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✍️ Flag SymbolsFlags With Words or Writing On Them
The great majority of national flags carry no text at all — which makes the ones that do stand out. Some bear sacred scripture, some a proud national motto, and a few spell out the country's own name. Here is every national flag with words on it, translated and explained.
The most famous words on any flag: Brazil 🇧🇷 — "Ordem e Progresso" — "Order and Progress" — arcs across the starry globe. Unusually, it's not religious or royal but a secular, philosophical motto, borrowed from the positivism of French thinker Auguste Comte.
🕌 Sacred words (Arabic script)
The most prominent text on any flags is religious — verses and declarations of Islamic faith.
📜 National mottos
A proud phrase — in Latin, Portuguese, Spanish or French — usually on a ribbon across the coat of arms.
🌎 Flags that spell out their name
Several Central American flags carry the country's own name — and sometimes its independence date — around the coat of arms.
Other state flags spell out their name too — including Bolivia, Costa Rica and Honduras — usually within the coat of arms.
A flag you can read from both sides: Paraguay — Paraguay's flag is one of the very few that is different on each side: the front shows the national coat of arms, and the reverse the treasury seal with the words "Paz y Justicia" ("Peace and Justice").
Why so few flags have words
Text is rare on flags for practical reasons: words are hard to read at a distance or on a flag rippling in the wind, they can't be mirrored (which is why Saudi Arabia and Paraguay are printed on both sides), and they don't translate across languages. Most countries prefer symbols — stars, crosses, colours — that anyone can recognise. The flags that do use words tend to have a powerful reason: sacred scripture, or a founding ideal a nation wants written in plain sight.
Frequently asked questions
What does Brazil's flag say?
"Ordem e Progresso" — Portuguese for "Order and Progress", a secular motto from the positivist philosophy of Auguste Comte.
What is written on the flag of Saudi Arabia?
The shahada, the Islamic declaration of faith, above a sword. It's printed double-sided so the text always reads correctly, and is never flown at half-mast.
Which flags have writing on them?
Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Egypt (Arabic); Brazil, Andorra, San Marino, Spain, Belize, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Equatorial Guinea (mottos); and several Central American flags with the country's name.
Do most national flags have words on them?
No — the vast majority carry no text at all, which is what makes the ones that do so distinctive.
Which flag has a Bible on it?
The Dominican Republic — the only national flag to feature an open Bible, on its coat of arms.
Related guides
Flag images via flagcdn.com. Much of this text appears within a country's coat of arms rather than as the main design.