Badposter rates every country flag

Flag of Colombia
Flag_of_Colombia.svg
(state ensign)
Civil ensign
Flag_of_Colombia
(Note: all references to “this flag” are references to the state ensign, since that's the most commonly used flag)
Part 1
Rule 1: It's a simple flag.
Rule 2: The yellow represents Colombia's gold, the blue... Oh, fucking again? The goddamn sea and sky (it also represents Colombia's rivers). Red represents the blood shed during Colombia's war of Independence.
This flag has the same colors as Ecuador's and Venezuela's. This is because, after the countries became independent in 1819, Gran Colombia (known as the time as just Colombia), an union of Venezuela, New Granada (which has been known as Colombia since 1863) and Ecuador. The republic was politically unstable (some wanted federation and some wanted a centralized state), so it broke up in 1831. The countries created after the breakup had yellow, blue and red flags (those were the colors of Gran Colombia's flag. As for why Gran Colombia had those, colors, it's on Wikipedia). All the countries formed after the breakup had (imo) distinctive flags at first. In 1860, Ecuador changed its civil ensign. It becam a yellow, blue and red tricolor, in which yellow occupied as much space as blue and red combined. In 1861, New Granada adopted a state ensign identical to Ecuador's civil ensign. I guess since Colombia's bigger than Ecuador, Ecuador's the country that has to use its state ensign, which has a complex coat of arms, even though Colombia's civil ensign's coat of arms is rather simple.
Uh... I think I'm the only person who cares about the last paragraph.
Rule 3: Red, blue and yellow. According to Francisco de Miranda (the first person to raise a red, blue and yellow flag, which is the origin of Gran Colombia's flag) Goethe had this to say about these colors:
Francisco de Miranda said:
First he explained to me the way the iris transforms light into the three primary colours […] then he proved to me why yellow is the most warm, noble and closest to light; why blue is that mix of excitement and serenity, a distance that evokes shadows; and why red is the exaltation of yellow and blue, the synthesis, the vanishing of light into shadow.

It is not that the world is made of yellows, blues and reds; it is that in this manner, as if in an infinite combination of these three colours, we human beings see it. […] A country [Goethe concluded] starts out from a name and a flag, and it then becomes them, just as a man fulfils his destiny.

I just think it looks nice.
Rule 4: This flag has no text or emblems. The civil ensign has one of the simplest coats of arms I've seen
Rule 5: This flag is identical to Ecuador's civil ensign, forcing Ecuador to use its complex state ensign. A much simpler way to repeat what I've written.
Rule 2
Republic of New Granada (1834 – 1861)
Flag_of_New_Granada.svg
It was actually pretty distinctive. Also, I might be beating a dead horse, but it allowed Ecuador to use its simple civil ensign
Rule 3
It's good looking, but... Well, I've already told you about Ecuador.
 
Flag of Comoros
Flag_of_the_Comoros.svg

Part 1
Rule 1: I honestly can't memorize this flag, though this is probably because the fact that the country is little known. If Comoros were more well known, I'd probably memorize this flag, since it's not very complex.
Rule 2: The green and the crescent represent Islam, the country's main religion (brought to the island country by Persian and Arab traders during the Middle Ages), the stripes represent the country's four main islands (Mohéli, represented by yellow, Anjouan, represented by red, Grande Comore, which is represented by blue and Mayotte which is actually administered by France but claimed by Comoros, and is represented by white) and the stars represent the exact same thing as the stripes, making this flag have redundant symbolism.
Rule 3: Some flags can get away with having many colors, but this one doesn't.
Rule 4: Stars and a crescent. That's a simple emblem.
Rule 5: It's a distinctive flag.
Part 2
Since declaring independence, the country has experienced more than 20 coups d'état or attempted coups, with various heads of state assassinated
This has lead to quite a few flag changes.
1963-1976
Flag_of_the_Comoros_%281963_to_1975%29.svg
This flag doesn't have redundant symbolism and also is not as busy as the current flag.
1976–1978
Flag_of_the_Comoros_%281975-1978%29.svg
This was the flag of Comoros under the Ali Soilih regime. Soilih was a communist, so he added red to the flag. This flag at least doesn't have too much colors.

