Flags with Crosses (& Why They Feature Them)

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An in-depth guide on a curious vexillological phenomenon

Co-authored by Eric McClure

Last Updated: July 31, 2026 Fact Checked

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Union Jack Crosses

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St. Andrew’s Crosses

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St. George’s Crosses

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Nordic Crosses

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Greek Crosses

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Small Crosses

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Alongside the star and the bar, the cross is one of the most common design elements found on country flags. In vexillology (that is, the study of flags and flag designs), a cross is almost always a nod to Christianity, but it’s also a common way to honor a country’s historical relationship with another country. In this article, we’re going to take a look at all of the major countries with flags that feature crosses, broken down based on the type of cross appearing on the flag.

Country Flags with Crosses: A Diagram

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A compilation of the major country flags that feature crosses.

There are a few popular cross designs that appear across multiple flags. Almost all of them are nods to Christianity in some form or another, and it’s common for countries that started out as colonies of historically Christian countries to transfer the iconography to their local flags.

Section 1 of 6:

Flags with Union Jacks

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United Kingdom The United Kingdom’s flag is called the Union Jack. It is a combination of three different crosses layered on top of one another. There’s England’s St. George’s cross (still on England’s flag), Scotland’s St. Andrew’s cross (still on Scotland’s flag), and Ireland’s St. Patrick’s cross (not on Ireland’s flag). The Union Jack was meant to represent the union of all three countries.
- Why is it called the Union Jack? The “Union” part refers to the union of the three countries, but there’s still debate over what “Jack” means. One explanation is that it comes from a “Jack-et” of English or Scottish soldiers. Others say it’s a reference to James I, who first unified the United Kingdom in 1603. Some people think “Jack” is a reference to the Royal Navy’s “jacks,” which are small flags on the bowsprit.^{[1]
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Australia Australia is a former British colony, so it adopted a flag featuring the Union Jack to honor that history.

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New Zealand New Zealand was also a British colony, and they adopted a design very similar to Australia’s flag. The only difference between the two flags is the design and color of the small stars that dot the flag. The stars on each flag represent constellations in the sky above each country.
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Tuvalu Another former colony, Tuvalu actually dropped the Union Jack from its flag in 1996, but reinstated it 15 months later after people complained.^{[2]
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Fiji Fiji, like Tuvalu, has had a contentious history with the Union Jack on their flag. There were plans to scrap the Jack (and the European shield design accompanying it), but the efforts were scrapped.^{[3]
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Section 2 of 6:

Flags with St. Andrew’s Crosses

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Scotland Also known as a saltire, St. Andrew’s cross is a diagonal cross in the shape of an X, which reflects the shape of the cross St. Andrew was crucified on. Scotland has identified with this cross going all the way back to 1286.^{[4]
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Jamaica The only (that’s right! only) flag in the world to not feature the colors red, white, or blue, Jamaica’s St. Andrew’s cross is meant to represent the country’s freedom from the oppression of England’s colonial rule.^{[5]
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Burundi The St. Andrew’s cross on Burundi’s flag was borrowed from Belgium, who had a very similar flag at the time Burundi declared independence.^{[6]
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Section 3 of 6:

Flags with St. George’s Crosses

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England St. George is the Catholic patron saint of soldiers, so St. George’s cross became the popular symbol of the Crusaders in the 12th century. It became a symbol of British identity shortly after and the rest is history.^{[7]
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Georgia Georgia’s flag will appear twice on this list because it contains two different types of crosses, but the primary cross that dominates the design is the central St. George’s cross. St. George is the patron saint of Georgia.^{[8]
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Section 4 of 6:

Flags with Nordic Crosses

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Denmark Denmark pioneered the Nordic cross (also known as the Scandinavian cross) in the thirteenth century. It features a slightly offset vertical cross, meant to represent Christianity. The countries of Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland were all part of one kingdom in the fourteenth century (The Kalmar Union), so many Nordic countries honor that history by maintaining a similar design.^{[9]
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Norway Norway chose the colors red, white, and blue as a nod to the flags of the United States, France, and the UK, countries Norwegians associated with freedom at the time.^{[10]
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Sweden Sweden’s flag is probably the most distinct in the region color-wise, featuring a muted blue and a vibrant yellow.
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Finland Finland’s minimalist blue and white flag is meant to be a reflection of Finland’s beautiful skies, rivers, and snowy landscapes.^{[11]
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Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands are a self-governing country that technically falls inside the scope of the Kingdom of Denmark, so their flag is a nod to Denmark.
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Iceland Like Norway, the blue and white design is meant to reflect the natural landscape of the country.
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Shetland Islands The cross is a nod to the Shetland Islands’ Nordic roots, while the colors are a nod to Scotland, a country they share a linked history with.^{[12]
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Section 5 of 6:

Flags with Greek Crosses

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Greece The Greek cross is a Christian cross that features four arms with an equal length (like a crosshair). It was the preferred cross design by early Christians in Eastern Europe.^{[13]
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Research source} In Greece’s flag, you can find the Greek cross in the upper left.
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Switzerland Switzerland’s flag features a single large Greek cross.
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Georgia In addition to the central St. George cross on Georgia’s flag, it also features four small Greek crosses.
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Tonga Tonga potentially has the most Christian flag of any country. The Greek cross in the top left represents Christ, and the red color that dominates the rest of the flag is meant to symbolize the blood shed by Jesus when he was crucified.^{[14]
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Dominican Republic There are actually two Greek-inspired crosses in the DR’s flag. There’s the central cross, and then the cross inside of the shield in the center of the flag.^{[15]
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Malta Malta’s flag contains a Greek cross in the top left of the design. Their flag is an extended version of the emblem of Malta.^{[16]
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- The Maltese flag’s Greek cross is based on a George cross, which is, itself, based on the Greek cross.^{[17]
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- There actually is a cross known as the “Maltese cross,” which has 8 points. That’s not the cross on the Maltese flag, though!^{[18]
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Section 6 of 6:

Flags with Crosses in the Details

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Slovakia’s flag is inspired by Russia’s flag, but it features a crest with a double cross on it.
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Vatican City You would actually think that Vatican City’s flag would feature a more prominent cross, but it doesn’t. You can see a cross in the pope hat above the keys (fun fact, the hat is actually called the “papal tiara”).^{[19]
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Serbia Serbia’s flag, like Slovakia’s, is a reference to the Russian flag. The Serbian crest sits on top of the flag, and inside the two-headed bird you can see a shield depicting a cross.