Flags

Flags are symbols that can be used to uniquely represent each country or territory. Each flag is designed with particular colors, patterns, and symbols that carry deep meanings and significance to the entity it represents.

In software, flags can serve various purposes, such as denoting shipping destinations, indicating product origins, or adjusting country or language settings.

Flags

The flags table is shown below.

Country codesorted ascending	Country name	Continent	SVG flag	Emoji flag
AD	Andorra	Europe		🇦🇩
AE	United Arab Emirates	Asia		🇦🇪
AF	Afghanistan	Asia		🇦🇫
AG	Antigua and Barbuda	North America		🇦🇬
AI	Anguilla	North America		🇦🇮
AL	Albania	Europe		🇦🇱
AM	Armenia	Asia		🇦🇲
AO	Angola	Africa		🇦🇴
AQ	Antarctica	Antarctica		🇦🇶
AR	Argentina	South America		🇦🇷
AS	American Samoa	Oceania		🇦🇸
AT	Austria	Europe		🇦🇹
AU	Australia	Oceania		🇦🇺
AW	Aruba	North America		🇦🇼
AX	Åland	Europe		🇦🇽
AZ	Azerbaijan	Asia		🇦🇿
BA	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Europe		🇧🇦
BB	Barbados	North America		🇧🇧
BD	Bangladesh	Asia		🇧🇩
BE	Belgium	Europe		🇧🇪
BF	Burkina Faso	Africa		🇧🇫
BG	Bulgaria	Europe		🇧🇬
BH	Bahrain	Asia		🇧🇭
BI	Burundi	Africa		🇧🇮
BJ	Benin	Africa		🇧🇯
BL	Saint Barthélemy	North America		🇧🇱
BM	Bermuda	North America		🇧🇲
BN	Brunei	Asia		🇧🇳
BO	Bolivia	South America		🇧🇴
BQ	Caribbean Netherlands	North America		🇧🇶
BR	Brazil	South America		🇧🇷
BS	The Bahamas	North America		🇧🇸
BT	Bhutan	Asia		🇧🇹
BV	Bouvet Island	Antarctica		🇧🇻
BW	Botswana	Africa		🇧🇼
BY	Belarus	Europe		🇧🇾
BZ	Belize	North America		🇧🇿
CA	Canada	North America		🇨🇦
CC	Cocos (Keeling) Islands	Oceania		🇨🇨
CD	Democratic Republic of the Congo	Africa		🇨🇩
CF	Central African Republic	Africa		🇨🇫
CG	Republic of the Congo	Africa		🇨🇬
CH	Switzerland	Europe		🇨🇭
CI	Ivory Coast	Africa		🇨🇮
CK	Cook Islands	Oceania		🇨🇰
CL	Chile	South America		🇨🇱
CM	Cameroon	Africa		🇨🇲
CN	People's Republic of China	Asia		🇨🇳
CO	Colombia	South America		🇨🇴
CR	Costa Rica	North America		🇨🇷
CU	Cuba	North America		🇨🇺
CV	Cape Verde	Africa		🇨🇻
CW	Curaçao	North America		🇨🇼
CX	Christmas Island	Oceania		🇨🇽
CY	Cyprus	Asia		🇨🇾
CZ	Czech Republic	Europe		🇨🇿
DE	Germany	Europe		🇩🇪
DJ	Djibouti	Africa		🇩🇯
DK	Denmark	Europe		🇩🇰
DM	Dominica	North America		🇩🇲
DO	Dominican Republic	North America		🇩🇴
DZ	Algeria	Africa		🇩🇿
EC	Ecuador	South America		🇪🇨
EE	Estonia	Europe		🇪🇪
EG	Egypt	Africa		🇪🇬
EH	Western Sahara	Africa		🇪🇭
ER	Eritrea	Africa		🇪🇷
ES	Spain	Europe		🇪🇸
