A national flag is one of the most instantly recognizable symbols of a country’s identity. Usually people can tell which flag belongs to which country, especially given the prominence of flags at international sporting events, such as the World Cup and the Olympics. Sometimes, however, confusion can arise when two or more flags closely resemble each other.
None of the world’s national flags are as closely matched to each other as those of Chad and Romania. Their design and size are almost identical, and only a close examination reveals slight shade differences between the blue, yellow, and red vertical stripes.
Let's delve into the history, design, and occasional controversies surrounding these nearly identical flags.
Design and Adoption
The flag of Chad is a vertical tricolor consisting (left to right) of an indigo, a yellow, and a red column. The flag was adopted in 1959 for the autonomous republic and retained on independence in 1960, and in the constitution of 1962. Despite many political upheavals within Chad since independence, the flag has not been changed.
Chad began to use its present flag in 1960, after it achieved independence from France.
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The Romanian flag dates from 1861, based on earlier versions with horizontal stripes. Romania has used the flag since 1866, which appeared for the first time in its current form in Wallachia. It was officially in use from 1866 until 1948, when it was superseded by the flag of the Socialist Republic of Romania.
The two came from totally different backgrounds. The flag of Chad was first hoisted in 1959 after the country had achieved independence from France. Its original design had a green stripe, but it too closely resembled the flag of Mali, so the blue stripe was substituted.
BALKAN ROMANS -- History of Romania (Redroom)
Historical Context
Chad, officially the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon to the southwest, Nigeria to the southwest (at Lake Chad), and Niger to the west. Chad has a population of 19 million, of which 1.6 million live in the capital and largest city of N'Djamena. Chad has several regions: the Sahara desert in the north, an arid zone in the centre known as the Sahel, and a more fertile Sudanian Savanna zone in the south. Lake Chad, after which the country is named, is the second-largest wetland in Africa. Chad's official languages are Arabic and French. It is home to over 200 ethnic and linguistic groups.
France conquered the territory by 1920 and incorporated it as part of French Equatorial Africa. In 1960, Chad obtained independence under the leadership of François Tombalbaye.
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Romania's tricolor has a longer history. Romania has used the flag since 1866. It appeared for the first time in its current form in Wallachia. It was officially in use from 1866 until 1948, when it was superseded by the flag of the Socialist Republic of Romania.
The Controversy
The flag of Chad is almost identical to the national flag of Romania, although the colors in Chad flags may vary more than those specified for Romania.
The crisis between Romania and Chad sharing similar flags has concerned the Chadian government on occasion; they requested in 2004 that the United Nations examine the issue. In response, Romanian President Ion Iliescu stated that no change would occur to the flag, as the existence of Romania's tricolour predates the existence of Chad as a whole: "The tricolour belongs to us.
When Chad adopted its flag, Romania's flag also included an emblem in the middle of the flag on top of the tricolour; this was added after World War II during the Communist era of the second half of the 20th century.
Here are nine sets of flags that exhibit varying degrees of similarity.
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| Country Pair | Similarities | Differences |
|---|---|---|
| Chad and Romania | Almost identical design and size, vertical stripes of blue, yellow, and red. | Slight shade differences in colors. Romania's flag predates Chad's. |
| Senegal and Mali | Same dimensions, basic green-yellow-red vertical stripe design. | Senegal's flag has a green star in the central stripe; slight shade differences in colors. |
| Indonesia and Monaco | Two horizontal stripes, red over white. | Different dimensions: Indonesia (2:3), Monaco (4:5). |
| New Zealand and Australia | Based on the British Blue Ensign, feature a stylized version of the Southern Cross constellation. | Different design of constellation stars, addition of a sixth star on the Australian flag, shade differences in blues and reds. |
| Ireland and Côte d’Ivoire | Green, white, and orange vertical stripes. | Reversed order of stripes: Ireland (green on hoist side), Côte d’Ivoire (orange on hoist side). |
| Norway and Iceland | Identical design with a Scandinavian Cross. | Reversed colors: Norway (red field, white-bordered blue cross), Iceland (blue field, white-bordered red cross). |
| Venezuela, Ecuador, and Colombia | Unequal yellow, blue, and red horizontal stripes. | Colombia and Ecuador retain the larger yellow stripe; Venezuela has stripes of equal size. Venezuela and Ecuador also depict their country's coat of arms. |
| Luxembourg and the Netherlands | Horizontally striped flag. | Luxembourg's flag is slightly longer and uses a different shade of blue. |
| Slovenia, Russia, and Slovakia | White-blue-red horizontally striped flag. | Slovenia and Slovakia incorporate their respective country’s coat of arms into the flag design. |
Also similar to these two is the flag of Poland, although its stripes are reversed, white over red.
Andorra has a similar flag as well, but it is distinguished by its centrally placed coat of arms.
These two flags are somewhat less alike than those mentioned above, but their shared design of green, white, and orange vertical stripes can be confusing. The difference is that the green stripe on the Irish flag is on the hoist side (part of the flag closest to the flagpole), while the flag of Côte d’Ivoire is the reverse.
The flag for each of these countries boasts an identical design but with the colors reversed. Both have their origins in the Danish flag, with its red field and white Scandinavian Cross. The Norwegian flag has a red field with a white-bordered blue cross, while Iceland’s flag has a blue field with a white-bordered red cross.
A flag of unequal yellow, blue, and red horizontal stripes was adopted by the new country of Gran Colombia in 1822. Although that country dissolved in 1830, the succeeding states of Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela incorporated that flag’s tricolor design into their respective flags. Those of Colombia and Ecuador retain the larger yellow stripe, while that of Venezuela has stripes of equal size. The Venezuelan flag is also distinguished by an arc of stars in its center and by the national coat of arms in the upper hoist corner. The Ecuadorian flag also depicts the country’s coat of arms, though in its center.
The Dutch began using a red, white, and blue horizontally striped flag in the mid-17th century, the red being a substitution for the original orange stripe. This flag became the inspiration for the vertically striped French Tricolor after the French Revolution in 1789. Although Luxembourg lies close to the Netherlands, its flag was not derived from the Dutch flag but was developed independently. Luxembourg’s flag differs from the Dutch flag in being slightly longer and using a different shade of blue.
The white-blue-red horizontally striped Russian flag dates to the end of the 17th century and was modeled on the Dutch tricolor. It, in turn, inspired the flag design for many countries of eastern and southern Europe. The two flags most closely resembling the Russian standard are those of Slovakia and Slovenia, which differ mainly in being longer than the Russian flag and incorporating their respective country’s coat of arms into the flag design.
Both flags are based on the British Blue Ensign (blue field with a Union Jack in the canton, or top inner corner) and feature a stylized version of the Southern Cross constellation. However, they differ in several ways: the design of the constellation (five white seven-pointed stars for Australia, four red-and-white five-pointed stars for New Zealand); the addition of a sixth, larger, “commonwealth” star on the Australian flag; and shade differences in the blues and reds. Nonetheless, the design similarities are one of the reasons why New Zealanders have considered replacing their flag.
Flags that are variations on the Russian model include those of Croatia and Serbia, which use different patterns of red, white, and blue horizontal stripes.
The Romanian flag dates from 1861, based on earlier versions with horizontal stripes.
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