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Best and Worst National Flags

Posted: Sat Aug 07, 2021 4:35 pm
by Gavin Chipper
What do you think? Obviously the Union Jack (I'm on a boat - shut up) is an absolute aesthetic abomination, and even more so with its weird asymmetries, and a national embarrassment. I'd also say any flag that is just three colours in stripes is pretty terrible for its lack of imagination. But what are the good ones?

Re: Best and Worst National Flags

Posted: Sat Aug 07, 2021 5:31 pm
by Mark James
I love most flags. Really hard to pick a favourite. Bhutan 🇧🇹 maybe? Even if they are just three stripes of colours I still like them especially if the colour choice is good like Estonia 🇪🇪 or Armenia 🇦🇲. Chad and Romania lose points for being the same 🇷🇴. Worst has to be Indonesia 🇮🇩, Monaco 🇲🇨 and Poland 🇵🇱.

Re: Best and Worst National Flags

Posted: Sat Aug 07, 2021 6:00 pm
by Tom S
North Macedonia for the win.

Re: Best and Worst National Flags

Posted: Sat Aug 07, 2021 6:26 pm
by Ben Wilson
Not a country in the Pointless definition of the word, but Artsakh's flag wins points for looking like it's been invaded by something from an Atari 2600 game.

Re: Best and Worst National Flags

Posted: Sat Aug 07, 2021 7:34 pm
by Marc Meakin
Canada
Wales
Mexico

Re: Best and Worst National Flags

Posted: Sat Aug 07, 2021 9:15 pm
by Gavin Chipper
A couple of sites ranking the flags.

Wales comes top in one of those lists (though obviously it's not a "proper" country being part of the UK) so some agreement with Marc there. That list also has Canada 5th and Mexico 9th.

Re: Best and Worst National Flags

Posted: Sat Aug 07, 2021 10:06 pm
by Dave Robjohns
Seychelles top for me. North Macedonia, Cambodia, Uganda and Saint Lucia probably round off my top 5.

Not so keen on Turkmenistan, Morocco and any that are annoyingly close together (the ones Mark mentioned but also Guinea/Mali, India/Niger, Ireland/IvoryCoast & half the middle east) and Haiti's is naff from a distance. Libya are glad this thread didn't exist 10 years ago.

Re: Best and Worst National Flags

Posted: Sat Aug 07, 2021 10:49 pm
by Johnny Canuck
Mozambique, in a kind of dystopian way. Also Spain for going outside the box with its colour choices - pink lion anyone?

Re: Best and Worst National Flags

Posted: Sat Aug 07, 2021 11:46 pm
by Rhys Benjamin
United Kingdom, North Macedonia very good...

... but the correct answer is Central African Republic.

Re: Best and Worst National Flags

Posted: Sat Aug 14, 2021 6:26 pm
by JimBentley
Rhys Benjamin wrote: ↑Sat Aug 07, 2021 11:46 pm United Kingdom...very good
No it isn't. It's terrible on many levels. Didn't you read Gavin's post?
Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Sat Aug 07, 2021 4:35 pmObviously the Union Jack (I'm on a boat - shut up) is an absolute aesthetic abomination, and even more so with its weird asymmetries, and a national embarrassment.
It's become even harder to take seriously in the past couple of years following its risible fetishization by Tory politicians. In every Zoom interview, Tory ministers would appear with bigger and bigger Union Flags behind them. Let's not forget they're appearing in a room in their own house in these interviews. Nobody has a fucking eight foot Union flag in their house! And what, we're supposed to believe that because they have a humongous flag then they must be super-patriotic? Jesus wept. They really must think people are thick as shit.

I'd go further than Gavin, the United Kingdom flag isn't just a national embarrassment, it's a national joke.

Re: Best and Worst National Flags

Posted: Sat Aug 14, 2021 7:22 pm
by Rhys Benjamin
I like those idiosyncrasies that Gevin dislikes. Capiche?

Re: Best and Worst National Flags

Posted: Sat Aug 14, 2021 9:50 pm
by Tom S
Tom S wrote: ↑Sat Aug 07, 2021 6:00 pm North Macedonia for the win.
Having said that, surprised no one has mentioned that Switzerland'd flag is a big plus...

Re: Best and Worst National Flags

Posted: Sat Aug 14, 2021 10:25 pm
by Johnny Canuck
Tom S wrote: ↑Sat Aug 14, 2021 9:50 pm
Tom S wrote: ↑Sat Aug 07, 2021 6:00 pm North Macedonia for the win.
Having said that, surprised no one has mentioned that Switzerland'd flag is a big plus...
But the blue in the Scottish flag is behind the times.

Re: Best and Worst National Flags

Posted: Sun Aug 15, 2021 6:10 pm
by Gavin Chipper
The Nepalese flag is interesting, if nothing else.

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Re: Best and Worst National Flags

Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2022 8:04 pm
by Gavin Chipper
I just came here to post that any flag that has just the three colours of red, white and blue is disqualified for being terribly unoriginal. Unfortunately that takes out the Nepal flag that I posted above. This site lists 29 countries with red, white and blue flags. According to this site, there are over 50 countries and territories.

Re: Best and Worst National Flags

Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2022 8:16 pm
by Gavin Chipper
Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Sun Jul 24, 2022 8:04 pm I just came here to post that any flag that has just the three colours of red, white and blue is disqualified for being terribly unoriginal. Unfortunately that takes out the Nepal flag that I posted above. This site lists 29 countries with red, white and blue flags. According to this site, there are over 50 countries and territories.
Also, I would say a flag is better if it has simple patterns and shapes that can be easily reproduced, so something like the Welsh flag, which is generally considered to be one of the better ones, would lose points on this.

Re: Best and Worst National Flags

Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2022 9:34 pm
by Mark Deeks
Since neither I nor anyone should yield to the self-appointed authority of Gev, I would like an honorable mention for the following, which is not a national flag, but nearly was, coming fourth in the New Zealand flag referendum in 2016. I enjoy its simple majesty and colour contrasts.

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Re: Best and Worst National Flags

Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2022 9:37 pm
by Mark Deeks
And on a regional administrative level, I hereby anoint the winner of the world Best County Flag competition to this absolute belter from River Gee County, Liberia.

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