ET	Ethiopia	Africa		🇪🇹
FI	Finland	Europe		🇫🇮
FJ	Fiji	Oceania		🇫🇯
FK	Falkland Islands	South America		🇫🇰
FM	Federated States of Micronesia	Oceania		🇫🇲
FO	Faroe Islands	Europe		🇫🇴
FR	France	Europe		🇫🇷
GA	Gabon	Africa		🇬🇦
GB	United Kingdom	Europe		🇬🇧
GD	Grenada	North America		🇬🇩
GE	Georgia	Asia		🇬🇪
GF	French Guiana	South America		🇬🇫
GG	Guernsey	Europe		🇬🇬
GH	Ghana	Africa		🇬🇭
GI	Gibraltar	Europe		🇬🇮
GL	Greenland	North America		🇬🇱
GM	The Gambia	Africa		🇬🇲
GN	Guinea	Africa		🇬🇳
GP	Guadeloupe	North America		🇬🇵
GQ	Equatorial Guinea	Africa		🇬🇶
GR	Greece	Europe		🇬🇷
GS	South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands	Antarctica		🇬🇸
GT	Guatemala	North America		🇬🇹
GU	Guam	Oceania		🇬🇺
GW	Guinea-Bissau	Africa		🇬🇼
GY	Guyana	South America		🇬🇾
HK	Hong Kong	Asia		🇭🇰
HM	Heard Island and McDonald Islands	Antarctica		🇭🇲
HN	Honduras	North America		🇭🇳
HR	Croatia	Europe		🇭🇷
HT	Haiti	North America		🇭🇹
HU	Hungary	Europe		🇭🇺
ID	Indonesia	Asia		🇮🇩
IE	Ireland	Europe		🇮🇪
IL	Israel	Asia		🇮🇱
IM	Isle of Man	Europe		🇮🇲
IN	India	Asia		🇮🇳
IO	British Indian Ocean Territory	Africa		🇮🇴
IQ	Iraq	Asia		🇮🇶
IR	Iran	Asia		🇮🇷
IS	Iceland	Europe		🇮🇸
IT	Italy	Europe		🇮🇹
JE	Jersey	Europe		🇯🇪
JM	Jamaica	North America		🇯🇲
JO	Jordan	Asia		🇯🇴
JP	Japan	Asia		🇯🇵
KE	Kenya	Africa		🇰🇪
KG	Kyrgyzstan	Asia		🇰🇬
KH	Cambodia	Asia		🇰🇭
KI	Kiribati	Oceania		🇰🇮
KM	Comoros	Africa		🇰🇲
KN	Saint Kitts and Nevis	North America		🇰🇳
KP	North Korea	Asia		🇰🇵
KR	South Korea	Asia		🇰🇷
KW	Kuwait	Asia		🇰🇼
KY	Cayman Islands	North America		🇰🇾
KZ	Kazakhstan	Asia		🇰🇿
LA	Laos	Asia		🇱🇦
LB	Lebanon	Asia		🇱🇧
LC	Saint Lucia	North America		🇱🇨
LI	Liechtenstein	Europe		🇱🇮
LK	Sri Lanka	Asia		🇱🇰
LR	Liberia	Africa		🇱🇷
LS	Lesotho	Africa		🇱🇸
LT	Lithuania	Europe		🇱🇹
LU	Luxembourg	Europe		🇱🇺
LV	Latvia	Europe		🇱🇻
LY	Libya	Africa		🇱🇾
MA	Morocco	Africa		🇲🇦
MC	Monaco	Europe		🇲🇨
MD	Moldova	Europe		🇲🇩
ME	Montenegro	Europe		🇲🇪
MF	Saint-Martin	North America		🇲🇫
MG	Madagascar	Africa		🇲🇬
MH	Marshall Islands	Oceania		🇲🇭
MK	North Macedonia	Europe		🇲🇰
ML	Mali	Africa		🇲🇱
MM	Myanmar	Asia		🇲🇲
MN	Mongolia	Asia		🇲🇳
MO	Macau	Asia		🇲🇴
MP	Northern Mariana Islands	Oceania		🇲🇵
MQ	Martinique	North America		🇲🇶
MR	Mauritania	Africa		🇲🇷
MS	Montserrat	North America		🇲🇸
MT	Malta	Europe		🇲🇹
MU	Mauritius	Africa		🇲🇺
MV	Maldives	Asia		🇲🇻
MW	Malawi	Africa		🇲🇼
MX	Mexico	North America		🇲🇽
MY	Malaysia	Asia		🇲🇾
MZ	Mozambique	Africa		🇲🇿
NA	Namibia	Africa		🇳🇦
NC	New Caledonia	Oceania		🇳🇨
NE	Niger	Africa		🇳🇪
