There are hundreds of flags around the world used to represent nations. However, some of them look quite similar: uncannily similar, even. A good example of this is the flags of Mexico and Italy, which look nearly identical in design and color scheme. Is there a particular reason for this? Some strange connection in history between the two?
Sadly, it’s not as interesting as you might have assumed.
The Similarity of the Mexican and Italian Flag is a Coincidence
As mentioned previously, there are hundreds and hundreds of flags used to represent nations in this world. With that many flags, it should come as no surprise that a few of them are going to look kind of similar to others. The fact of the matter is, there are many flags that share design elements but have no connection to each other.
For instance, both the Italian flag and the Mexican flag have tricolor layouts: but there are dozens of countries that use such a layout. France, Germany, Belgium, Chad, Cameroon, Mali, and many, many more nations all have a tricolor layout, with three stripes of varying colors in either vertical or horizontal orientation.
The similarity of colors is also a coincidence. Both Mexico and Italy use white, red, and green on their flags. Uncanny, no? Well, no, it actually isn’t. Other nations that use these three colors include Hungary, Tajikistan, Iran, and Kuwait. There are only so many colors to use in this world, and with so many flags, it’s guaranteed that some will coincide.
So ultimately, there is no special connection between the Mexican and Italian flags. They are similar based on coincidence alone. But then again, most people don’t even realize that they aren’t as similar as they look at first glance.
The Differences Between the Mexican and Italian Flags
Both of these flags have green, white, and red vertical stripes running from left to right. But that’s actually where the similarities end. The Mexican flag has a coat of arms in the center of the white stripe, an eagle resting on a cactus plant with a snake in its grasp. Meanwhile, the Italian flag does not show a coat of arms.
Furthermore, it’s important to keep in mind that colors have many shades. There are light greens and dark greens, reds so dark they are almost black and so light they are almost pink. Both the Italian and Mexican flags use green and red, but they are in different shades: the Mexican flag uses darker shades of these colors than the Italian one.
Finally, while you usually won’t notice this when looking at images online, the flags of these two nations are different in size. The Mexican flag is far more rectangular with a 4 to 7 ratio of height to width. The Italian flag is much closer to a square, with a 2 to 3 ratio of height and width.
As you can see, these flags are indeed similar, but they are different in many ways as well.
