Flags With Writing: National Flags Featuring Text and Script

More than a dozen national flags carry writing on them, including Saudi Arabia (the Shahada in Arabic), Iraq and Iran (the takbir "Allahu Akbar"), Brazil ("Ordem e Progresso"), Brunei (an Arabic state motto), San Marino ("Libertas"), Andorra, Belize, Guatemala, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Equatorial Guinea, mostly on scrolls within their coats of arms.

Two Traditions of Text on Flags

Writing on national flags falls into two broad families. The first is the Arabic-script tradition, where the words themselves are a sacred or religious inscription that forms the core of the design, as on Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan. The second is the motto-scroll tradition, most common in the Americas and small European states, where a Latin or Spanish phrase is written on a ribbon inside a detailed coat of arms.

Because words are hard to reproduce and cannot be mirrored freely, flags with writing break a common vexillological guideline. Yet the nations that use them do so precisely because the message matters more than simplicity. Below, the flags are grouped by which tradition they belong to.

Flags With Arabic Script

These flags place Arabic writing at the very heart of the design, usually carrying a religious statement.

• Saudi Arabia: The green flag bears the Shahada, the Islamic declaration of faith ("There is no god but God, Muhammad is the messenger of God"), above a horizontal sword. Because the text is sacred, the flag is never lowered to half-mast and is printed identically on both sides so the writing always reads correctly.
• Iraq: The red-white-black tricolour carries the takbir, "Allahu Akbar" (God is Great), in green Kufic script across the central white band.
• Iran: The phrase "Allahu Akbar" is repeated 22 times in stylised Kufic script along the edges of the green and red bands, once for each day of the month Bahman on which the 1979 revolution triumphed. A red tulip-shaped emblem sits at the centre.
• Afghanistan: Flags used by Afghan governments have carried the Shahada in Arabic; the current authorities fly a white flag bearing the declaration of faith in black script.
• Brunei: A yellow flag with black and white diagonal stripes carries a red state emblem whose scroll reads, in Arabic, "Always render service by God's guidance," with the country's name below.

Flags With a Motto on the Field

A few flags print a phrase directly across the main design rather than hiding it in an emblem.

• Brazil: The blue celestial globe in the centre is crossed by a white band reading "Ordem e Progresso" (Order and Progress), a phrase inspired by the philosophy of Auguste Comte.
• Bolivia and El Salvador: Their state flags include short Spanish inscriptions within the arms, naming the republic.

Flags With Motto Scrolls in the Coat of Arms

The most common form of writing on flags is a ribbon or scroll bearing a national motto inside a coat of arms.

• San Marino: The word "Libertas" (Liberty) sits on a scroll above the coat of arms on the white-and-blue flag, recalling the tiny republic's fierce independence.
• Andorra: The central coat of arms carries the Latin motto "Virtus Unita Fortior" (United Virtue Is Stronger) on a scroll beneath the shield.
• Belize: The detailed coat of arms includes the motto "Sub Umbra Floreo" (Under the Shade I Flourish) on a scroll, ringed by 50 leaves.
• Guatemala: A scroll on the coat of arms reads "Libertad 15 de Septiembre de 1821," marking the date of independence.
• Haiti: The state flag's coat of arms carries the motto "L'Union Fait La Force" (Unity Makes Strength) on a white scroll below a trophy of arms and a royal palm.
• Dominican Republic: The coat of arms in the centre displays "Dios, Patria, Libertad" (God, Homeland, Liberty) on a blue ribbon above, with the country's name on a red ribbon below.
• Equatorial Guinea: The coat of arms carries the Spanish motto "Unidad, Paz, Justicia" (Unity, Peace, Justice) on a scroll beneath a silk-cotton tree.

Why Nations Put Words on Their Flags

Text turns a flag into an explicit statement rather than a symbol left open to interpretation. For Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Iran the writing is inseparable from faith, and the sacred nature of the Shahada even shapes flag etiquette. For the republics of the Americas, mottos such as "Order and Progress" or "Unity Makes Strength" preserve founding ideals in the most public place a nation has. Small states such as San Marino and Andorra use a single Latin word to broadcast independence and endurance. In every case, the decision to include text reflects a conviction that the message is worth the added complexity of a design that cannot simply be reduced to bands and stars.

Good to Know

Which flag has the most writing on it?

Iran's flag arguably carries the most repeated text: the phrase "Allahu Akbar" appears 22 times in stylised script along the inner edges of the green and red bands, once for each day of the revolution in 1979.

Why does the Saudi Arabian flag never fly at half-mast?

Because the Saudi flag bears the Shahada, the Islamic declaration of faith, the text is considered sacred. Lowering it to half-mast would be seen as disrespectful, so the flag is never flown that way and is printed so the writing reads correctly on both sides.

What does "Ordem e Progresso" mean on Brazil's flag?

"Ordem e Progresso" is Portuguese for "Order and Progress." The motto, written across the blue globe, was inspired by the positivist philosophy of Auguste Comte and was added when Brazil became a republic in 1889.