NF	Norfolk Island	Oceania		🇳🇫
NG	Nigeria	Africa		🇳🇬
NI	Nicaragua	North America		🇳🇮
NL	Kingdom of the Netherlands	Europe		🇳🇱
NO	Norway	Europe		🇳🇴
NP	Nepal	Asia		🇳🇵
NR	Nauru	Oceania		🇳🇷
NU	Niue	Oceania		🇳🇺
NZ	New Zealand	Oceania		🇳🇿
OM	Oman	Asia		🇴🇲
PA	Panama	North America		🇵🇦
PE	Peru	South America		🇵🇪
PF	French Polynesia	Oceania		🇵🇫
PG	Papua New Guinea	Oceania		🇵🇬
PH	Philippines	Asia		🇵🇭
PK	Pakistan	Asia		🇵🇰
PL	Poland	Europe		🇵🇱
PM	Saint Pierre and Miquelon	North America		🇵🇲
PN	Pitcairn Islands	Oceania		🇵🇳
PR	Puerto Rico	North America		🇵🇷
PS	Palestine	Asia		🇵🇸
PT	Portugal	Europe		🇵🇹
PW	Palau	Oceania		🇵🇼
PY	Paraguay	South America		🇵🇾
QA	Qatar	Asia		🇶🇦
RE	Réunion	Africa		🇷🇪
RO	Romania	Europe		🇷🇴
RS	Serbia	Europe		🇷🇸
RU	Russia	Europe		🇷🇺
RW	Rwanda	Africa		🇷🇼
SA	Saudi Arabia	Asia		🇸🇦
SB	Solomon Islands	Oceania		🇸🇧
SC	Seychelles	Africa		🇸🇨
SD	Sudan	Africa		🇸🇩
SE	Sweden	Europe		🇸🇪
SG	Singapore	Asia		🇸🇬
SH	Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha	Africa		🇸🇭
SI	Slovenia	Europe		🇸🇮
SJ	Svalbard and Jan Mayen	Europe		🇸🇯
SK	Slovakia	Europe		🇸🇰
SL	Sierra Leone	Africa		🇸🇱
SM	San Marino	Europe		🇸🇲
SN	Senegal	Africa		🇸🇳
SO	Somalia	Africa		🇸🇴
SR	Suriname	South America		🇸🇷
SS	South Sudan	Africa		🇸🇸
ST	São Tomé and Príncipe	Africa		🇸🇹
SV	El Salvador	North America		🇸🇻
SX	Sint Maarten	North America		🇸🇽
SY	Syria	Asia		🇸🇾
SZ	Eswatini	Africa		🇸🇿
TC	Turks and Caicos Islands	North America		🇹🇨
TD	Chad	Africa		🇹🇩
TF	French Southern and Antarctic Lands	Antarctica		🇹🇫
TG	Togo	Africa		🇹🇬
TH	Thailand	Asia		🇹🇭
TJ	Tajikistan	Asia		🇹🇯
TK	Tokelau	Oceania		🇹🇰
TL	Timor-Leste	Asia		🇹🇱
TM	Turkmenistan	Asia		🇹🇲
TN	Tunisia	Africa		🇹🇳
TO	Tonga	Oceania		🇹🇴
TR	Turkey	Asia		🇹🇷
TT	Trinidad and Tobago	North America		🇹🇹
TV	Tuvalu	Oceania		🇹🇻
TW	Taiwan	Asia		🇹🇼
TZ	Tanzania	Africa		🇹🇿
UA	Ukraine	Europe		🇺🇦
UG	Uganda	Africa		🇺🇬
UM	United States Minor Outlying Islands	Oceania		🇺🇲
US	United States	North America		🇺🇸
UY	Uruguay	South America		🇺🇾
UZ	Uzbekistan	Asia		🇺🇿
VA	Vatican City	Europe		🇻🇦
VC	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	North America		🇻🇨
VE	Venezuela	South America		🇻🇪
VG	British Virgin Islands	North America		🇻🇬
VI	United States Virgin Islands	North America		🇻🇮
VN	Vietnam	Asia		🇻🇳
VU	Vanuatu	Oceania		🇻🇺
WF	Wallis and Futuna	Oceania		🇼🇫
WS	Samoa	Oceania		🇼🇸
YE	Yemen	Asia		🇾🇪
YT	Mayotte	Africa		🇾🇹
ZA	South Africa	Africa		🇿🇦
ZM	Zambia	Africa		🇿🇲
ZW	Zimbabwe	Africa		🇿🇼