The 1978-1992 and 1992-1996 flags, while being able to be told apart from the 1963-1976 also have a white crescent on a green background, so I have the same opinion on them as I have on the 1963-1976 flag.
1996-2002
Flag_of_the_Comoros_%281996-2001%29.svg
Please don't put text on flags.
Part 3
Way too many colors, and besides going back to the older flags wouldn't hurt symbolism or distinctiveness
 
From here, I can either post the flags of the Congos (whose official names, which are used to distinguish the countries don't start with C) or I can post the flag of Costa Rica. Wikipedia's list of sovereign states puts the Congos first, so Costa Rica will have to wait.
Flag of the Congo (Democratic Republic of)
Flag_of_the_Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo.svg

Part 1
Rule 1: A child could. You know how the rest of the sentence goes.
Rule 2: The sky blue represents peace (I'm liking this streak of flags with blues that don't represent sea or sky. Hope this continues) (oh, also I suppose I should say the Congo Wars, which happened here, were the deadliest conflicts in history since WWII. The Second Congo War (1998–2003) killed 5.4 million people.While the wars are mostly over, there are still rebel groups in the country's east. I don't know that much about the topic, so I won't say it's true, but Rwanda may be funding the rebels. Then again, it may not be, I don't know much about the topic.)
Wait, this is about flag symbolism, not modern Congolese history. All right, red represents the country's martyrs (yeah, Congolese history's pretty bloody), yellow represents the country's wealth and the star represents the country's radiant future.
Rule 3: Yellow, red and blue. Good colors imo.
Rule 4: Stars are simple. I've written that a lot.
Rule 5: Yeah it's distinctive.
Part 2
Congo-Léopoldville (Independence 1960-1963)
Flag_of_Congo-L%C3%A9opoldville_%281960-1963%29.svg
Look pretty European imo.
1966-1971 (the 1963-1966 flag is pretty similar)
Flag_of_Congo-Kinshasa_%281966-1971%29.svg
It's like the current, but the blue's darker. I prefer the current, but is one is good too.
Zaire (1971-1997)
Flag_of_the_Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo
Mobutu Sese Seko was a corrupt dictator who violated human rights, but this flag is a actually a good Pan-African, managing to be distinctive though a bit complex. Still, *bleep* Mobutu.
The country's 1997-2003 and 2003-2006 were pretty similar to Congo-Léopoldville's (though the 2003-2006 had a lighter blue)
Part 3
I like simple, good looking and distinctive flags, like this one.
 
Holy *bleep* I somehow *bleep*ed the DRC. I wrote it all, but apparently it didn't come out fully. Sorry, I'll fix it.
Oh wait, I just *bleep*ed up my spoiler tags. Now it's fixed
 
I apparently suck at tags. The preview button is good.
Flag of the Congo (Republic of )
255px-Flag_of_the_Republic_of_the_Congo.svg.png

Part 1:
Rule 1: Simple. What's simple? This flag.
Rule 2: The flag has Pan-African colors. Of course, the colors of Pan-Africans also have meanings specific to the place they represent. In the Republic of the Congo's* (you, know, I'm thinking that despite the fact I'm writing about the Congos consecutively, I plan to separate the Koreas. It's pretty incosistent, and yet I'm gonna do it) case, green represents the country's agriculture and forests, yellow represents the nobilty of the Congolese people, and red...
Wikipedia said:
However, the symbolism behind the red was left unexplained
Well, in Ethiopia's flag (all Pan-Africans are based on the Ethiopian flag. Well, actually, that's a lie there's anotherPan-African flag which has nothing to do with Ethiopia's. There are actually a few flags using that flag's colors, but most Pan-African have Ethiopian colors), red represents strength. (I'm not red represents strength on this flag.

