South American flags share a striking number of visual cousins, the legacy of Simón Bolívar's 19th-century independence movement. Three northern neighbours all carry the same yellow-blue-red horizontal tricolour — same colours, same order — distinguished only by their coats of arms or the proportions of the bands. Two Andean states share red-white-red arrangements; two Southern Cone neighbours both use sky-blue and white with a "Sun of May" emblem, placed differently on each.

The most internationally recognised of the twelve pairs green and yellow with a blue celestial globe and a national motto. One red-white-blue design with a single five-pointed star is sometimes confused with a US state flag (the resemblance is not historical). The three Guianas stand apart visually — a "Golden Arrowhead" chevron, red-and-green bands with a centred star — and one interior southern country carries the unusual distinction of being among the few national flags with different obverse and reverse sides.

This hub ships in two modes: type the country from the flag (type-in) and pick the right country from four choices (multiple choice). Both modes cover all 12 South American states. Start with multiple choice — the Bolivarian tricolour family makes type-in genuinely punishing on cold attempts.