If you are a flag enthusiast, you know that they come in all sorts of colors and designs- but which flags have green, yellow, and orange horizontal stripes?
Aside from a fictional micronation, known as Hugia, utilizing the pattern, no legitimate flags contain tricolor horizontal stripes of green, yellow, and orange. Similarly colored flags include African countries such as Ghana and Ethiopia or the European country of Lithuania.
So there you have it! Unless you were looking for a fictional flag, you likely wouldn’t find one with green, yellow, and orange horizontal stripes. The rest of this article will focus on countries with similar flags to the pattern, and as a bonus, we’ll throw in a country that features the correct colors but not the stripes!
Which Flags Have Green, Yellow, and Orange Horizontal Stripes?
The color combination of green, yellow, and orange is rare for flags. No official country currently has a banner with green, yellow, and orange horizontal stripes.
There is, however, a fictional micronation known as Hugia that utilizes this flag pattern. Hugia claims to be a micronation in the Republic of Chad in Africa.
The fictional micronation of Hugia is said to operate out of Sila, which borders Sudan to the east. Their flag appears in web searches with a yellow stripe above a green one and an orange bar at the bottom. There is a simple golden crown in the middle of the flag.
Aside from the fictional micronation, there are flags with similar colored horizontal stripes, such as:
- The Ethiopian flag
- The Ghana flag
- The Lithuania flag
The Ethiopian Flag
The country of Ethiopia is located on the eastern side of Africa. It borders Kenya to the south and Sudan to the north/northeast.
The Ethiopian flag features three horizontal green, yellow, and red stripes. The country’s national emblem sits on the flag’s center: a golden pentagram in a blue circle.
The horizontal stripes of green, yellow, and red were a part of Ethiopia’s first official flag in 1897.
These colors represent important things to the people of Ethiopia, which are:
- Green: Land
- Yellow: Peace
- Red: Strength
- Blue: Unity
Instead of featuring a blue circle with a golden pentagram, the flag included a Lion of Judah in the center wearing a crown and carrying a scepter.
The Lion of Judah lost its crown in 1974 after the overthrow of Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I. A spear replaced the golden scepter on the flag as well. The lion disappeared later that year when the Derg took over, leaving the flag with only the stripes.
In 1996, after a few more changes in the country’s leadership and the banner’s appearance, the government added the official emblem of Ethiopia to the flag.
Have Pan-African Groups Adopted the Ethiopian Flag?
Pan-Africanism is a worldwide movement focused on encouraging strong bonds and advocacy between the indigenous people of Africa. This movement features two different sets of colors for their flags. The main, predominant one features red, black, and green stripes.
Others, however, have utilized the Ethiopian flag. The colors of the Ethiopian flag, green, yellow, and red, have come to represent the country’s history of avoiding colonial takeover. That’s also the reason why the Rastafari movement uses these colors as well.
The Ethiopian flag has influenced the design of many African movements and country flags, including Guinea, Mali, and Benin.
The Ghana Flag
Ghana is a part of western Africa, situated between the Ivory Coast and Togo.
The Ghana flag features three horizontal stripes, similar to the Ethiopian flag. The colors are, in order, red, yellow, and green. In the center of the flag sits a black star. The black star is a symbol of African freedom.
Ghana was once known as the Gold Coast, founded in 1821. The Gold Coast was dissolved in 1957, giving the people of Ghana freedom from colonial rule. The country created its first official flag, featuring the same appearance used today.
Ghana’s flag represents a multitude of hardships, and power struggles fought over for their independence. The red represents the bloodshed of those who died while struggling for their country’s freedom. The gold horizontal stripe represents the mineral richness of the land. The color green stands for the rich, deep forests of the country.
The Lithuanian Flag
Lithuania, officially titled the Republic of Lithuania, is a European country in the Baltic region. It borders Russia, Poland, Belarus, and Latvia.
The Lithuanian flag features three horizontal stripes- one yellow, one green, and one red. The yellow bar of the Lithuanian flag is a yellowish-orange, making it the closest one in this list to feature orange.
The country began using the current flag in 1918, during which the Lithuanian people had their first period of independence. During the Soviet Union and, later, Nazi Germany’s occupation, they removed the flag. It made a resurgence in 1989, only three years before the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The yellow stripe of the flag represents prosperity and the sun. The green color is symbolic of the country’s forests. Lastly, the red bar symbolizes the bloodshed and bravery of those who lost life and limb for Lithuania.
Do Any Flags Feature Green, Yellow, and Orange?
The flag of Sri Lanka is one of the only country flags that predominantly feature the colors green, yellow, and orange.
Sri Lanka’s flag has a yellow background with a large maroon-red square on the right side. Inside the square is a golden lion holding a slightly curved sword. A simple, golden bo leaf is in each corner of the maroon square.
On the left side of the flag are two vertical stripes. One stripe is orange, and the other green. The yellow background surrounds the stripes. The two bars are symbolic of the country’s two largest minority groups. Orange stands for the Tamils, while green represents the Moors.
Conclusion
Our flags are our symbols. Every color and emblem tells a story of the country’s identity. While there are currently no countries that feature yellow, green, and orange horizontal stripes, there are similarly colored flags that tell poignant stories.
