Green, yellow, and blue are used in several international flags, either with or without additional colors. The countries that use only green, yellow, and blue in their color schemes (aside from minor amounts of white or black) are as follows:
- Brazil
- Gabon
- Rwanda
- Solomon Islands
- St. Vincent and the Grenadines
- Tanzania
Read on to learn a little more about each of these countries and the stories behind their unique flags.
Countries with Green, Yellow, and Blue Flags
Keep in mind that the flags on this list only use green, yellow, and blue in their flag’s designs with the exception of black or white in minor amounts. The flags on this list have all three colors included on their flags. We’ve excluded flags that include colors such as red or orange in addition to green, yellow, and blue.
1. Brazil
Brazil is the largest nation in South America and the seventh most populous country in the world, with a population of over 217 million people. Because of the Amazon basin, home to the Amazon Rainforest, Brazil is one of 17 megadiverse countries – nations that harbor the majority of Earth’s flora and fauna species.
Brazil has a colorful history, having been inhabited by several indigenous tribes before the 1500s, when it was claimed as a Portuguese colony. It wasn’t until 1822 when Brazil achieved independence as the Kingdom of Brazil, and its current national flag was adopted in November of 1889 when Brazil overthrew its monarchy and became a Republic.
The flag depicts a field of green, upon which a blue globe sits in the center of the flag within a yellow rhombus. On the blue globe are twenty-seven small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in the way they are seen from Rio de Janeiro. A diagonal sash with the Brazilian national motto – Ordem e Progresso – spans the globe.
2. Gabon
This country off the west coast of Central Africa is a major exporter of oil, with timber and manganese being their secondary income-generating exports. Because Gabon had been a French colony for over one hundred years – from 1839 to 1960 – French is still the national language of Gabon.
Gabon’s current flag was adopted in 1960 immediately following the country’s independence from France. It is a tri colored flag with horizontal stripes of equal width, with green at the top, yellow in the middle, and blue at the bottom. The colors and design, while simple, hold historical, cultural, and geographic significance for the people of Gabon.
The flag’s green stripe represents Gabon’s natural resources with the blue stripe representing the country’s coastline along the Atlantic Ocean. The central yellow stripe carries two meanings – it represents the equator, which bisects Gabon, as well as the sun.
3. Rwanda
This small, landlocked country in south-central Africa is located in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, which spans from Lebanon to Mozambique. Known as the “land of a thousand hills,” Rwanda is a mountainous country with numerous lakes and lush greenery. It is also home to several primate species, including chimpanzees and the critically endangered Rwanda mountain gorillas.
In 1899, Rwanda became a German colony before falling into Belgian control shortly after World War I. Under European control, Rwanda experienced a long period of violent military coups between the Hutu and the Tutsi with each group exterminating hundreds of thousands of the other. The Rwandan genocide finally ended in 1994, but tensions are still present to this day.
The current Rwandan flag was adopted in 2001 and depicts three horizontal bands: the top band is pale blue and is twice the width of the bottom two stripes of yellow (center) and green (bottom). Against the blue field on the top right corner of the flag is a yellow sun.
Prior to 2001, the Rwandan flag was identical to that of Guinea with a large black “R” in the middle standing for “Rwanda.” The current flag’s colors of green, yellow, and blue represents hope for peace and optimism.
4. Solomon Islands
The Solomon Islands is an island nation in the South Pacific, east of Papua New Guinea and northwest of Vanuatu. The islands were visited by the Spanish in the 1600s and later became a British protectorate in 1893. It wasn’t until 1978 when the Solomon Islands gained independence from European rule.
Between 1942 – 1945 during World War II, the Solomon Islands were the setting for several major air and land battles between the United States, the British, and the Japanese Empire during the Solomon Islands campaign.
The current flag of the Solomon Islands depicts a thin yellow band bisecting the flag into two triangles – the upper hoist triangle is blue while the lower fly triangle is green. Five white, five-pointed stars occupy the upper hoist side of the flag against the blue triangle.
5. St. Vincent and the Grenadines
St. Vincent and the Grenadines is an island nation in the Caribbean, located in the West Indies. St. Vincent is the name of the nation’s main island – which covers an area of 142 square miles – while the Grenadines are a chain of 32 smaller islands, only some of which are inhabited.
The country’s flag was adopted in 1985, six years after St. Vincent and the Grenadines became an independent nation and consists of three vertical bands.
The blue band on the left and the green band on the right are half as thick as the central yellow band, against which are three green rhombuses arranged in a “V” formation. The “V” stands for St. Vincent and the green rhombuses are known as the Gems of the Antilles or Jewels of the Caribbean.
6. Tanzania
This country in south-central Africa makes up the last entry in our list and is located in Africa’s Great Lakes region. Tanzania’s eastern coast borders the Indian Ocean, and the country is home to Africa’s tallest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro.
After being governed by both German and British rule from the late 1800s to the 1960s, Tanzania became a unified republic under the British Commonwealth and remains part of the Commonwealth to this day.
Tanzania’s current national flag was adopted in 1964 and consists of black diagonal band with thin yellow borders that bisects the flag into two triangles: the upper hoist side triangle is green while the lower fly side triangle is blue.
