Flag: Monaco

It stands for Monaco: the place, its people and its famous events.

Monaco is an independent country of about two square kilometres squeezed between France and the Mediterranean, ruled by the Grimaldi princely family for centuries and famous for money, yachts, the Monte Carlo casino and the Formula 1 street race that runs through its streets every May. Monte Carlo is a district of Monaco, not a separate country, so the same flag covers both. The flag is simply two horizontal bands, red above white, the colours of the Grimaldi coat of arms.

Few people are actually Monegasque (fewer than ten thousand citizens), so most senders are visitors and fans. Formula 1 followers post it all race weekend and next to the name of Charles Leclerc, the Monegasque driver. Football fans use it for AS Monaco, which plays in the French league. Travellers put it on photos of the harbour, and it turns up as a shorthand for luxury: a yacht, a casino night, a 'living the Monaco life' joke.

Is it Monaco or Indonesia?

Read the message; the picture alone cannot tell you.

Both flags are red over white. The real flags differ only in shape (Monaco's is nearly square, Indonesia's is longer), and emoji keyboards draw every flag in the same box, so that difference mostly vanishes. Look for the clues: Formula 1, football, yachts or the Riviera point to Monaco; Indonesian words, Jakarta, Bali or 17 August (Indonesia's independence day) point to Indonesia. If you are unsure, ask before correcting anyone, and if you are sending it, long-press or hover to check the name, or add the country name in words.