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Image Here

I have this flag above. The only clue is that this flag belongs to a certain country. If so what country is that? I tried Googling, but it didn't help and I still have no hope.

Clue:

  1. 4 syllables
  2. Colors: red green white blue and yellow
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    $\begingroup$ Hi Lawrence and welcome to Puzzling! Who set you this challenge, please? Knowing a little about them and where they come from may provide us with more context to help you. Thanks. $\endgroup$
    – Stiv
    Apr 27, 2020 at 9:36
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    $\begingroup$ @DarrelHoffman It looks more like one of those hand stitched felt flags $\endgroup$
    – rtaft
    Apr 27, 2020 at 17:12
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    $\begingroup$ @rtaft Honestly, it looks more like it was part of a screenshot from video game. $\endgroup$
    – Ian MacDonald
    Apr 27, 2020 at 22:25
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    $\begingroup$ Another possibility is that rot13(gubfr ner abg Yngva punenpgref ng nyy, sbe vafgnapr gur Plevyyvp rdhvinyrag bs FB). $\endgroup$
    – shoover
    Apr 28, 2020 at 1:00
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    $\begingroup$ Looks like the riddle will not be solved... Care to give at least more hints, if not an outright answer? $\endgroup$
    – Vilx-
    Jul 4, 2020 at 20:46

8 Answers 8

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A partial answer, which at least rules some things out.

Firstly:

According to Wikipedia, no current national flag bears what is pictured. I looked through every flag on the list, and I am fairly confident that I did not see the image in the picture. AFAIK, there wasn't even any yellow text on a green background.

For what it's worth,

I found this to be a most entertaining exercise; I particularly enjoyed the design of the flag of Kazakhstan, one which I don't recall seeing before. The motto on Malta's flag was intriguing; I hazard a guess that it is related to the Island's history with the Knights of St. John. Anyways...

It appears that this route is unsuccessful. The next possibility that I examined was

that a nation had changed its flag recently. According to this list, however, no recently changed flag matches the description. I did check the old South African flag, which was not described in the article. I ought to note that display of this flag in South Africa appears to be considered hate speech, due to its strong ties to the apartheid; this is likely why the old design was not described in the list.

Wikipedia continued to be my friend, as evidenced by

this convenient link, which shows more than just national flags. The flag of Rio Grande do Sul appeared promising at first, but had no gold/yellow text on a green background. Pity. For the record, I thought the flag of Tampa, Florida looked pretty sharp.

It is worth listing

the modern nations that have the mentioned color combination. They are The Comoros (officially The Union of the Comoros), Namibia, and Seychelles. The Virgin Islands, a US "insular area", also has this color combination.

Based on your clues, the two possible nations are

The Comoros and Namibia

The flags of these nations does not match the given image, however. Neither does one's seal nor the other's coat of arms.

Something else must be afoot, Watson. I do suspect that the nation is

The Comoros, since its name includes the C and O from the image.

Update

As user rtaft pointed out,

The Comoros did at one point have a shield insignia of some sort that very closely resembles the image; so far, I can only find an image of it here. It appears that this patch was manufactured by flagline.com, and I am unsure if this shield was ever official.

An Updated Update:

The flagline representative I contacted seemed very interested in this puzzle, haha. They state in an email:

Fascinating. I see why it has caused you so much trouble. It is very unusual for letters to appear on national flags (with the exception of seals on flags but I am not aware of any seals currently that have words on a green background). In the case of Comoros it actually isn't a C but a crescent for Islam.

The clue says it belongs to a country and it seems pretty clear it isn't a national flag and must be a regional or some other sub-national flag. It is more common to see letters (in a non-seal form) to appear on a flag design for a subnational flag. The colors and style of letters originally made me think of Mexico but nothing else matches. It isn't clear if the 4 syllables belong to the country or the name of the sub national flag. Very good puzzle. Good luck!

So, I'm kind of back at square three.

