secondary	Further information
Abbasid Caliphate		Black				Black Standard
Umayyad Caliphate		White
Fatimid Caliphate		Green, White				Green in Islam

Ancient/Imperial Chinese Dynasties

See also: Color in Chinese culture

Country	Flag	Primary colours	Secondary colours	Primary	Secondary	Further information
Xia Dynasty		Black, Grue				[21], Green/Blue in China
Shang Dynasty		White				[21]
Zhou Dynasty		Red				[21]
Qin Dynasty		Black				[21]
Han Dynasty		Yellow, Red				[21]
Former Wei Dynasty		Yellow				[21]
Jin Dynasty		Red, White				[21]
Liu Song Dynasty		Red, Black				[21]
Southern Qi Dynasty		Red, Grue				[21], Green/Blue in China
Liang Dynasty		Red				[21]
Chen Dynasty		Red, Yellow				[21]
Northern Wei Dynasty		Black				[21]
Northern Qi Dynasty		Black				[21]
Northern Zhou Dynasty		Black				[21]
Sui Dynasty		Red				[21]
Tang Dynasty		Yellow				[21]
Later Jin Dynasty		White				[21]
Later Han Dynasty		Black				[21]
Later Zhou Dynasty		Grue				[21], Green/Blue in China
Song Dynasty		Red				[21]
Western Xia Dynasty		White				[21]
Jin Dynasty		White				[21]
Yuan Dynasty		White				[21]
Ming Dynasty		Red				[21]
Qing Dynasty		Yellow				[21], Imperial yellow jacket

Supranational organisations

Some noted supranational organisations like the United Nations and the European Union have their own colours as part of their branding and marketing. They are usually taken from the organisation's flag. Although they do not have national sporting teams, the colours can be used for anything connected to the organisation, like associated bodies.

Organisation	Flag	Primary colours	Secondary colours	Primary	Secondary	Further information
African Union		Green and gold				Flag of the African Union
Arab League		Green	Red, black and white			Flag of the Arab League, Pan-Arab colours
Association of Southeast Asian Nations		Blue, red and yellow	Brown			Flag of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
Caribbean Community		Sky blue, navy and yellow	Maroon (sports)			Maroon is the colour of the West Indies cricket team. Although they are not an officially part of CARICOM, most members of the community are members of the Cricket West Indies. CARICOM sees the organisation as an associated institute of Community. [22]
Community of Portuguese Language Countries		Blue and white				Flag of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries
Eurasian Economic Union		White	Blue and gold			Flag of the Eurasian Economic Union
European Union		Reflex blue and gold				Flag of the European Union
Mercosur		White and blue	Green			Flag of Mercosur
NATO		Dark Blue				Flag of NATO
Nordic Council		Blue and white				Flag of the Nordic Council; Design Manual of the Nordic Council - Colours
Turkic Council		Turqouise				Although the flag of the Turkic Council is light blue and white, turquoise is the colour most associated with the Turkic region.
United Nations		Light blue and white				Flag of the United Nations

Examples of use of these colours

• United Nations: the recognisable blue helmets of the peacekeeping operations and the flags of associated UN agencies like the World Health Organisation, with the UN's light blue and white.
• European Union: the blue and yellow of the EU flag; uses include the blue European Health Insurance Card and the Blue Card for skilled immigration.

See also

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

References

1. "National flag". South African Government. 2018-02-19.
2. "National Colours: Red and White". Government of Canada. Retrieved 2013-10-26.
3. "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. Archived from the original on 2016-11-08. Retrieved 2015-05-02.
4. "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.
5. "Bangadesh national team". Colours of Football. Retrieved 2018-07-11.
6. 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
7. "Israel National Symbols: The Israeli Flag". Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved 2014-06-11.
8. "Rode Duivels brengen eerbetoon aan wielrenners met uitshirts". Sporza. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-08-20.
9. "Státní symboly". hrad.cz.
10. "Symboly současné České republiky". vlast.cz.
11. "Státní symboly České republiky". toulkypocechach.com. Archived from the original on 2014-02-02. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
12. "National symbols of Estonia". Archived from the original on 2016-08-01. Retrieved 2016-07-29.
13. "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.
14. Ferorelli, Nicola (1925). La vera origine del tricolore italiano. Rassegna storica del Risorgimento. 12. pp. 654–680.
15. The Journal of the Orders & Medals Research Society of Great Britain. Orders and Medals Research Society. 1969. p. 207).
16. Chronicles. Rockford Institute. 1994. p. 39.
17. 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.
18. "National Insignia". Government of the Republic of Slovenia. Archived from the original on 2011-10-04. 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
19. "Sport in Slovenia" (PDF). Government Communication Office of the Republic of Slovenia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-08-21. 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.
20. "Design of The New Zealand Orders Insignia". The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Government of New Zealand. Archived from the original on 2017-06-21. Retrieved 2013-03-20.
21. doi:10.3176/tr.2012.3.03
22. "West Indies Cricket Board". CARICOM. Retrieved 2020-06-23.