Flags of Central and East Africa
Recognise the 18 national flags of Central and East Africa by their colours and design, one family at a time.
18 cards · Geography
Each Zap teaches up to 5 new cards, so you learn the chapter a few at a time.
Checked by the Brain Zap team · reviewed 27 Oct 2026
Sources: Gallery of sovereign state flags (Wikipedia), flag-icons by Lipis, MIT licence (the pictures)
Preview
Green, red and yellow vertical bands, a yellow star
Show answerHide answer: Green, red and yellow vertical bands, a yellow star
Cameroon
Learn more: The star in the middle is the "star of unity". Douala, not the capital, is its biggest city.
Blue, white, green, yellow bands, a red stripe and star
Show answerHide answer: Blue, white, green, yellow bands, a red stripe and star
Central African Republic
Learn more: Its designer joined the French blue, white and red to pan-African green and yellow, so that Europe and Africa would respect each other.
Indigo, gold and red vertical bands
Show answerHide answer: Indigo, gold and red vertical bands
Chad
Learn more: It is almost the same as Romania's flag; only the shade of blue is a little darker.
Green and red, split by a yellow diagonal
Show answerHide answer: Green and red, split by a yellow diagonal
Congo
Learn more: Also called Congo-Brazzaville, to tell it from its much larger neighbour, DR Congo.
Sky blue, with a yellow star and a red diagonal
Show answerHide answer: Sky blue, with a yellow star and a red diagonal
DR Congo
Learn more: Kinshasa and Brazzaville face each other across the Congo River: the closest capitals after Rome and Vatican City.
About this topic
This chapter of Flags of the World covers the national flags of Central and East Africa. Each card shows a flag and asks which country flies it, with a hint and a short story of where its colours and shapes come from.
Ethiopia, never colonised, gave Africa its green, yellow and red. Further south, black, red and green tell of the people, their struggle and the land, and many flags carry a shield, a spear or a star.
Learn the family first, then the one detail that sets each flag apart: the order of the colours, a shade of blue, a cross, a star or an emblem. Once you know most of this chapter's flags, the next chapter of the Book starts arriving in your Daily Zap.
All 18 cards
Green, red and yellow vertical bands, a yellow star
Cameroon
Learn more: The star in the middle is the "star of unity". Douala, not the capital, is its biggest city.
Blue, white, green, yellow bands, a red stripe and star
Central African Republic
Learn more: Its designer joined the French blue, white and red to pan-African green and yellow, so that Europe and Africa would respect each other.
Indigo, gold and red vertical bands
Chad
Learn more: It is almost the same as Romania's flag; only the shade of blue is a little darker.
Green and red, split by a yellow diagonal
Congo
Learn more: Also called Congo-Brazzaville, to tell it from its much larger neighbour, DR Congo.
Sky blue, with a yellow star and a red diagonal
DR Congo
Learn more: Kinshasa and Brazzaville face each other across the Congo River: the closest capitals after Rome and Vatican City.
Green, white and red bands, a blue triangle, an emblem
Equatorial Guinea
Learn more: The only African country with Spanish as an official language. Its emblem shows a silk cotton tree.
Green, yellow and blue horizontal bands
Gabon
Learn more: Yellow stands for the equator, which crosses the country, between its green forests and the blue sea.
Green and yellow bands, a red triangle, two black stars
São Tomé and Príncipe
Learn more: The two black stars stand for its two main islands, São Tomé and Príncipe.
Red and green, white diagonal cross, three red stars
Burundi
Learn more: The three stars stand for its motto: Unity, Work, Progress. Gitega replaced Bujumbura as the capital in 2019.
Light blue over green, a white triangle with a red star
Djibouti
Learn more: Blue stands for the Issa people, green for the Afar: the country's two largest groups.
Red triangle with an olive wreath, between green and blue
Eritrea
Learn more: The gold olive branch and wreath come from the flag it flew under the UN in the 1950s.
Green, yellow and red bands, with a blue disc and star
Ethiopia
Learn more: Ethiopia was never colonised, so many new African states took its green, yellow and red as their own.
Black, red and green bands, a Maasai shield and spears
Kenya
Learn more: The shield and two crossed spears stand for the defence of freedom; the thin white lines for peace.
Blue, yellow and green bands, with a yellow sun
Rwanda
Learn more: Adopted in 2001 to leave behind the old red, yellow and green flag, linked to the 1994 genocide.
Light blue, with a white five-pointed star
Somalia
Learn more: The star's five points stand for the five lands where Somali people live.
Black, red, green, a blue triangle with a gold star
South Sudan
Learn more: The world's newest country: it became independent from Sudan in 2011.
Green and blue, split by a black diagonal
Tanzania
Learn more: Tanganyika and Zanzibar joined in 1964 and mixed their flags. Dar es Salaam is its biggest city.
Black, yellow and red stripes, a crane in a white disc
Uganda
Learn more: The grey crowned crane in the middle is the national bird.
Image credits
- Green, red and yellow vertical bands, a yellow star: flag-icons by Lipis, MIT, MIT Source: Green, red and yellow vertical bands, a yellow star
- Blue, white, green, yellow bands, a red stripe and star: flag-icons by Lipis, MIT, MIT Source: Blue, white, green, yellow bands, a red stripe and star
- Indigo, gold and red vertical bands: flag-icons by Lipis, MIT, MIT Source: Indigo, gold and red vertical bands
- Green and red, split by a yellow diagonal: flag-icons by Lipis, MIT, MIT Source: Green and red, split by a yellow diagonal
- Sky blue, with a yellow star and a red diagonal: flag-icons by Lipis, MIT, MIT Source: Sky blue, with a yellow star and a red diagonal
- Green, white and red bands, a blue triangle, an emblem: flag-icons by Lipis, MIT, MIT Source: Green, white and red bands, a blue triangle, an emblem
- Green, yellow and blue horizontal bands: flag-icons by Lipis, MIT, MIT Source: Green, yellow and blue horizontal bands
- Green and yellow bands, a red triangle, two black stars: flag-icons by Lipis, MIT, MIT Source: Green and yellow bands, a red triangle, two black stars
- Red and green, white diagonal cross, three red stars: flag-icons by Lipis, MIT, MIT Source: Red and green, white diagonal cross, three red stars
- Light blue over green, a white triangle with a red star: flag-icons by Lipis, MIT, MIT Source: Light blue over green, a white triangle with a red star
- Red triangle with an olive wreath, between green and blue: flag-icons by Lipis, MIT, MIT Source: Red triangle with an olive wreath, between green and blue
- Green, yellow and red bands, with a blue disc and star: flag-icons by Lipis, MIT, MIT Source: Green, yellow and red bands, with a blue disc and star
- Black, red and green bands, a Maasai shield and spears: flag-icons by Lipis, MIT, MIT Source: Black, red and green bands, a Maasai shield and spears
- Blue, yellow and green bands, with a yellow sun: flag-icons by Lipis, MIT, MIT Source: Blue, yellow and green bands, with a yellow sun
- Light blue, with a white five-pointed star: flag-icons by Lipis, MIT, MIT Source: Light blue, with a white five-pointed star
- Black, red, green, a blue triangle with a gold star: flag-icons by Lipis, MIT, MIT Source: Black, red, green, a blue triangle with a gold star
- Green and blue, split by a black diagonal: flag-icons by Lipis, MIT, MIT Source: Green and blue, split by a black diagonal
- Black, yellow and red stripes, a crane in a white disc: flag-icons by Lipis, MIT, MIT Source: Black, yellow and red stripes, a crane in a white disc
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