Which flags have a coat of arms or emblem? The full list
Quick answer: 53 of the national flags in the Trivillion flags quiz show a coat of arms, seal or detailed national emblem. They include Mexico (an eagle eating a snake), Egypt (the Eagle of Saladin), Lebanon (a cedar), Cambodia (Angkor Wat), Spain, Portugal, Brazil and Sri Lanka.
What counts as an emblem
A coat of arms is a heraldic design, usually built around a shield. A national emblem is a detailed symbol that stands for the country, such as Lebanon’s cedar or Cambodia’s Angkor Wat. We count both here, but not simple shapes like stars, crescents, crosses or plain sun discs, which have their own articles.
Flags with a coat of arms or emblem, by region
Every flag in our quiz with a coat of arms, seal or detailed emblem:
| Region | Count | Countries |
|---|---|---|
| Europe | 14 | Albania, Andorra, Croatia, Liechtenstein, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Portugal, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Vatican City |
| Americas | 11 | Belize, Brazil, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay |
| Africa | 12 | Angola, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe |
| Asia and the Middle East | 12 | Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Mongolia, Oman, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan |
| Oceania | 4 | Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu |
Famous emblems explained
Some emblems tell a story:
| Flag | Emblem | Story |
|---|---|---|
| Mexico | Eagle on a cactus eating a snake | The Aztec legend of the founding of Tenochtitlan, today Mexico City |
| Egypt | Eagle of Saladin | A symbol of Arab strength, also used by Iraq, Palestine and Yemen in their coats of arms |
| Lebanon | Cedar tree | The cedars of Lebanon, mentioned in ancient texts, stand for strength and endurance |
| Cambodia | Angkor Wat | The 12th-century temple complex, the only building on a national flag |
| Portugal | Armillary sphere and shield | Portugal’s age of exploration |
| Brazil | Starry globe | The night sky over Rio and the motto Ordem e Progresso |
| Sri Lanka | Lion with a sword | The Sinhalese lion, a symbol going back many centuries |
| Oman | Khanjar and swords | The traditional curved dagger and two crossed swords |
Flags with emblems that tell a surprise
At the 1936 Olympic Games, Haiti and Liechtenstein discovered that their flags were identical: both were blue over red. Liechtenstein added a gold crown in 1937 to tell them apart, and Haiti’s flag carries its coat of arms on a white panel. Belize’s flag is often described as the only national flag showing people as a main design element: two men stand beside its coat of arms. Paraguay’s flag shows a different emblem on each side, the national seal on the front and the treasury seal on the back.
State flags and civil flags
Some countries use a plain flag for everyday use and add the coat of arms for government buildings. Bolivia, Costa Rica, Peru and Venezuela all have a civil flag without the arms and a state flag with them, so quizzes may show either. Cyprus, which shows a map of the island, is sometimes listed with emblem flags but is a map rather than an emblem.
How to learn emblem flags
Emblem flags are often the hardest in a quiz because the emblem is small at quiz size. Learn the colours and stripes first, then use the emblem to split look-alikes: El Salvador and Nicaragua share blue and white stripes but have different emblems, and Moldova and Andorra both use blue, yellow and red with a coat of arms in the centre.
Flags with a coat of arms or emblem
Related reading
More articles and games on the same topic.
Browse all geography quizzes and games, or go back to Trivia Mate.
Frequently asked questions
Which flags have a coat of arms?
53 flags in our quiz show a coat of arms, seal or emblem, including Spain, Portugal, Mexico, Egypt, Serbia, Croatia, Ecuador and Guatemala.
Which flag has a building on it?
Cambodia’s, which shows Angkor Wat.
Which flag has an eagle eating a snake?
Mexico’s.
Why did Liechtenstein add a crown to its flag?
Because its flag was identical to Haiti’s, which both countries discovered at the 1936 Olympics.
Which flag shows people?
Belize’s flag shows two men beside the coat of arms.
Which flag is different on each side?
Paraguay’s.