)
The flag of Austria, a simple horizontal triband
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The former flag of South Africa, a charged horizontal triband
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The flag of France, a simple vertical triband, and also a tricolour
)
The flag of Canada, a vertical triband with uneven bands and a defacement
)
The flag of Neuchâtel, one of the few examples of a square triband.
The triband is one of the most common designs of flag, and is the design of some 30% of all current national flags.
As the name suggests, the main feature of the design of a triband is three parallel bands of colour. If the three bands have three different colours, the triband is a tricolour.
In its simplest form, the triband consists of three equally sized horizontal or vertical stripes and nothing else. Examples of horizontal tribands include the national flags of Austria and Germany, and examples of vertical tribands include the national flags of Nigeria and France. In each of these pairs, the second named flag is also a tricolour.
Diagonal tribands are less common, and often do not have stripes of equal areas or widths. An example is the flag of the Republic of the Congo. Such flags are often not considered tribands by vexillologists, but rather are described as having a single diagonal stripe (heraldically, a bend) on a one- or two-coloured background (or field).
More complex tribands include flags charged or defaced with an emblem (such as the national flag of Croatia) or flags with bands of unequal size (such as the national flag of Colombia). The most famous complex triband is arguably the national flag of Canada, which is charged with a maple leaf and has bands of uneven size. The ratio of the bands on this latter flag (1:2:1) has led to the term Canadian pale to refer to any central vertical band on a triband which is twice the size of the bands on either side.
Some tribands, such as the flag of the Gambia, are fimbriated. This means that between the stripes there are narrower stripes. This is sometimes done to increase contrast between multiple stripes or to follow the rule of tincture, though in some cases the fimbriation also has specific symbolism.
List of tribands
Below is a list of tribands organized by continent. Some of them are charged, i.e. they have some additional symbol apart from the three simple coloured fields.
Africa
Tricolours
Cameroon (charged)
Chad
Côte d'Ivoire
Egypt (charged)
Ethiopia (charged)
Gabon
Ghana (charged)
Gambia (fimbriated)
Guinea
Kenya (fimbriated; charged)
Lesotho (charged)
Libya (charged)
Malawi (charged)
Mali
Mozambique (fimbriated; charged)
Niger (charged)
Puntland
Rwanda (fimbriated; charged)
Senegal (charged)
Sierra Leone
Somaliland (charged)
South Sudan (fimbriated; charged)
Sudan
Other tribands
North and South America
Tricolours
.svg.png)
Bolivia (both charged and uncharged versions in use)
Colombia
Ecuador (charged)
Mexico (charged)
Paraguay (charged)
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (charged).svg.png)
Venezuela (charged)
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Other tribands
Argentina (charged)
Bahamas (charged)
Barbados (charged)
Belize (charged) (bars are more unequal than most).svg.png)
Canada (charged)
El Salvador (charged)
Guatemala (charged)
Honduras (charged)
Nicaragua (charged)
Peru (both charged and uncharged versions in use)
Suriname (fimbriated; charged)
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Asia
Tricolours
Afghanistan (charged)
Armenia
Azerbaijan (charged)
India (charged)
Iran (charged)
Iraq (charged)
Jordan (charged)
Kuwait (charged)
Myanmar (charged)
Oman (fimbriated; charged)
