Monaco vs. Indonesia: Flag Comparison
Monaco and Indonesia both fly a horizontal bicolor of red over white, but Monaco's official flag uses a squarer 4:5 aspect ratio while Indonesia mandates a wider 2:3 rectangle.
How to tell Monaco and Indonesia apart at a glance
- Aspect ratio: Monaco's official national proportion is 4:5 (nearly square), whereas Indonesia's Law No. 24/2009 mandates a wider 2:3 rectangle.
- Color specification: Monaco specifies a slightly deeper heraldic Grimaldi red (Pantone 186 C / #CE1126), while Indonesia specifies a pure bright red (#FF0000).
- Alternate state flag: Monaco frequently flies its white Princely State Flag bearing the full Grimaldi coat of arms on government buildings, whereas Indonesia uses the unadorned Sang Saka Merah Putih for all civil and state land uses.
Side-by-side structural comparison
| Attribute | Monaco | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Aspect ratio | 4:5 (4:5) | 2:3 (2:3) |
| Layout & orientation | horizontal bicolor | horizontal bicolor |
| Band / color sequence | red · white | red · white |
| Official color specs | Grimaldi Red (Pantone 186 C); White (statute-named) | Red (Merah) (statute-named); White (Putih) (statute-named) |
| Official adoption | 1881-04-04 | 1945-08-17 |
| Region | Western Europe | South-Eastern Asia |
| Visual similarity score | 95/100 (Layout 35/35 · Colors 25/25 · Symbols 20/20 · Ratio 4.7/10 · Geometry 10/10) | |
Why these two flags look alike
Monaco and Indonesia share the same geometric arrangement—two equal horizontal bands with red on top and white on the bottom—yet their designs arose thousands of miles apart from unrelated medieval traditions. Monaco's colors come from the red-and-silver lozengy heraldic shield of the House of Grimaldi (documented since at least 1339) and were simplified into a horizontal bicolor by Prince Charles III on 4 April 1881.
Indonesia's Sang Saka Merah Putih draws on thirteenth-century Majapahit Empire banners in Java, revived by Indonesian student movements in the 1920s and proclaimed at independence on 17 August 1945. When displayed side by side at their statutory proportions, the easiest way to tell them apart is shape: Monaco's 4:5 flag looks compact and tall, while Indonesia's 2:3 flag is noticeably more elongated. (By contrast, Poland's 5:8 horizontal bicolor flips the two stripes, placing white on top and crimson on the bottom.)
Explore each flag in detail
Read the complete statutory specification, color table, and historical timeline on the Flag of Monaco page or the Flag of Indonesia page, or return to all flag comparisons.