Which Places Have a Blue and Yellow Flag? There Are at Least 8

The design of a flag often reflects a country's national identity. Here, we'll see that pattern extended to a few states and another large entity as well. SimpleImages / Getty Images

It's not uncommon to spot a blue and yellow flag among national and state flags, and the color combinations often symbolize nature.

Blue backgrounds, whether they are dark blue or light blue, can represent the sky or the ocean. The yellow color might symbolize the sun, which evokes warmth, or stars, which can refer to the stars in the night sky or the states of the union. The yellow can also represent gold, or wealth.

These official blue and yellow flags, whether flown on a national flag day or at sporting events, often display an eye-catching national symbol or tell of a meaningful history.

4 Countries With Blue and Yellow Flags

1. Ukraine

Ukraine flag.
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The Ukrainian flag is one of the more recognizable blue and yellow flags. After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, many around the world who supported Ukrainian resistance used the horizontal stripes of the Ukrainian flag to show solidarity with the country.

This blue and yellow bicolor flag is simple in design, made of two horizontal stripes. The bright blue stripe on top represents the sky — a theme you'll see several times on this list — and the bottom bright yellow stripe represents the wheat fields.

According to Ukraine's official website, the combination of blue and yellow goes back to the 13th century. During the reign of Prince Danylo Romanovych, the coat of arms of the city of Lviv featured a golden lion on a blue background. Lviv's city council still uses this symbol today.

2. Sweden

Sweden flag.
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The Swedish blue and yellow flag features a Scandinavian or Nordic bright yellow cross on top of a blue background.

Sweden's national flag is said to be inspired by the Danish flag, which has the same design but with a white cross on a red background.

Sweden's use of its traditional blue and yellow colors dates back to the 14th century. The state coat of arms is a blue shield with three golden crowns, and the Folkung dynasty used a shield with a gold lion on top of a background of blue and wavy diagonal stripes.

3. Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan flag.
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Kazakhstan's light blue and yellow national flag features yellow imagery on top of a turquoise-blue background. In the center is a yellow sun over a yellow eagle, and on the left side, there's a vertical band with national ornamentation patterns.

According to Kazakhstan's official website, the blue-sky color symbolizes honesty, fidelity and integrity, but it also has a deeper meaning, because ancient Turkic people worship the sky as their god. The golden sun symbolizes wealth, abundance, life and energy.

4. Palau

Palau flag.
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The light blue and yellow flag of Palau features a bright blue background with a yellow circle slightly off-center to the left.

This official flag was adopted in 1981, when Palau split from the Pacific Islands and was proclaimed a republic. According to Palau government website, the blue symbolizes the Pacific Ocean, and the circle symbolizes the full moon.

3 States With Blue and Yellow Flags

1. Alaska

Alaska's blue and yellow flag, which consists of a dark blue background with eight yellow stars that form Big Dipper with Polaris, has its own song that also explains the color combination.

"Alaska's Flag," with music by Elinor Dusenbury and lyrics by Marie Drake, tells of the "eight stars of gold on a field of blue."

The blue represents "the sea, the evening sky / The mountain lakes and the flowers nearby."

The gold symbolizes "the early sourdough's dreams / The precious gold of the hills and streams / The brilliant stars in the northern sky."

2. Oregon

Oregon is the only U.S. state with a two-sided flag, and both sides feature yellow emblems on top of navy blue backgrounds.

The front side features the text "State of Oregon" and its year of statehood, "1959," as well as the state seal, which features symbols of an eagle, wagon, the Pacific Ocean and 33 stars that represent the order Oregon was admitted into the Union.

Back of Oregon flag.
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On the reverse side is also a yellow and blue flag. A yellow image of a beaver sits on top of the same navy blue background. Navy blue and gold are Oregon's official state colors.

3. Indiana

Indiana flag.
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Indiana's blue and yellow state flag has a dark blue background with 19 yellow stars surrounding a yellow flaming torch.

Thirteen stars, representing the original 13 states, form an outer circle around the torch. Five stars are arranged in the bottom half of a half-circle, representing the states admitted into the Union prior to Indiana. And the 19th star, which is bigger than the rest, sits on top of the torch, representing Indiana.

The flag was determined in 1917 after artist Paul Hadley won a flag-design contest for the state's 1916 centennial.

According to the Indiana Historical Bureau, there weren't any explicit directions for the blue and yellow flag, only for competitors to choose colors different than the U.S. flag. The gold torch represented liberty.

A Very Important Blue and Yellow Flag

The European Union flag features a dark blue background (again, representing the sky) with a circle of 12 yellow stars that stand for unity among the countries and people of Europe.