Indonesia vs Poland
Both flags are red-and-white horizontal bicolors with no emblem. Indonesia is red over white at 2:3 (Sang Saka Merah Putih). Poland is the reverse: white over red at 5:8. Flip either civil flag and you get the other country's layout.
- Proportion
- 2:3
- Adopted
- 1945
Colors
- Red #FF0000
- White #FFFFFF
- Proportion
- 5:8
- Adopted
- 1919
Colors
- White #FFFFFF
- Crimson Red #D4213D
Look foron Indonesia
Look foron Poland
- Red stripe on top, white belowWhite stripe on top, red below
- 2:3 rectangular ratioLegal 5:8 ratio (slightly shorter than 2:3)
- Civil flag has no crescent, stars, or coat of armsState and maritime flags may add the White Eagle on the white band
Which flag is Indonesia?
Same Two Colors, Opposite Stacks
Poland's white-over-red banner comes from the White Eagle on a red shield. The colors were in use for centuries; the plain bicolor became the national flag on August 1, 1919, after independence was restored. A version with the eagle is reserved for state and maritime use.
Indonesia's red-over-white Sang Saka Merah Putih was raised on August 17, 1945. The layout traces to Majapahit banners in the 13th century. Monaco later protested the same red-over-white stack; Indonesia kept the older Javanese colors. Poland is the third member of that red-white family, with the stripes reversed.
Protocol mix-ups follow the flip. Print Indonesia upside down and you have Poland's civil layout. At the 2017 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur, a souvenir booklet showed Indonesia inverted, which produced protests and a Malaysian apology. Monaco's legal 4:5 ratio is the other tell in this family; Poland's 5:8 and Indonesia's 2:3 are both longer rectangles.
Telling them apart
- Orientation is the tell: red on top is Indonesia (or Monaco); white on top is Poland.
- Indonesia 2:3, Poland 5:8. Side-by-side, Poland is a bit squarer, but the stripe order is easier to read than the ratio.
- Singapore also uses red over white at 2:3, with a white crescent and five stars in the canton.
Questions
Is Poland's flag just Indonesia upside down?
On the civil flags, yes: the same two equal bands, reversed. They are separate national designs with different histories. Poland's state flag may add the White Eagle; Indonesia's civil flag stays plain.
How is Monaco different from both?
Monaco matches Indonesia's red-over-white order, but the legal ratio is 4:5 (nearly square). Poland is white-over-red at 5:8. See Monaco vs Indonesia for the ratio comparison.
More lookalikes
Monaco vs Indonesia
Monaco is miniature and squarish (4:5); Indonesia is island-wide (longer 2:3 rectangle).
Chad vs Romania
Chad has the darker, deeper indigo blue; Romania uses brighter royal cobalt.
Australia vs New Zealand
New Zealand has No Commonwealth Star and uses red stars; Australia uses all-white seven-pointed stars.
Ireland vs Ivory Coast
Ireland starts with Green on the left; Ivory Coast starts with Orange on the left.