*You, know, I'm thinking that despite the fact I'm writing about the Congos consecutively, I plan to separate the Koreas. It's pretty incosistent, and yet I'm gonna do it.
Rule 3: Red, green and yellow. The most commonly used Pan-African colors (when I say Pan-African without specifying which tricolor I'm talking about, it's the Ethiopian colors) look good.
Rule 4: Neither text nor emblems. This section is pretty short.
Rule 5:
Honestly, the only flags with Pan-African colors I can distinguish are that of Ethiopia, Ghana (due to the World Cup), the Republic of the Congo, São Tomé and Principe, Burkina Faso and Zimbabwe. I think I'm gonna copypaste this in the future.
Nice diagonals. They make the flag distinctive.
Part 2
People's Republic of the Congo. (1970-1991)
Flag_of_the_People's_Republic_of_Congo.svg
Nice stealth Pan-African. I also like the green, gives the flag color. Not as good as the current, though.
Part 3
A good Pan-African
 
Flag of Costa Rica
Civil ensign
Flag_of_Costa_Rica.svg

State ensign
1000px-Flag_of_Costa_Rica_%28state%29.svg.png
Part 1
Rule 1: The civil ensign is simple, but the state flag has a complex coat of arms in a rather small area, which a child could not draw from memory.
Rule 2: First, some history. From 1823 to 1838, Costa Rica was part of the Federal Republic of Central America along with Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Los Altos (which was annexed quickly by Guatemala and Mexico). The Federal Republic's flag was influenced by Argentina's flag and had two blue stripes (representing the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans), and a white stripe between them (representing the land between them). The blue and white of this flag, and of every country that was a member of the Federal Republic's flag, comes from this. The red comes from the French flag and was added to make this flag's colors match with France's after the 1848 French Revolution.
Nowadays:
Wikipedia said:
The blue color stands for the sky, opportunities, idealism and perseverance. The white color stands for peace, wisdom and happiness. The red color stands for the blood spilt by martyrs in defense of the country, as well as the warmth and generosity of the people
And as for the pretty complex coat of arms:
Wikipedia said:
The coat of arms depicts the isthmus between the Pacific ocean and the Caribbean Sea, with 3 volcanoes. The 7 stars stand for the 7 provinces of Costa Rica. The Spanish name of the country is scrolled on a white banner, Republica de Costa Rica (Republic of Costa Rica), and the Central American union is recognized in the blue upper scroll, America Central, recalling the former United Provinces of Central America.
Rule 3: Red, white and blue
My Chile writeup said:
Some overused things are good.
Also, technically the state ensign more colors, but I don't count colors in coats of arms.
Rule 4: The civil ensign is good on this, but the state ensign has both a complex coat of arms and text, and both are in a small space.
Rule 5: Thailand, North Korea, Cambodia and Laos all have similar flags, but this flag dates back to 1848 (though before 1906 it used a different coat of arms. However, the stripes were the same), and the second oldest of the other flags, which is Thailand's flag, only dates back to 1917.
Part 2
1840-1842
Flag_of_Costa_Rica_%281840-1842%29.svg
Even though this flag's coat of arms is simpler than the current's, it still has a complex coat of arms. And besides, the current flag has better colors imo.
1842-1848
Flag_of_Costa_Rica_%281842-1848%29.svg
I think the current looks better. (Also, that's a weird coat of arms)
Rule 3
I like the civil ensign. It has good colors imo. However, I dislike the state ensign for its complex coat of arms
 
Hobbes said:
What's the difference between a state ensign and a civil ensign?
Basically, state ensigns are used by governments and civil ensigns are used by citizens. At least, that's what I remember. I could be wrong about this. Also, I don't think laws about their use are enforced nowadays.
By the way, while ensign technically means any kind of flag, it's mostly only used to refer to the flags of ships. So I'm kinda using the word incorrectly
Flag of Croatia
Flag_of_Croatia.svg

