Official Palette
Symbolism
Red represents bravery, strength, and valor. White represents peace and honesty. Blue represents vigilance, truth, loyalty, and justice.
History
The oldest tricolor still in continuous use. Originally orange, white, and blue (the 'Prince's Flag' of William of Orange), the orange was replaced by red in the 17th century for better visibility at sea.
Construction
A 2:3 ratio. Three equal horizontal bands of red, white, and blue.
Color Meanings
Country Facts
Flag Identification
- Adopted
- February 19, 1937
- Proportions
2:3 (≈1.500)
- Total Colors
- 3
- Primary Layout
- Horizontal bands
Influences
Lookalike Comparison
Side-by-side analysis of high-confusion flags, comparing exact color shades, proportions, and historical divergence.
Direct Lookalike Comparison
Quick Tell
The Netherlands uses deep cobalt blue; Luxembourg uses a noticeably lighter sky blue.
Color Shades & Hex Codes
The Netherlands: Cobalt blue
#21468B
Luxembourg: Sky blue
#00A3E0
Historical Divergence
The Dutch tricolor is the world's oldest tricolor still in use, originally featuring orange-white-blue during the 16th-century revolt before the orange transitioned to red around 1660.
Flags with resemblance
Same red-white-blue bands. Luxembourg's blue is lighter (sky blue), and the flag is longer (3:5).
Related flags
Flag Protocol
- The oldest tricolor still in continuous use
- An orange pennant is added to the flag on birthdays of the Royal House
Practice
Think you know the flags of Europe? Test your recognition in a quick practice round.