Chile vs. Texas: Flag Comparison
Both Chile (adopted 1817) and Texas (adopted 1839) are 2:3 red-white-blue 'Lone Star' flags, but Chile places its white star in a square upper-hoist blue canton while Texas places its star in a full-height vertical blue hoist band.
How to tell Chile and Texas apart at a glance
- Look at the blue area on the left (hoist): on the Flag of Chile, the blue is a square canton in the top-left corner and the red stripe runs all the way across the bottom; on the Flag of Texas, the blue band extends from the top edge all the way to the bottom edge.
- Look at the size of the white star: Texas's star is much larger (diameter = 3/4 of the blue band width) than Chile's star (diameter = 1/2 of the canton width).
- Remember the chronology: Chile adopted La Estrella Solitaria on 18 October 1817, more than 21 years before the Republic of Texas adopted its Lone Star Flag on 25 January 1839.
Side-by-side structural comparison
| Attribute | Chile | Texas |
|---|---|---|
| Aspect ratio | 2:3 (2:3) | 2:3 (2:3) |
| Layout & orientation | horizontal canton | horizontal canton |
| Band / color sequence | white · red | white · red |
| Official color specs | Red (Rojo) (Pantone 485 C); White (Blanco) (statute-named); Turquí Blue (Azul Turquí) (Pantone 286 C) | Old Glory Blue (Standard Color Card of America Cable No. 70075 (Pantone 281 C)); White (Cable No. 70001); Old Glory Red (Cable No. 70180 (Pantone 193 C)) |
| Official adoption | 1817-10-18 | 1839-01-25 |
| Region | South America | Northern America |
| Visual similarity score | 88/100 (Layout 35/35 · Colors 25/25 · Symbols 12/20 · Ratio 10/10 · Geometry 6/10) | |
Why these two flags look alike
Despite being separated by an hemisphere, the national flag of Chile and the state flag of Texas are so visually similar that the Chilean flag emoji (🇨🇱) is routinely used by mistake in place of the Texas flag across social media and civic announcements.
Both designs drew inspiration from the red, white, and blue colors and starred canton of the United States flag, distilled down to a single white five-pointed star symbolizing unitary republic sovereignty. Because Chile kept the US-style upper-left canton while reducing the stripes to two, its red lower stripe spans the full width of the flag. When the Republic of Texas designed its flag in 1839, it extended the blue canton into a full-height vertical hoist stripe so the white and red stripes sit side-by-side to the right of the blue band.
Explore each flag in detail
Read the complete statutory specification, color table, and historical timeline on the Flag of Chile page or the Flag of Texas page, or return to all flag comparisons.