Do you know what’s the most common color combination for national flags? Red, blue, and white! 30 countries have national flags with this color combination, but there are other equally beautiful flag color combos, one of them being red, white, black, and green.
Symbolism of Red, White, Black, and Green Colors on Flags
Most countries that have red, white, black, and green flags are Muslim and/or Arabic, except for one – Kenya. For Muslim/Arab countries, this color combination symbolizes Arab unity, and it was used for the Arab Revolt flag. Later, this flag inspired several national flags of Arab countries.
Because of their significance for Arab nations, these four colors are often called Pan-Arab colors. In this context, red, white, black, and green symbolize the following:
- Red – Symbol of the Sharifate (leader) of Mecca and the House of Hashim (Jordanian royal family)
- White – Symbol of the Umayyad Caliphate
- Black – Symbol of the Abbasid Caliphate
- Green – Symbol of the Rashidun Caliphate, also considered to be the primary color of Islam religion
However, red, white, black, and green flag colors have also some more generalized meanings:
- Red – Power, blood, war, domination, courage, and danger.
- White – Peace, harmony, and purity.
- Black – Mourning, death, determination, and ethnic heritage.
- Green – Hope, prosperity, fertility, and youthfulness.
10 Countries with Red, White, Black, and Green Flags
Now that you know more about the symbolism behind this color combination, let’s take a closer look at countries that have red, white, black, and green flags:
Syria
The Syrian flag has three horizontal stripes: red on top, white in the middle, and black at the bottom.On the white stripe, there are two five-pointed green stars. At first this flag was used from 1958 to 1961 and was again adopted in 1980.
Interestingly enough, the Syrian opposition uses a similar flag but with slightly inverted colors. On this flag, the upper stripe is green, while the stars are red. This version of the Syrian flag originates from 1932, but it became widely used in 2011 and during the ongoing Syrian civil war.
Iraq
The Iraqi flag is somewhat similar to the Syrian flag. This is also a horizontal tricolor flag with red, white, and black stripes (from top to bottom). However, instead of green stars on the white stripe, the Iraqi flag has an Arabic phrase written in green Kufic script. The phrase says “Allahu Akbar,” which means “God is the greatest.”
Iraq has used this flag since 1963, with several different versions used in different time periods. After the war of Iraq in 2003, a new version of the flag was propositioned, featuring a light blue crescent moon on a white background and thin blue and yellow stripes. A few years later, Iraq went back to its original flag colors.
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates have a horizontal tricolor flag with green, white, and black (from top to bottom) strips. On the hoist side, there is a vertical red stripe. This flag was designed in 1971 by 19-year-old Abdullah Mohammed Al Maainah.
Kuwait
Kuwait’s flag is another horizontal tricolor flag with green, white, and red stripes (from top to bottom). On the hoist side, there is a black trapezium. This flag was officially adopted in 1961, and a poem by Safie Al-Deen Al-Hali described the meaning of the flag’s colors:
“White are our deeds
Black are our battles
Green are our lands
Red are our swords”
Libya
Libya’s flag is a horizontal tricolor with red, black, and green stripes (from top to bottom). The black stripe is double the width of red and green stripes. In the middle of the black stripe, there is a white crescent moon and a white star.
Originally, this flag was used from 1951 to 1969. It was replaced with a different flag when Muammar al-Gaddafi rose to power. In 2011, Gaddafi was overthrown and killed, this flag was re-adopted and in use ever since.
Palestine
Palestine’s flag is a horizontal tricolor with black, white, and green stripes (from top to bottom) and a red triangle based on the hoist. This flag looks exactly the same as the original flag of the Arab Revolt, and it became the symbol of the Palestinian struggle against Israeli oppression.
Sudan
Sudan’s flag looks extremely similar to the Palestinian flag. It is also a horizontal tricolor with a triangle at its hoist. However, the color scheme of the Sudan’s flag is red, white, and black stripes (from top to bottom) with a green triangle based on the hoist.
Western Sahara
Western Sahara, also known as the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, is another African country with Pan-Arab colors on the flag. Similar to Sudan and Palestine, Western Sahara has a horizontal tricolor flag with a triangle on its hoist. From top to bottom, the stripes are black, white, and green, with a red triangle and a red crescent moon and star on the white stripe.
Jordan
Jordan’s flag has basically the same color distribution as the Western Sahara’s flag: black, white, and green stripes (from top to bottom) and a red triangle. However, the triangle on Jordan’s flag is a bit elongated, and there is a white seven-pointed star in the middle of this triangle.
Kenya
This is the only non-Arab country on our list that has a red, white, black, and green flag. Because of that, Kenya’s flag looks significantly different than all other flags on our list. Instead of symbolizing Arab unity, this flag symbolizes Kenya’s independence.
This flag is a horizontal tricolor flag with black, red, and green stripes (from top to bottom). The red stripe has white edges. In the middle of the flag, there is a red, white, and black Maasai shield with two white spears behind it.
Notable Mentions
Here are some countries that didn’t qualify for our list but had red, white, black, and green flags:
- Malawi – In the short period between 2010 and 2012, the Malawi national flag had red, black, and green stripes, with a white sun in the middle.
- Ghana – Between 1964 and 1966, Ghana had a horizontal tricolor flag with red, white, and green stripes and a black star in the middle.
- Somaliland – Somaliland isn’t officially recognized as a country, but it has a national flag with green, white, and red stripes, a black star in the middle, and a white Shahada script on the green stripe.
- Afghanistan – Up until 2021, when the Taliban took over, the Afgan flag was a vertical tricolor with black, red, and green stripes (from left to right), with a white coat of arms in the middle.
Conclusion
In most cases, when you see a red, white, black, and green flag, you can assume it is a Muslim and/or Arab country. These colors are also known as Pan-Arab colors because they symbolize the Arab Revolt movement and the unity of all Arabs.
Later, this color scheme was adopted by several Arab countries: Syria, Iraq, Palestina, and others. However, there is also one non-Arab country with these colors on its national flag – Kenya. Even though not as common as some other color combos, red, white, black, and green flags have a rich history and deep cultural significance.
