Ireland vs. Côte d'Ivoire: Flag Comparison
Ireland and Côte d'Ivoire both use vertical stripes of green, white, and orange, but in opposite hoist-to-fly order and with different aspect ratios (1:2 for Ireland vs. 2:3 for Côte d'Ivoire).
How to tell Ireland and Côte d'Ivoire apart at a glance
- Hoist stripe color: Ireland places green at the flagpole (green–white–orange), whereas Côte d'Ivoire places orange at the flagpole (orange–white–green).
- Aspect ratio: Ireland's constitutional flag is a wide 1:2 rectangle (twice as long as it is tall), while Côte d'Ivoire uses a shorter 2:3 French-style proportion.
- Symbolism: Ireland's central white band symbolizes peace between Gaelic/Catholic (green) and Williamite/Protestant (orange) traditions, whereas Côte d'Ivoire's bands represent northern savannas (orange), peace (white), and southern coastal forests (green).
Side-by-side structural comparison
| Attribute | Ireland | Côte d'Ivoire |
|---|---|---|
| Aspect ratio | 1:2 (1:2) | 2:3 (2:3) |
| Layout & orientation | vertical tricolor | vertical tricolor |
| Band / color sequence | green · white · orange | orange · white · green |
| Official color specs | Green (Pantone 347 C); White (statute-named); Orange (Pantone 151 C) | Orange (statute-named); White (statute-named); Green (statute-named) |
| Official adoption | 1937-12-29 | 1959-12-03 |
| Region | Northern Europe | Western Africa |
| Visual similarity score | 85/100 (Layout 35/35 · Colors 17/25 · Symbols 20/20 · Ratio 3.3/10 · Geometry 10/10) | |
Why these two flags look alike
Unlike Romania and Chad, the flags of Ireland and Côte d'Ivoire are never identical when flown properly: they are mirror images in stripe sequence and differ markedly in width. Both flags belong to the design lineage inspired by the French vertical tricolor. Thomas Francis Meagher introduced the Irish green-white-orange tricolor in 1848 in a wide 1:2 British-ensign proportion, placing green closest to the hoist.
When Côte d'Ivoire adopted its national flag in December 1959 ahead of independence from France, it retained the 2:3 proportion of the French tricolor and placed orange at the hoist, white in the center, and green at the fly. Confusion between the two occurs almost exclusively when an Irish flag is accidentally flown backward with the orange end attached to the mast, or when flat icons omit the flagpole side and normalize both flags to the same width.
Explore each flag in detail
Read the complete statutory specification, color table, and historical timeline on the Flag of Ireland page or the Flag of Côte d'Ivoire page, or return to all flag comparisons.