Flags of North America Quiz

The Three Regions Behind North America's Flags

North America's flags split into three visual worlds. The three large northern nations — Canada's red maple leaf, the United States' Stars and Stripes, and Mexico's eagle-and-serpent emblem — are among the most recognisable flags on Earth.

Below them, Central America shares a common history that shows up on the flags, and the Caribbean is a burst of colour and individual designs, from Jamaica's gold saltire to the palm and stars of the Lesser Antilles.

The Central American Look-Alikes

The hardest points in a North American flag quiz come from Central America:

When the Federal Republic of Central America dissolved in 1841, its member states kept the federation's blue-white-blue horizontal design. Today Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Honduras all fly nearly identical flags — two blue bands around a white centre.

Tell them apart by the emblem: Nicaragua has a triangle with a rainbow and volcanoes; El Salvador has a similar triangle with the words "Republica de El Salvador en la America Central"; Honduras has five blue stars and no central emblem. Guatemala breaks the pattern with vertical (not horizontal) blue-white-blue stripes.

Iconic and Unique North American Flags

Several flags in the region are impossible to confuse with anything else:

Canada — a single red maple leaf between two red bands; adopted in 1965.

United States — 50 white stars for the states and 13 stripes for the original colonies.

Mexico — a green-white-red tricolour with a golden eagle devouring a serpent on a cactus, drawn from an Aztec legend.

Caribbean standouts — Jamaica (the only national flag with no red, white, or blue), the Bahamas (black triangle with aquamarine and gold bands), and Barbados (a broken trident on blue and gold).