Flags of Europe

Albania

Albania lies in the Balkans on the Adriatic, with the capital Tirana. The country is largely mountainous and was long isolated.

💡 Did you know? The Albanian double-headed eagle on a red field goes back to the 15th-century national hero Skanderbeg.

Austria

Austria is a landlocked country in Central Europe, with the capital Vienna. Large parts are covered by the Alps.

💡 Did you know? The red-white-red flag is said to go back to a duke's blood-soaked tunic.

Belarus

Belarus is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with the capital Minsk. Large parts are covered by forests and marshes.

💡 Did you know? The flag features a traditional red woven ornament along the left edge.

Belgium

Belgium lies in Western Europe on the North Sea, with the capital Brussels: also the seat of the EU and NATO. The country is famous for chocolate, fries and beer.

💡 Did you know? The black-yellow-red flag is unusually striped vertically rather than horizontally.

Bosnia and Herz.

Bosnia and Herzegovina lies in the Balkans, with the capital Sarajevo. The country is mountainous and culturally diverse.

💡 Did you know? The stars and yellow triangle of the flag stand for Europe and the country's three peoples.

Bulgaria

Bulgaria lies in the Balkans on the Black Sea, with the capital Sofia. It is known for rose oil and yoghurt.

💡 Did you know? Bulgaria produces much of the world's rose oil for the perfume industry.

Croatia

Croatia lies on the Adriatic in south-east Europe, with the capital Zagreb. Its coast with a thousand islands is a popular destination.

💡 Did you know? The red-and-white checks in the coat of arms are Croatia's centuries-old chessboard symbol.

Cyprus

Cyprus is an island in the eastern Mediterranean, with the capital Nicosia. The island has been divided for decades.

💡 Did you know? The flag shows the outline of the island itself in copper colour: after the copper that gave Cyprus its name.

Czechia

The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe, with the capital Prague. It is known for castles, beer and its well-preserved old towns.

💡 Did you know? Czechs drink more beer per person than any other nation in the world.

Denmark

Denmark lies in northern Europe between the North Sea and the Baltic, with the capital Copenhagen. It consists of a peninsula and many islands.

💡 Did you know? The 'Dannebrog' is regarded as the oldest continuously used national flag in the world.

Estonia

Estonia is the northernmost of the three Baltic states, on the Baltic Sea, with the capital Tallinn. It is seen as a digital pioneer.

💡 Did you know? In Estonia almost all dealings with the authorities can be done online: even voting.

Finland

Finland lies in northern Europe on the Baltic Sea, with the capital Helsinki. It is famous for its thousands of lakes and forests.

💡 Did you know? Finland has over 180,000 lakes: hence the nickname 'Land of a Thousand Lakes'.

France

France is the largest country in the EU by area, from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, with the capital Paris. It is famed for its culture, cuisine and wine.

💡 Did you know? The blue-white-red tricolour arose in the French Revolution and became a model worldwide.

Germany

Germany lies in Central Europe, with the capital Berlin. It is the most populous country in the EU and a leading industrial nation.

💡 Did you know? The colours black-red-gold go back to the uniforms in the fight against Napoleon and the revolution of 1848.

Greece

Greece lies in south-east Europe on the Mediterranean and includes thousands of islands, with the capital Athens. It is regarded as the cradle of democracy.

💡 Did you know? The nine stripes of the flag are said to stand for the syllables of the rallying cry 'Freedom or Death'.

Hungary

Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe, with the capital Budapest. The Danube flows through the country.

💡 Did you know? Over a hundred thermal springs bubble up beneath Budapest; the city is famous for its baths.

Iceland

Iceland is a volcanic island in the North Atlantic just south of the Arctic Circle, with the capital Reykjavík. It is shaped by geysers, glaciers and volcanoes.

💡 Did you know? Iceland gets almost all of its energy from hydropower and geothermal heat.

Ireland

Ireland occupies most of the island of the same name in the Atlantic west of Britain, with the capital Dublin. It is known for its lush green.

💡 Did you know? Because of its green landscape Ireland is nicknamed the 'Emerald Isle'.

Italy

Italy juts into the Mediterranean as a boot-shaped peninsula, with the capital Rome. It is famous for art, cuisine and history.

💡 Did you know? Italy contains two independent microstates within it: the Vatican and San Marino.

Kosovo

Kosovo is a small country in the Balkans, with the capital Pristina. It declared independence from Serbia in 2008.

💡 Did you know? The flag shows the country's outline above six stars, for its six main ethnic groups.