Part 1
Rule 1: Well, a checkerboard's just squares, but the part above it is pretty complex.
Rule 2: This flag uses the colors of three kingdoms that are now in Croatia: The Kingdom of Croatia (red and white), the Kingdom of Slavonia (white and blue) and the Kingdom of Dalmatia (red and blue). Also, red, white and blue are the Pan-Slavic, which were decided in the Prague Slavic Congress in 1848 and are based on the colors of Russia's flag, which are based on the Dutch flag's (as for the origins of the Dutch flag's colors, I'll tell you when I get to that flag)
The checkerboard has been a symbol Croatia since the Middle Ages, but the reason it became a symbol of the country is unknown.
The parts of the coat of arms above the checkerboard represent regions of Croatia. From left to right, they represent Croatia, Dubrovnik, Dalmatia, Istria and Slavonia.
This is a more in-depth look at the coat of arms's symbolism
Rule 3 Red, white and blue is a good but damn is it overused.
Rule 4: The coat of arms is pretty complex, though I don't think would be if it were just the checkerboard.
Rule 5: Some Pan-Slavic aren't distinctive, but this one is due to the checkerboard imo
Part 2
Kingdom of Croatia (1848)
Croatia-1848.gif
The bottom of that coat of arms is pretty stretched.
Kingdom of Croatia (part of the Austrian Empire) (1852-1860)
Flag_of_Kingdom_of_Croatia_%281852-1860%29.svg
Identical (or at least indistinguishable)to Indonesia's and Monaco's flags
June 27- December 21, 1990
640px-Flag_of_the_Republic_of_Croatia_in_1990.svg.png
Has a better coat of arms than the current imo.
Rule 3
If you removed the part above the checkerboard, it'd be a good flag.
 
Magikrazy said:
It has a goat so on a scale of 1 to 57 I give this flag a 22.
The goat represents Istria, which has a goat on its flag. I like the goat
.
Also, Geography Now did a video of this flag literally yesterday.
He'll only time he'll be ahead, since he only makes videos about flags on Fridays.
Flag of Cuba
Flag_of_Cuba.svg

Part 1
Rule 1: Simple flag.
Rule 2: There's a story about the origin of this flag, which may not be true. (As a side note, Cuba stopped being a Spanish colony only in 1898. By that time only Cuba and Puerto Rico were Spanish colonies. Cuba was also a US protectorate from 1898 to 1902)
Wikipedia said:
It is believed that when López awoke, one morning, and looked outside the window, he saw colors of the dawn sky. He could see "a triangle of red clouds announcing the dawn, and in the triangle shone the morning star Venus, while two white clouds departed from the triangle to divide into three blue stripes of shining heaven".[citation needed] Excited by what they had just seen, López turned to his friend, Miguel Teurbe Tolón, to tell of the event that unfolded.
Though I don't believe this story is true.
The flag is probably influenced by that of the US, and influenced Puerto Rico's flag.
The blue stripes represent Cuba's three departments at the time of the designing of the flag, white represents the purity of ideas, the red represents blood (Cuba had three Wars of Independence, and the first two failed), the triangle represent the three ideals of the French Revolution (liberty, equality, fraternity), and the star represents the future state of the USA (It probably doesn't represent that nowadays. Also, some sources say it represents independence. I'm getting these off Wikipedia, which might be wrong)
Rule 3: That's three red, white and blues in a row. But imagine if it was three bad color combinations in a row.
Rule 4: A star and a triangle are simple emblems.
Rule 5: This flag is based on the US's (probably) but manages to be distinctive. Also, according to Wikipedia, this flag is older than Puerto Rico's, so even if those flags can be confused with each other, that's Puerto Rico's fault.
Part 2
Apparently, according to Wikipedia, this flag was used before the current, though it doesn't give dates.
640px-Flag_of_Cuba_sky_blue.svg.png
I like the sky blue. Makes the flag more distinctive.
Part 3
Good flag, though I prefer the light blue one
 
Flag of Cyprus
Flag_of_Cyprus.svg

Part 1
Rule 1: Well, Cyprus is too hard for a child to draw perfectly, but I think a child could draw Cyprus recognizably. I don't think Cyprus is too hard to draw recognizably.
Rule 2: Cyprus represents Cyprus. Both the white and the olive branch represent peace between the country's Greek south and Turkish north (the self-proclaimed Republic of Northern Cyprus, which only Turkey recognizes. It has a flag, though I am not going to do a writeup about it). The orange represents the copper on the islands (the word copper is derived from the Latin aes сyprium, which means metal from Cyprus)
Rule 3: White, green and copper orange. I like these colors.
Rule 4: Maps are complex imo. They have a lot of squiggles.
Rule 5: It's pretty distinctive.
Part 2
British Cyprus (1922-1960)
Flag_of_Cyprus_%281922-1960%29.svg
Even a flag with a map is better than a British colonial one.
1960-2006 (has a different shade of orange)
Flag_of_Cyprus_%281960-2006%29.svg
The current has better colors imo
Rule 3
I don't like maps on flags, but otherwise this is a good flag
 