South Ossetia
Syria (charged)
Tajikistan (charged)
United Arab Emirates (charged)
Uzbekistan (fimbriated; charged)
Other tribands
Cambodia (charged)
Laos (charged)
Lebanon (charged)
Mongolia (charged)
North Korea (fimbriated; charged)
Europe
Tricolours
Andorra (charged)
Belgium
Bulgaria
Croatia (charged)
Estonia
France
Germany
Hungary
Ireland
Italy
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Moldova (charged)
Netherlands (oldest tricolour)
Romania
Russian Federation
Serbia (charged)
Slovakia (charged)
Slovenia (charged)
Other tribands
Oceania
French Polynesia (charged)
Norfolk Island (charged)
Other tribands
Nauru (fimbriated; charged)
Former nations and former national flags
Tricolours
The flag of the Republic of Alba
The flag of Alsace-Lorraine (charged)
The flag of the Anconine Republic (charged)
The flag of Anhalt-Dessau and Anhalt
The flag of Araucania and Patagonia
The flag of the Austrian Littoral.svg.png)
The flag of the Grand Duchy and Republic of Baden
The flag of the Batavian Republic (charged)
The flag of Biafra (charged).svg.png)
The flag of the People's Republic of Bulgaria (charged)
The flag of Bushmanland
The flag of Cabinda
The flag of the Duchy of Carinthia.svg.png)
An early flag of Chile, disused since 1817
The flag of the Cisalpine Republic
The flag of the Cispadane Republic
The flag of the Cisrhenian Republic.svg.png)
The flag of the Socialist Republic of Croatia (charged)
The flag of the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia
The flag of East Germany (charged)
The flag of the Free State of Fiume (red, yellow, blue).svg.png)
The flag of the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria 1849–1890 (blue, red, yellow).svg.png)
The flag of Germany 1871–1918 (black, white, red).jpg)
The flag of Gran Colombia (charged).svg.png)
The flag of Grenada 1967–1974 (charged).svg.png)
The flag of the Helvetic Republic (charged)
The flag of Hereroland.svg.png)
The 1959–1963 flag of Iraq (charged)
The flag of KwaNdebele (blue, yellow and green, and charged)
The flag of Lebowa (blue, white and green, and charged).svg.png)
The flag of Libya 1969–1977 (charged after 1972)
The flag of the Duchy and Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin- The flag of the Duchy and Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
.svg.png)
The former flag of Mari El (charged).svg.png)
The flag of the Kingdom of Montenegro (charged).svg.png)
The flag of the Socialist Republic of Montenegro (charged)
The flag of Neutral Moresnet
The flag of North Yemen 1962–1990 (charged)
The flag of Ovamboland (charged)
The flag of the Parthenopean Republic
The flag of the Principality of Reuss-Gera
The flag of the Principality of Reuss-Greiz.svg.png)
The flag of the Socialist Republic of Romania (charged).svg.png)
The former flag of Rwanda (charged)
The flag of the Saar Protectorate (blue, white and black).svg.png)
The flag of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
The flag of Schaumburg-Lippe.svg.jpg)
The flag of the Kingdom of Serbia (charged).svg.png)
The flag of the Socialist Republic of Serbia (charged).svg.png)
The flag of the Socialist Republic of Slovenia (charged).svg.png)
The former flag of South Africa, used during the 1948-1994 apartheid era (1928–1994).svg.png)
The former flag of Spain, during the Second Spanish Republic (1931–1936) (red, yellow, purple and charged)
The flag of Suvadiva (charged)
The flag of Transkei (brown, white, green)
The flag of Upper Volta.svg.png)
The flag of Yugoslavia (charged after 1945).svg.png)
The flag of Zanzibar 1964
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Other tribands
.svg.png)
The flag of Belarus in 1918 and 1991–1995.