Is it a good idea to use flags to show languages on my website?

There is a lot of debate on this topic. On one hand, flags are eye-catching and easy to spot, which helps users navigate more easily and find the language switcher. On the other hand, using flags to represent languages can be confusing.

The main issue is that flags symbolize countries, not languages. This adds complexity because many countries have multiple official languages. For example, Switzerland has German, French, and Italian as official languages, so using a flag for Switzerland does not specify which language is being used. Also, a single language such as Spanish, French, English, or Dutch may be spoken in several countries. This creates another challenge in accurately representing the same language across different regions. For example, French is spoken both in France and in Canada.

Should I use emoji or SVG for showing flags in my app?

Using emoji flags can be very tempting. They are lightweight, easy to implement with plain Unicode, and automatically scale with the text size. However, emoji flags have several limitations. They rely on emoji support, differ across platforms and browsers, and cannot be easily customized.

Using SVGs for displaying flags is also quite straightforward. There are many libraries that allow you to easily display a country flag by providing the country code according to the ISO 3166-1 standard. This approach will add only a few kilobytes to your app but will resolve all the limitations mentioned above.

If adding a full library just for showing flags feels like overkill, you can simply include only the few flag images your app actually needs. Using the SVG format is not mandatory, and other formats such as PNG, JPG, or WebP will also work. However, SVG is usually the better choice, as the files are small and remain perfectly sharp on all screen sizes and resolutions due to their vector-based format.

How to display emoji flags in your app?

Emoji are simple text characters, so you can treat them like plain text. This means you can directly copy and paste them wherever they are supported. However, if you are looking for a way to programmatically generate an emoji flag from a country code defined by the ISO 3166-1 standard, the small function shown below may be helpful.

The following function is written in JavaScript, but similar logic can be implemented in other programming languages as well.

function countryCodeToFlagEmoji(countryCode) {
  const REGIONAL_INDICATOR_OFFSET = 0x1F1E6 - 'A'.charCodeAt(0);

  const codePoints = countryCode
    .toUpperCase()
    .split('')
    .map(char => REGIONAL_INDICATOR_OFFSET + char.charCodeAt(0));

  return String.fromCodePoint(...codePoints);
}

console.log(countryCodeToFlagEmoji('US')); // 🇺🇸
console.log(countryCodeToFlagEmoji('FR')); // 🇫🇷

What information can be obtained from a country’s flag?

A country’s flag embodies a wealth of meaning that can deepen understanding of its cultural identity and national values. The colors, shapes, and symbols featured on a flag often reflect national pride, key historical milestones, and the principles that define the nation’s character.

In the context of software localization, this understanding can be particularly valuable. Recognizing the cultural significance behind a flag’s design allows you to craft content that better resonates with your target audience, fostering authenticity, cultural sensitivity, and stronger engagement.