News: From now on, I'll put the aspect ratio and date of adoption of every flag. When this is all over, I'll do that to the flag's I've already written about. Only when this all over, though.
Flag of the Czech Republic
Flag_of_the_Czech_Republic.svg

Aspect ratio: 2:3 (first number is height, second is width) (1:2 and 2:3 are the two most common aspect ratios. They're not very notable)
Adopted: As flag of Czechoslovakia, 30 March 1920. As flag of the Czech Republic, 1 January 1993 (Czech independence)
Part 1
Rule 1: A child could draw this flag from memory.
Rule 2: The red and white are based on Bohemia's red and white flag (the Czech Republic's three regions are Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia). According to Wikipedia, Bohemia's flag was red and white because:
The flag, a horizontal bicolour, was based on the colours of the former monarchs of Bohemia.
The blue triangle was added in 1920 to make this flag different from Poland's. This also made this flag a Pan-Slavic
Also:
During the 1992 negotiations on the split of Czechoslovakia, a clause forbidding the use of the state symbols of Czechoslovakia by either successor state was inserted into the legislation concerning the dissolution of the federation.[3] The Czech Republic violated this clause, passing legislation overruling the previous agreement and keeping the use of the flag
So this why the Czech Republic uses the Czechoslovkian flag despite having been just a half of the country.
Rule 3: Out of the last five flags, four have bee red, white and blue. Kinda ridiculous.
Rule 4: It's a pretty simple flag.
Rule 5: It's Pan-Slavic, but the triangle makes its disctintive imo. Related but distinctive.
Part 2
Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia (Nazi-controlled)(1939-1945)
Flag_of_Bohmen_und_Mahren.svg
A boring tricolor. Also, it's the flag of a Nazi puppet. Bad.
Federal Czech Socialist Republic (part of Czechoslovakia. The Socialist was dropped in early 1990) (1990-1992)
Flag_of_Bohemia.svg
There have been so many boring red and white flags.
Part 3
Good, simple flag.
.
Sorry for accidentaly posting this twice before it was complete, I'm a tired idiot on Mondays. Mondays suck.
 
Updated my Afghanistan writeup to look like it was made today. There are probably also some early writeups where the rule's orders are mixed up. If those exist, I'll fix them one day. Maybe.
Flag of Denmark (the Dannebrog)
Flag_of_Denmark.svg

Ratio: 28:37 (a rather odd ratio)
Adopted: According to legend, 1219. Earliest known use is from the middle of the 14th century.
Part 1
Rule 1: Nordic flags are pretty simple to draw imo.
Rule 2: This is a pretty old flag (it's definitely the oldest Nordic flag, and may be the oldest flag currently used). The white is a sideways Christian cross (all flags of Nordic countries have a sideways Christian cross. Well, unless you count Estonia as Nordic) The origin of this flag is unknown (makes sense, it's pretty old), but there's a legend associated with it, which includes... Estonians.
Wikipedia said:
The legend states the origin of the flag to the Battle of Lyndanisse, also known as the Battle of Valdemar (Danish: "Volmerslaget"), near Lyndanisse (Tallinn) in Estonia, on June 15, 1219.[3][6]

The battle was going badly, and defeat seemed imminent. However the Danish Bishop Anders Sunesen on top of a hill overlooking the battle prayed to God with his arms raised, which meant that the Danes moved closer to victory the more he prayed. When he raised his arms the Danes surged forward and when his arms grew tired and he let them fall, the Estonians turned the Danes back. Attendants rushed forward to raise his arms once again and the Danes surged forward again. At a second he was so tired in his arms that he dropped them and the Danes then lost the advantage and were moving closer to defeat. He needed two soldiers to keep his hands up and when the Danes were about to lose, 'Dannebrog' miraculously fell from the sky and the King took it, showed it to the troops and their hearts were filled with courage and the Danes won the battle.
This legend is probably false. The first account of it happened 300 years after the battle (there was indeed a battle won by Danes agaisnt Estonians in Lyndanisse in 1219, but the Danes won due to their Wendish vassals, not due to the Dannebrog)
Rule 3: There are many boring red and white flags, but the Dannebrog is a not-boring red and white flag.
Rule 4: Nordic flags are simple.
Rule 5: This is the first Nordic flag, so this is like Ethiopia for Pan-Africans or Russia (well, the Netherlands) for Pan-Slavics. Something nice about Nordic flags is that they all have different colors that make them distinctive.
Part 2:
At the latest, this flag dates back to the late 14th century. There are no older flags of Denmark, as far as I know.
Part 3:
Nordic flags are good
 