The flag of Gazankulu (charged)
The flag of the Grand Duchy and People's State of Hesse.svg.png)
The flag of Rhodesia (charged).svg.png)
The flag of Prussia from 1892–1935 (charged)
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Non-national tricolours
Africa
The African National Congress flag (black, yellow and green)
The flag of the Berberist movement (blue, green and yellow, and charged).jpg)
The flag of Busoga (charged)
The flag of Darfur (charged)
The flag of the Lord's Resistance Army
The "Marcus Garvey's UNIA" flag.svg.png)
The flag of Ogaden (charged)
The flag of Oromia (charged)
The flag of Rwenzururu region (charged)
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Asia
The flag of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (charged)
The flag of Bandung (green, yellow and blue)
The flag of Bodoland
The flag of Bohol (charged)
The flag of Buryatia (charged)
The flag of Chin State (blue, red and green, and charged)
The flag of Evenk Autonomous Okrug (charged)
The flag of Iglesia ni Cristo (charged)
The flag of Kayah State (red, blue and green, and charged)
The flag of Kayin State (blue, white and red, and charged)
The flag of the Khmer Krom
The flag of the Khuzestan Arabs (charged)
The flag of the Kapampangan people (charged).jpg)
The flag of Krasnokamensk (charged)
The flag of Kurdistan (charged)
The flag of Labuan (charged)
The flag of the Minangkabau.svg.png)
The flag of Penang (charged)
The flag of Perak
The flag of Shan State (yellow, green and red, and charged).svg.png)
The flag of Yekaterinburg (yellow, blue and green, and charged)
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Europe
The flag of Benevento
The flag of Besançon
The flag of Bilzen
The flag of Brasschaat (charged)
The flag of the Canary Islands (charged)- The flag of Carinthia (yellow, red and white)
The flag of Charleville-Mézières
The flag of East Frisia (black, red and blue).svg.png)
The flag of Extremadura (green, white and black, and charged)
The flag of Gelderland (blue, yellow and black)
The flag of Gelsenkirchen
The flag of Heist-op-den-Berg
The flag of Heligoland
The flag of Houthalen-Helchteren
The flag of the Ladin people
The flag of Liguria (green, blue and red, and charged)
The flag of Lower Saxony (charged)
The flag of Lucena (charged)
The flag of Mannheim.svg.png)
The flag of Münster
The cantonal flag of Neuchâtel (charged)
The flag of North Frisia (yellow, red and blue)
The flag of North Holland
The flag of North Rhine-Westphalia
The flag of Olvera (charged)
The flag of Rhineland-Palatinate (charged)
flag of Saarland (charged)
The flag of Schleswig-Holstein
The flag of the Sorbs (red, blue and white).svg.png)
The flag of Torremolinos (charged).svg.png)
The flag of the Tornedalians.svg.png)
The flag of Villacarrillo (charged)
The flag of Zaventem (charged)
The flag of Białystok (charged)
The flag of Bielsko-Biała (charged)
The flag of Bucharest (blue, yellow and red, and charged)
The flag of Bydgoszcz (charged)
The flag of Crimea.svg.png)
The flag of the Donetsk People's Republic (black, blue, red and charged)
The flag of Františkovy Lázně
The flag of Gorzów Wielkopolski
The flag of Grudziadz
The flag of Hradec Králové
The flag of Jelenia Góra (charged)
The flag of Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship
The flag of Lesser Poland Voivodeship
The flag of the Livonian people (green, white and blue)
The flag of the Luhansk People's Republic (Light blue, blue, red and charged)
The flag of Mariánské Lázně
The flag of Odessa (red, white and yellow, and charged).svg.png)
The flag of Opočno
The flag of Ostrołęka
The flag of Płock
The flag of Rijeka (charged)
The flag of the Rusyns (blue, white and red, and charged)
The flag of Transylvania
The flag of Zabrze
The flag of Żarów
The flag of Żmigród
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European Russia
The flag of Bashkortostan (charged)
The flag of Dagestan
The flag of Kabardino-Balkaria (charged)
The flag of Karachay-Cherkessia (charged)
The flag of Karelia
The flag of Komi
The flag of Komi-Permyak (charged)
The flag of Krasnodar Krai (charged)
The flag of Kurgan Oblast (charged)
The flag of Mordovia (charged)
The flag of North Ossetia-Alania
The flag of Novgorod Oblast (charged)
The flag of Samara (red, white and blue, and charged)
The flag of Samara Oblast (charged)
The flag of Rostov Oblast (charged)
The flag of Udmurtia (charged)
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North America
The Acadian flag (charged)
The flag of Albany (orange, white and blue, and charged)
The flag of the Cascadia national movement (charged)
The flag of Cleveland (charged)
The flag of Columbus (charged)
The flag of Fresno, California (charged)
