20 Black, White, & Red Flags: From History & the Present Day

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Global flags expert Tareth Peacock explains the history and symbolism of red, white, and black flags

Co-authored by Tareth Peacock and Amy Bobinger, BA

Last Updated: December 27, 2025 Fact Checked

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• Red-White-Black Country Flags
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• City and State Flags
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• Historical Flags
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• Black, White, Red, and Green Flags

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Black, white, and red make an especially striking color combination, so it’s no surprise that it’s been used for flags throughout history. In this article, we spoke with global flags expert Tareth Peacock to help us identify flags that contain red, white, and black. Currently, four countries use this color combination in their flags, as well as a number of cities and states. The flag has also been used by a number of groups, including Native Americans and a union fighting for the rights of migrant workers to notorious hate groups.

Note: This article discusses flags that have been used as hate symbols.

What flag is red, white, and black?

Global flags expert Tareth Peacock explains that there are several nations that use red, white, and black in their flags, the most notable ones being Egypt, Iraq, Yemen, and Trinidad and Tobago. Here are detailed descriptions of their flags:

• Egypt: Red, white, and black horizontal stripes with a golden eagle in the center
• Iraq: Red, white, and black horizontal stripes with the Takbir in green in the center
• Yemen: Red, white, and black horizontal stripes
• Trinidad & Tobago: Red background divided by a black diagonal stripe with white borders

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Section 1 of 4:

Red, White, and Black Country Flags

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   Egypt Peacock explains that the Egyptian flag includes a “horizontal red, white, black tricolour with the golden Eagle of Saladin in the centre of the white stripe.” This flag is based on the flag of the Egyptian Revolution, which dates back to 1952, but the current version has been in use since 1984.

   • Symbolism: The red stripe stands for the Egyptians’ bravery and sacrifice as they fought for independence; the white stripe represents the Egyptian people’s pure hearts; the black stripe stands for overcoming darkness and hard times; the golden emblem is the Eagle of Saladin, the symbol of the Egyptian Revolution.
   • Peacock notes that red, white, and black “are mostly associated with the Arab tricolours of Egypt, Iraq, Yemen, and Sudan, which all developed from the 1952 Arab Liberation Flag in Egypt.”

   Meet the wikiHow Expert

   Tareth Peacock is a global flags expert. He runs the YouTube channel Flags in Focus, where he creates educational content on a variety of flags, including national, historic, city, regional, naval, and more.
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   Iraq Peacock notes that the Iraqi flag has the same stripes of red, white, and black as the Egyptian flag, plus “the takbīr ‘Allahu Akbar’ in green Kufic script on the white band.” This translates to “God is the greatest.” This flag was adopted in 2008 after the fall of Saddam Hussein, and is considered to be temporary.

   • Symbolism: The Iraqi flag borrows from the colors of the Pan-Arab flag. Red represents the area’s bloody history; black stands for oppression; white is a symbol for the hope of a bright future.
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   Yemen The flag of Yemen has a “plain horizontal red, white, black tricolour with no emblem,” says Peacock. He notes that it’s “explicitly framed as using standard Arab revolutionary colours.” It was adopted in 1980 when North Yemen and South Yemen joined to form the Republic of Yemen.

   • Symbolism: Red stands for the blood shed in the fight for independence; white represents a bright future; black symbolizes the area’s dark history.
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   Trinidad & Tobago The flag of Trinidad and Tobago has a red background “with a black diagonal band edged in white,” says Peacock. He explains that this flag was adopted in 1962 to celebrate the country’s independence.

   • Symbolism: According to Peacock, “The colours symbolise fire (red: energy and courage), earth (black: strength and dedication), and water (white: purity and equality).”
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Section 2 of 4:

Red, White, and Black City and State Flags

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   Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands The Amsterdam city flag is striking. It features a red background with a horizontal black stripe across the center. Within the black stripe are 3 bold, white X-shaped crosses. It’s been officially used since 1975, but the flag design dates back to the 13th century.

   • Symbolism: The “XXX” might remind you of a bottle of poison, but the crosses on the flag actually represent three saints: Saint Andrew, Saint George, and Saint Anthony.
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   Berlin, Germany The Berlin flag has a white background with horizontal red stripes on the top and bottom. In the center is a standing black bear. It was adopted as the flag of West Berlin in 1954 and has been used for the whole city since Germany’s unification in 1990.

   • Symbolism: The bear on Berlin’s flag may be a pun on the city’s name—the German word for “little bear” is bärlein, which sounds like “Berlin.”
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   Minas Gerais, Brazil The Minas Gerais flag features a white background with a red triangle in the center. The triangle is surrounded by the words “Libertas, Quæ Sera, Tamen” in black. This flag was adopted in 1963.

   • Symbolism: The triangle on the flag represents the Holy Trinity, and the motto, which means “Liberty, even if late,” is a line from the ancient poet Virgil’s work Eclogues.
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   Sardinia, Italy The Sardinian flag, known as the “Four Moors” features a white background with a red cross that divides it into four quadrants. Each quadrant has a black Moorish head with a bandage across its eyes.

   • Symbolism: The white flag with a red cross is Saint George’s cross. The four heads may represent the initial four states that made up Sardinia, or a victory by Saint George and the Crusaders over Moorish raiders in 1096.
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   Udmurtia, Russia The flag of Udmurtia is divided into three vertical stripes: black, white, and red, with a red 8-rayed sun in the center. This flag was adopted in 1993.

