Historic flags

How to play Historic flags

You see the flag of a state that no longer exists, or of a country before it changed its flag. Type the name of the state that flew it. Each wrong guess tells you how far away you are, in kilometres and direction, and whether your answer existed earlier or later, so you can close in like a game of warmer and colder. Spelling mistakes are forgiven, and a guess we don’t recognise doesn’t cost you a try.

Choose your round

• Three difficulties, from famous flags like the Soviet Union’s to rarities like the Kingdom of Rarotonga’s.
• Filter by continent or by period: before 1800, 1800–1914, the World Wars, the Cold War or after 1991.
• Play timed or untimed.

What you learn

After every flag there is a short history: when it was used, why it changed and what came next, with a link to the source. You’ll meet empires, short-lived republics, colonies and breakaway states from every continent.

What if two states used the same flag?

Both answers count, and the result explains the connection, for example the Kingdom of Sardinia and the Kingdom of Italy.

Where do the flags come from?

From Wikimedia Commons. Every image and its licence is listed on the credits page.