The state flag of Iowa (charged)
The flag of Kansas City (blue, white and red, and charged)
The Flag of Labrador (charged)
The flag of Los Angeles (charged)
The flag of Miami (orange, white and green, and charged)
The state flag of Mississippi (charged and fimbrated)
The state flag of Missouri (charged)
The flag of Newfoundland
The flag of New Orleans (charged)
The flag of New York City (charged)
The flag of the Northwest Territories (charged).svg.png)
The official flag of Queen's University at Kingston (red, gold and blue)
The flag of San Diego (dark red, white and yellow, and charged)
The flag of San Jose, California (orange, white and blue, and charged)
The flag of Santa Barbara, California (charged)
The flag of Yukon (charged)
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South America
The state flag of Alagoas (red, white and blue, and charged)
The flag of Armação dos Búzios (charged)
The flag of Armenia, Colombia
The flag of Avaré (charged)
The flag of Chaco Province (charged)
The flag of Córdoba Province (charged)
The state flag of Espirito Santo (blue, white and pink, and charged)
The flag of Ipatinga (charged)
The flag of Ipiales
The flag of Itaguaí (charged)
The flag of Lavalleja Department (charged)
The flag of Manizales
The flag of Maracaibo (charged)
The flag of Maringá (charged)
The flag of Misiones Province
The flag of Nova Friburgo (charged)
The flag of Ñuñoa (charged)
The flag of Ovalle
The flag of Placilla
The flag of Presidente Prudente (charged)
The flag of Río Negro Province (charged)
The flag of Rocha Department
The flag of Santa Fe Province (charged)
The flag of Sincelejo
The flag of Teresópolis (charged)
The flag of Timóteo (charged)
The flag of Valledupar
The flag of Villavicencio
The flag of Zipaquirá
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Other
The unofficial flag of Mars, advocated by the Mars Society and flown (insofar as it is possible) in space.
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Other non-national tribands
Africa
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Asia
The flag of Putrajaya (charged)
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Europe
The flag of Amsterdam (charged).svg.png)
The flag of Antwerp
The flag of Andalusia (charged)
The flag of Avilés (charged)
The flag of Berlin (charged)
The flag of Bonn (charged)
The flag of Delft
The flag of Dendermonde
The flag of Dordrecht
The flag of Grimbergen (charged)
The flag of Groningen
The flag of Hamm (charged)
The flag of Herne (charged)
The flag of Jerez de la Frontera (charged)
The flag of Karlsruhe
The flag of Knokke-Heist (charged)
The flag of Leuven
The flag of Leyden (charged)
The flag of La Línea de la Concepción
The flag of Madeira (charged)
The flag of Motril (charged)
The flag of Mönchengladbach (charged)
The flag of Mons
The flag of Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve
The flag of Rotterdam
The flag of Saint-Tropez
The flag of Savona
The flag of Schwerin (charged)
The flag of Senlis
The flag of Talavera de la Reina (charged)
The flag of Tienen
The flag of Trento (charged)
The cantonal flag of Zug
The flag of Ingushetia (charged)
The flag of Jablonec nad Nisou (charged)
The flag of Kaunas (charged)
The flag of Maardu
The flag of Plovdiv (charged)
The flag of the Republic of Jamtland (charged)
The flag of Rybnik (charged)
The flag of Silesian Voivodeship
The flag of Skierniewice (charged)
The flag of Ulyanovsk (charged)
The flag of Võru
The flag of Vukovar (charged)
The flag of West Pomeranian Voivodeship (charged)
The flag of Żagań
Luhansk People's Republic
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North America
The flag of Atlantic City, New Jersey (charged)
The flag of Birmingham, Alabama (charged)
The state flag of Colorado (charged)
The flag of Cumberland Head, New York (charged)- The flag of Edmonton, Alberta (charged)
The flag of Hamilton, Ontario (charged)- The flag of the Northwest Territories (charged)
The flag of Philadelphia (charged)
The flag of Pittsburgh (charged)
The flag of Raleigh (charged)
The flag of Saint Paul, Minnesota (charged)
The flag of Toledo, Ohio (charged)
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South America
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The flag of Asunción (charged)- The flag of Chapecó (charged)
The flag of Entre Ríos Province (charged)
The flag of Linhares (charged)
The flag of Nilópolis (charged)
The flag of La Pampa Province (charged)
The flag of Recife (charged)
The flag of Río Negro Department (charged)
The flag of San Juan Province (charged).png)
The flag of São Joaquim (charged)
The flag of Tucumán Province (charged)
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