   • Symbolism: The sun is thought to be a protective symbol that helps ward off misfortune.
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   Laredo, Texas, USA The flag of Laredo, Texas, has a vertical red stripe with 3 white stars on the left side. The rest of the flag is divided in half horizontally—white on top and black on the bottom. Sometimes, the black is replaced by blue to make the flag more in line with a traditional US flag.

   • Symbolism: This flag was originally used as the flag of the Republic of the Rio Grande, which existed for 10 months in 1840.
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   Drenthe, Netherlands The Drenthe flag is striped white, red, white, red, and white. The center white stripe features a black castle tower flanked by six stars (3 on the left and 3 on the right). This flag was adopted in 1947.

   • Symbolism: The flag features the traditional Saxon colors of red and white. The six stars represent the six judicial districts: Zuidenveld, Oostermoer, Noordenveld, Rolde, Beiler, and Dieverder. The tower represents the castle of Coevorden.
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   Black Country County, England The flag of the Black Country is divided horizontally into three sections: black, white, and red. The white center section is shaped like a glass cone. A 7-link chain runs horizontally across the flag—the links are white in the red and black sections, and black in the white section.

   • Symbolism: The colors red and black represent the industrial smoke and fires common to the region. The glass cone and chain represent products that are manufactured in the Black Country.
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Section 3 of 4:

Black, White, and Red Flags in History

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   Arab Liberation Flag The Arab Liberation Flag “is a red, white, [and] black horizontal tricolour adopted by the Free Officers after the 1952 Egyptian revolution,” says Peacock. “It became a symbol of Arab nationalism, republicanism, and Nasserism, and was later reused in various forms by Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, and Libya,” he notes.
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   United Farm Workers The United Farm Workers (UFW) formed in 1966 as the United Farm Workers Organizing Committee (UFWOC). UFW fought to help protect the rights of migrant farm workers, many of whom were subjected to unsafe and hostile working conditions in return for low wages.

   • Symbolism: The flag remains a symbol of the fight for equal treatment.
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   Arapaho Nation The Arapaho flag has a white triangle bordered in black on the, with a black and red circle inside the triangle. The rest of the flag is striped with red, white, black, white, black, white, and red. This flag was adopted in 1956.

   • Symbolism: Red represents the Arapaho people; black stands for happiness; white symbolizes long life and knowledge. The 7 stripes represent the Seven Medicines of Life.
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   German Empire (1871–1918) Between 1971 and 1918, the flag of the German Empire “was a red, white, black horizontal tricolour,” says Peacock. In 1918, this flag was replaced with the black, red, and gold tricolor until 1933. This flag was re-adopted in 1949.

   • “CRW Flags and standard references both emphasise that [the flag] combined colours from Prussia and the Hanseatic trading cities and became a powerful symbol of imperial German nationalism,” explains Peacock.
   • “After WWI,” notes Peacock, “the same red, white, black tricolour was reused by various right-wing and monarchist movements.”
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   Nazi Germany (1933-1945) “From 1935 to 1945, Nazi Germany’s national flag was a red field with a white disc and black swastika,” says Peacock. He explains that “the swastika itself is an ancient symbol, but because of its central role in this flag and in Nazi propaganda, modern vexillological bodies and museums treat it primarily as a hate symbol today.”

   • Peacock adds that “the Nazi flag colours were based on [the] German Empire colour scheme.”
   • Germany was under the rule of the Nazis between 1933 and 1945.
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   Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso) Flag “The flag of Upper Volta (1959–1984) was a red, white, black horizontal tricolour, consciously echoing the German imperial colours,” explains Peacock. He says that “the three stripes also symbolised the Black Volta, White Volta, and Red Volta rivers.”
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   Blood Drop Cross Flag (KKK) The Blood Drop Cross, also known as the Mystic Insignia of a Klansman (MIOAK), is a symbol of the Ku Klux Klan, a white supremacist hate group. The flag has a circular red background outlined in black, with a white cross in the middle of the field. In the center of the cross is a white diamond outlined in black, with a red drop of blood in the center.

   • Symbolism: The Blood Drop Cross is widely used as an identifying symbol between members of the KKK.
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   Thin Red Stripe Flag The Thin Red Stripe flag is a black-and-white American flag with a single red stripe. It’s used as a way to honor firefighters who risk—and sometimes lose—their lives in the line of duty.

   • Some people find this flag controversial, disagreeing with any altering of the American flag.
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Section 4 of 4:

Black, White, Red, and Green Flags

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   Syria Peacock says the Syrian flag has “red, white, [and] black stripes with two green stars.” He explains that it’s “closely modelled on the former United Arab Republic flag.”

   • Peacock notes that “Syria also used a red, white, and black Arab Liberation style flag during its union with Egypt and under Ba'athist rule.” However, in 2024, it switched back to a green, white, and black design with three red stars.
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   Sudan Peacock says the Sudanese flag has “red, white, [and] black stripes with a green triangle at the hoist.” He explains that “The Flag Institute and NAVA both treat these as part of the broader pan-Arab colours tradition (black, white, red, and green), developed from the Arab Revolt flag and Arab nationalist movements in the early 20th century.”
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   Other Pan-Arab countries Peacock notes that “some sources also group other pan-Arab flags (Jordan, Kuwait, Palestine, United Arab Emirates) under the red, white, black umbrella because they share the same palette plus green.”
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