Flag of Djibouti
Flag_of_Djibouti.svg

Ratio: 2:3
Adopted: 27 June 1977 (Djibouti's independence)
Part 1
Rule 1: I think most children could draw stars.
Rule 2: The blue and green represent the country's two biggest ethnic groups: the Issa Somalis and the Afars, respectively. The green also represents the earth and the blue also represents, guess what, the fucking sea and sky.
The five-pointed star represents the regions inhabited by Somalis: Somalia, eastern Djibouti, the Ogaden region in Ethiopia and the North-Eastern province in Kenya (as for the Afars, they also live in Ethiopia and Eritrea), and symbolizes unity. The white symbolizes peace (Djibouti actually had a civil war from 1991 to 1994)
This flag is similar to that of the Ligue Populaire Africaine pour l'Independence (LPAI), who led Djibouti's independence. There are, however, a few differences between this flag and the LPAI's (well, this is what Wikipedia tells me, I haven't been able to find the LPAI's flag on the Internet): The LPAI flag has a red triangle and a white star (the reverse of this flag) , has different proportions and has a slanted star.
Rule 3: Red, white, green and blue. I don't like this colors, but that's just personal opinion. They're really not bad colors.
Rule 4: I have something to say about stars. I think they're...
simple
Rule 5: Distinctive. This flag is distinctive.
Part 2
Adal Sultanate (1415-1577)
Flag_of_Adal.png
These crescents look terrible on Wikipedia. The real flag probably looks better, but I still prefer the current.
Frech Somaliland (1896-1977)
Flag_of_France.svg
Laziest flag ever.
Part 3
A nice, simple flag
 
Flag of Dominica
640px-Flag_of_Dominica.svg.png

Ratio: 1:2 (normal)
Adopted: Latest change: 1990. Has only had minor changes since November 3, 1978.
Part 1
Rule 1: Honestly, I think there's too much going on in this flag for a child to draw it. That parrot is hard to draw.
Rule 2: Green represents Dominica's vegetation. The cross represents both Christianity and the trinity, and its thrree colors represents the island's natives, fertile soil and pure water. The ten stars symbolize the country's ten parishes, and the red represents social justice.
The bird is the sisserou parrot (Amazona imperialis) , a bird found only in Dominica, which is unfortunatly endangered (there are only 250-350 individuals left :(). The parrot's colors are accurate.
Rule 3: Green, yellow, black, white, red, purple and brown. Unless you count Qatar's maroon as purple, this is the only national flag with purple. I like purple, so I like this. However, I also think this has too many colors.
Rule 4: The parrot is pretty complex imo.
Rule 5: It's a pretty distinctive flag. Well, a flag being distinctive doesn't make it good.
Part 2
1978-1981
Flag_of_Dominica_%281978-1981%29.svg
Even uglier than the current, due to that terrible shade of green.
The 1981-1988 and 1988-1990 flags are pretty similar.
Part 3
I like purple, but otherwise this is a pretty ugly flag
 
Flag of the Dominican Republic
800px-Flag_of_the_Dominican_Republic.svg.png

Aspect ratio: 2:3 (normal)
Adopted: 6 November, 1863 (Wikipedia says the previous flag of the Dominican Republic stopped being used in 1849, while it says nothing of the Dominican Repunlic's flag between 1849 and 1863. If someone knows what the hell was going on between those years, please tell me. Never mind, mystery solved.)
Part 1
Rule 1: A child could not draw the coat of arms from memory. Not only is it complicated, it's also pretty small.
Rule 2: The blue represents freedom (not sea and sky, thankfully), white represents salvation and red represents the blood shed by those who fought for independence (the Dominican Republic in fact fought for independence against Spain, Haiti, and Spain again. The Dominican Republic was the only country in Latin America to be reconquered by Spain after independence, though the occupation lasted only from 1861 to 1863. Oh shit, mystery solved)
And as for the coat of arms:
The coat of arms of the Dominican Republic features a shield in similarly quartered colors as the flag, supported by a bay laurel branch (left) and a palm frond (right); above the shield, a blue ribbon displays the national motto: Dios, Patria, Libertad (God, Homeland, Liberty). Below the shield, the words República Dominicana appear on a red ribbon. In the center of the shield, flanked by six spears (three on each side), the front four holding the national flag, is a Catholic Bible with a small golden cross above it.