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    $\begingroup$ @DarrelHoffman that is likely; however, there is also the possibility that it is a border, rather than another letter. Optimism on my part, perhaps? $\endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Apr 27, 2020 at 16:49
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    $\begingroup$ It's so almost this image - just need that left edge much closer to the letters...! $\endgroup$
    – Stiv
    Apr 27, 2020 at 18:44
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    $\begingroup$ @eyl327 two ways that I can see: one, there is a similar design that does involve a red stripe or region. Two, the topmost border is in some sort of a shadow, making it appear red. The linked image actually appears to have a red stripe at the top at first glance (IMO). I've contacted the website where I found the image; hopefully they can confirm or deny my theories soon. $\endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Apr 27, 2020 at 18:47
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    $\begingroup$ where are the colours as mentioned in the hints? (colors: red green white blue and yellow) $\endgroup$
    – Omega Krypton
    Apr 28, 2020 at 1:58
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    $\begingroup$ rot13(V guvax gur yrggref ner gbb fznyy gb gur cbvag bs orvat qvssvphyg gb haqrefgnaq, sbe rknzcyr gur synt bs Irarmhryn, gur fuvryq vafvtavn ba gur synt unf irel fznyy yrggref gung lbh pna bayl ernq ol ybbxvat sbe gur fuvryq vafvtavn vgfrys) $\endgroup$
    – Kvothe
    Apr 28, 2020 at 13:14
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Well, if some strong yellow light was shining on it it would be the flag of

New Mexico 1912-1925

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I think answer is

South Africa or Namibia

Because

It has 4 syllables and color which you mention in clues are same .

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  • $\begingroup$ South Africa has black in color. Nambia has two syllables if you don't repeat. Prageny Nsevpna Erchoyvp fits good. $\endgroup$
    – m4n0
    Apr 27, 2020 at 16:12
  • $\begingroup$ *Namibia, @ManojKumar $\endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Apr 27, 2020 at 18:49
  • $\begingroup$ @Brandon_J *Zambia :D $\endgroup$
    – m4n0
    Apr 27, 2020 at 19:20
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    $\begingroup$ I am confused... $\endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Apr 27, 2020 at 19:45
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Several flags fit the clues:

Costa Rica
El Salvador
Namibia
Nicaragua
Venezuela

If there can be more than just the five colors:

Bolivia
South Africa

Although none are inscribed with text containing "CO"

This Wikipedia page did not help: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_inscribed_flags

Also, none of these flags have a red area above a large green area.

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  • $\begingroup$ Who said there has to be a red area above a green area? The OP says it contains red and green among other colors, but not necessarily in any particular order. $\endgroup$
    – Darrel Hoffman
    Apr 27, 2020 at 15:04
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    $\begingroup$ @DarrelHoffman Look closely at the top right corner, you'll see a red spot there. I think that's what eyl327 is referring to. $\endgroup$
    – Christoph
    Apr 27, 2020 at 15:14
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Here's a wild guess. I cannot find the image you've taken this from, but there's more to sift through and it does seem to fit very well:

One of the videogames in the "Tropico" series. The word "Tropico" has 3 syllables, plus the number makes 4. For example "Tropico 6".

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  • $\begingroup$ You know, I think you're right. The name fits, and the colors of the flag as well (spoiler link.) It would make sense that the letters could be stitched on a patch of the flag. $\endgroup$
    – Roddy of the Frozen Peas
    Apr 29, 2020 at 3:42
  • $\begingroup$ @RoddyoftheFrozenPeas - rot13(Vg pbhyq or sebz fbzr cebzbgvbany ivqrb be znlor rira n snaznqr zbq. Va nqqvgvba, gur pyhr gung "vg pnaabg or sbhaq ba Tbbtyr" vf fhfcvpvbhf.) $\endgroup$
    – Vilx-
    Apr 29, 2020 at 8:24
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I think the answer is :

Mexico

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  • $\begingroup$ I'm not very sure about that, the puzzle implies that image is found within the flag and also 4 syllables $\endgroup$
    – titaniummorro
    Apr 27, 2020 at 6:21
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Oooh, DrSheldon loves flags. Obviously, the letters are part of

SHELDON COOPER

which is four syllables, and represents the country of

apartment 4A

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    $\begingroup$ I appreciate the tongue-in-cheek answer, but of course it must be noted that a flag from such a premier scientist would not use such poor kerning. $\endgroup$
    – Brandon_J
    Apr 27, 2020 at 22:33
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I feel like the answer is

Seychelles because the flag contains all the colours red, green, white, blue and yellow. Couldn't find link with another things.

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  • $\begingroup$ Well our user @Brandon_J has already pointed out everything I could think of. He/she definitely deserves a green tick if this is right. $\endgroup$
    – Lakshay Sura
    Jul 4, 2020 at 16:03

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