The difference is that the green stripe on the Irish flag is on the hoist side (part of the flag closest to the flagpole). Those of Colombia and Ecuador retain the larger yellow stripe, while that of Venezuela has stripes of equal size. The Dutch flag is much older than the French flag. The French flag … Both flags date back hundreds of years. On all other flags stripes are horizontal, from bottom to top: Dutch flag: Blue-White-Red, proportion 2:3. It was introduced in the 16th century. This variant of the flag was used until the end of the war, when it was replaced by the red-white-blue tricolor of the States Flag (Statenvlag). Luxembourg’s flag differs from the Dutch in being slightly longer and using a different shade of blue.The white-blue-red horizontally striped Russian flag dates to the end of the 17th century and was modeled on the Dutch tricolor. However, they differ in several ways: the design of the constellation (five white seven-pointed stars for Australia, four red-and-white five-pointed stars for New Zealand); the addition of a sixth, larger, “commonwealth” star on the Australian flag; and shade differences in the blues and reds. Their design and size are almost identical, and only a close examination reveals slight shade differences between the blue, yellow, and red vertical stripes. Flags that are variations on the Russian model include those of Croatia and Serbia, which both use a red-blue-white horizontal stripe pattern. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica.Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Also similar to these two is the flag of Poland, although its stripes are reversed, white over red.Both flags are based on the British Blue Ensign (blue field with a Union Jack in the canton, or top inner corner) and feature a stylized version of the Southern Cross constellation. Here are nine sets of flags that exhibit varying degrees of similarity.None of the world’s national flags are as closely matched to each other as these two. The Venezuelan flag is also distinguished by an arc of stars in its center and by the national coat of arms in the upper hoist corner. Asked by So I guess the Dutch flag is older than the French? Ken Pletcher was Senior Editor, Geography and History for Encyclopædia Britannica. Serbian: White-Blue-Red, proportion 2:3. The Norwegian flag has a red field with a white-bordered blue cross, while Iceland’s has a blue field with a white-bordered red cross.A flag of unequal yellow, blue, and red horizontal stripes was adopted by the new country of Gran Colombia in 1822. Its original design had a green stripe, but it too closely resembled the flag of Mali, so the blue stripe was substituted. It is the oldest tricolour used nowadays. in Japanese studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It was adopted in 1794 (in the current design, a slightly different variant in 1790) while the Dutch one became the national flag only in 1937. For starters, they have different hues of red and blue. Guinea also has a similar flag, although its stripes are reversed, red-yellow-green.The flags for these two countries are almost identical—two horizontal stripes, red over white—but Indonesia’s is longer. Get kids back-to-school ready with Expedition: Learn! Monaco’s flag is based on the heraldic colors in the shield of the Monegasque princely arms, and the flag of Indonesia dates back to its association with the Majapahit empire. What’s the Difference Between a Meteoroid, a Meteor, and a Meteorite? Sometimes, however, confusion can arise when two or more flags closely resemble each other.