The constitution dictates that the Bible be opened to the book of the New Testament, John 8:32, which reads "conocerán la verdad, y la verdad los hará libres", literal translation: "and will know the truth and the truth will set you free".
Rule 3: Red, white and blue. I like how they're arranged.
Rule 4: The coat of arms is pretty complex. Furthermore, the flags has a lot of text which is too small to read. Pretty bad.
Rule 5: The flag is pretty distinctive, even without the coat of arms. The coat of arms is unjustifiable.
Part 2
Spanish Haiti (1821-1822)
Flag_of_Spanish_Haiti.svg
This flag is similar to Colombia's, Venezuela's and Ecuador. This is no coincidence: After
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/Flag_of_Spanish_Haiti.svg
the country became independent, some wanted it to join Gran Colombia and some wanted to join Haiti. Eventually, the counry joined Haiti, which it would be a part of until 1844.
1844-1849
Flag_of_the_Dominican_Republic_%28up_to_1844%29.svg
Better than the current, because it doesn't have the complex coat of arms.
Part 3
This flag would be great if it didn't have the coat of arms.
 
Flag of East Timor (also known as Timor-Leste)
640px-Flag_of_East_Timor.svg.png

Aspect ratio: 1:2 (normal)
Adopted: First adopted, 28 November 1975 (Indonesia invaded shortly thereafter). Has been East Timor's flag continously since 19 May 2002 (the day before the country's independence)
Part 1
Rule 1: I think a child could.
Rule 2: According to the Timorese constitution, the yellow represents "the traces of colonialism in East Timor's history" (odd symbolism imo), the black represents "the obscurantism that needs to be overcome" (obscurantism is preventing something from being known), red represents "the struggle for national liberation" (from 1974 to 1975 East Timor had a small civil war which culminated in independence from Portugal, which lasted only nine days before East Timor was occupied by Indonesia from 1975 to 1999. The occupation was rather bloody, with between ten and thirty thousand deaths), white represents peace and the star is "the light that guides"
Rule 3: Black, white, yellow and red. I really like this flag's colors.
Rule 4: Stars. You know, real stars are circulars. But if the stars on flags were like real stars, they wouldn't be recognizable as stars. Well, they're simple anyways
Rule 5: It's a pretty distinctive flag.
Part 2
Portuguese Timor (1702-1975) (well, actually, it was only adopted in 1911. But during that entire time Portuguese Timor had the same flag as the country that colonized it, and I don't want to write about Portuguese historical flags until the time to do a writeup about the Portuguese flag comes)
Flag_of_Portugal.svg
Frech Somaliland (1896-1977) has a rival in the laziness department.
Timor Timur (Indonesian Occupation) (1975-1999)
Timor_timur.PNG
That flag is terrible. Not as terrible as the Indonesian occupation of East Timor, though.
UN administration (1999-2002)
I don't understand how when the UN admistered Cambodia, Cambodia had its own flag, but when it admistered East Timor, East Timor used the UN's flag.
Rule 3
Very good flag imo. It's simple, distinctive and has good colors.
 