Latvia

Latvia is the middle of the three Baltic states, on the Baltic Sea, with the capital Riga. Riga's old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

💡 Did you know? The dark red of the flag is one of the oldest documented flag colours in Europe.

Lithuania

Lithuania is the southernmost of the three Baltic states, on the Baltic Sea, with the capital Vilnius. It was once the centre of a great medieval realm.

💡 Did you know? In the Middle Ages the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was one of the largest countries in Europe.

Luxembourg

Luxembourg is a small, wealthy landlocked country between Germany, France and Belgium, with the capital also called Luxembourg. It is a major financial centre and EU seat.

💡 Did you know? Luxembourg is the only remaining grand duchy in the world.

Macedonia

North Macedonia is a landlocked country in the Balkans, with the capital Skopje. It is mountainous and lies on ancient trade routes.

💡 Did you know? The flag shows a stylised, radiant sun.

Malta

Malta is a tiny island nation in the Mediterranean south of Sicily, with the capital Valletta. It is one of the smallest and most densely populated countries in the EU.

💡 Did you know? The flag bears the George Cross, awarded to Malta for its bravery in the Second World War.

Moldova

Moldova is a small landlocked country between Romania and Ukraine, with the capital Chișinău. It is known for its winemaking.

💡 Did you know? Moldova is home to some of the largest underground wine cellars in the world.

Montenegro

Montenegro is a small, mountainous country on the Adriatic in the Balkans, with the capital Podgorica. Its name means 'Black Mountain'.

💡 Did you know? The deeply cut Bay of Kotor is often taken for Europe's southernmost fjord.

Netherlands

The Netherlands lies in Western Europe on the North Sea, with the capital Amsterdam. Large parts of the country lie below sea level.

💡 Did you know? A considerable part of the Netherlands was reclaimed from the sea by dykes and polders.

Norway

Norway lies in northern Europe on the Atlantic coast of Scandinavia, with the capital Oslo. Its coast is carved by deep fjords.

💡 Did you know? In Norway's far north the sun does not set for weeks in summer: the midnight sun.

Poland

Poland lies in Central Europe on the Baltic Sea, with the capital Warsaw. It is known for its turbulent history and old towns.

💡 Did you know? The white-and-red flag goes back to the white eagle on a red shield.

Portugal

Portugal lies in the far south-west of Europe on the Atlantic, with the capital Lisbon. The great explorers of the Renaissance set out from here.

💡 Did you know? Portuguese seafarers such as Vasco da Gama opened the sea route to India.

Romania

Romania lies in south-east Europe on the Black Sea, with the capital Bucharest. The Carpathians run through the country.

💡 Did you know? The region of Transylvania in the Carpathians is world-famous as the home of the Dracula legend.

Serbia

Serbia is a landlocked country in the Balkans, with the capital Belgrade. The Danube flows through the country.

💡 Did you know? Belgrade is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe.

Slovakia

Slovakia is a landlocked country in Central Europe, with the capital Bratislava. Large parts are covered by the Carpathians.

💡 Did you know? The capital Bratislava lies right on the border with Austria and Hungary.

Slovenia

Slovenia lies between the Alps and the Adriatic in Central Europe, with the capital Ljubljana. Large parts are green forest.

💡 Did you know? More than half of Slovenia is covered by forest: one of the most forested countries in Europe.

Spain

Spain occupies most of the Iberian Peninsula in south-west Europe, with the capital Madrid. It is known for flamenco, sun and coastline.

💡 Did you know? Madrid lies almost exactly at the geographical centre of Spain.

Sweden

Sweden is the largest of the Scandinavian countries, on the Baltic Sea, with the capital Stockholm. It is rich in forests and lakes.

💡 Did you know? The Nobel Prizes are awarded in Stockholm every year.

Switzerland

Switzerland is a landlocked country in Central Europe in the heart of the Alps, with the seat of government in Bern. It is known for neutrality, banking and chocolate.

💡 Did you know? Switzerland and the Vatican are the only countries with a square national flag.

Ukraine

Ukraine is a large country in Eastern Europe on the Black Sea, with the capital Kyiv. Its fertile soils make it the 'breadbasket of Europe'.

💡 Did you know? The flag shows a band of blue sky above a golden field of ripe wheat.

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom is an island nation off the north-west coast of Europe, with the capital London. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

💡 Did you know? The 'Union Jack' combines the crosses of the patron saints of England, Scotland and Ireland.