Flag of Ecuador
800px-Flag_of_Ecuador.svg.png

Ratio: 2:3
Adopted: 26 September 1860 (current ratio adopted Novemver 2009)
Part 1
Rule 1: No, the coat of arms is pretty complex.
Rule 2: Yellow represents the crops and fertile soil of Ecuador. Blue represent the sea and sky (Fuck that symbolism) and red represents the blood shed for Ecuadorian independence (Ecuador had a brief pro-independence revolt in 1809, which was quickly put down. Ecuador's war for independence from Spain only began in 1820, after most Latin American wars of independence. Ecuador gained its independence in 1822, and joined Gran Colombia)
This flag has the same colors as Gran Colombia. I have already explained why in my Colombia writeup:
My Colombia writeup said:
This flag has the same colors as Ecuador's and Venezuela's. This is because, after the countries became independent in 1819, Gran Colombia (known as the time as just Colombia), an union of Venezuela, New Granada (which has been known as Colombia since 1863) and Ecuador. The republic was politically unstable (some wanted federation and some wanted a centralized state), so it broke up in 1831. The countries created after the breakup had yellow, blue and red flags (those were the colors of Gran Colombia's flag. As for why Gran Colombia had those, colors, it's on Wikipedia). All the countries formed after the breakup had (imo) distinctive flags at first. In 1860, Ecuador changed its civil ensign. It becam a yellow, blue and red tricolor, in which yellow occupied as much space as blue and red combined. In 1861, New Granada adopted a state ensign identical to Ecuador's civil ensign. I guess since Colombia's bigger than Ecuador, Ecuador's the country that has to use its state ensign, which has a complex coat of arms, even though Colombia's civil ensign's coat of arms is rather simple.
And as for the coat of arms:
In the background of the oval shield is the mount Chimborazo, while the river originating from its base represents the Guayas. They both symbolize the beauty and wealth of the respective regions (Sierra or Costa). The ship on the river is named Guayas as well. In 1841 it was built in Guayaquil and was the first riverine steamship built on the South American west coast. Instead of a mast it features a Caduceus representing trade and economy. On top a golden sun surrounded by the astrological signs for Aries, Taurus, Gemini and Cancer representing the months March to July to symbolize the duration of the March Revolution of 1845.

The condor on top of the shield stretches his wings to symbolize power, greatness and strength of Ecuador. The shield is flanked by four flags of Ecuador. The laurel on the left represents the victories of the republic.[1] The palm leaf on the right side is a symbol of the martyrs of the fight for independence and liberty. The fasces below the shield represents the republican dignity.

Part 3: Red, yellow and blue. I have already said my opinions about this: (This is full of copypasta)
My Colombia writeup said:
Red, blue and yellow. According to Francisco de Miranda (the first person to raise a red, blue and yellow flag, which is the origin of Gran Colombia's flag) Goethe had this to say about these colors:
Quote from: Francisco de Miranda

First he explained to me the way the iris transforms light into the three primary colours […] then he proved to me why yellow is the most warm, noble and closest to light; why blue is that mix of excitement and serenity, a distance that evokes shadows; and why red is the exaltation of yellow and blue, the synthesis, the vanishing of light into shadow.

It is not that the world is made of yellows, blues and reds; it is that in this manner, as if in an infinite combination of these three colours, we human beings see it. […] A country [Goethe concluded] starts out from a name and a flag, and it then becomes them, just as a man fulfils his destiny.

I just think it looks nice.
Rule 4: The flag has a pretty complex coat of arms.
Rule 5: Though if it weren't for the coat of arms, this flag would be identical to Colombia's. Though there are older Ecuadorian flags that manage to be distinctive and not complex.
Rule 2
Quiteñan Revolution (1809-1812)
Flag_of_Patriotic_Army_of_Ecuador_1809.svg
It's the flag of the Spanish Empire with reversed colors. Nice example of related but distinctive.
1820-1822
Flag_of_Ecuador_%281820-1822%29.svg
A simple and distinctive flag. I don't like it that much, but it's not a flawed flag.
1822
Flag_of_Ecuador_%281822%29.svg
Same as above.
1835-1845
Flag_of_Ecuador_%281830-1845%29.svg
This flag, while not having a coat of arms and not being identical to any other (Venezuela's flag has stars and the yellow stripe in Colombia's flags occupies half the flags (as opposed to this flag, which has equally-sized stripes)), but I think it could easily be confused with Colombia's flag.
1845-1860
Flag_of_Ecuador_%281845-1860%29.svg
Repeat what I said about the 1845-1860 flags.
Rule 3
This flag has a complex coat of arms, which it needs to be distinctive. This is a shame, considering all the good simple and distinctive historical flags of the country.
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Sorry if this was shit, it didn't get enough sleep last night.
 
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