You might think that once you’ve seen one flag you’ve seen them all, at least when it comes to their shape. After all, all national flags are rectangular, right? That’s true for all national flags except one—Nepal.
Yes, Nepal’s national flag has the unique distinction of being the world’s only non-quadrilateral national flag. It has the shape of two pennants, one on top of the other, and is red with a blue outline. It features a white moon on the top pennant and a white sun on the bottom pennant.
This flag replaced a more traditional flag in 1962 and has since been the subject of a lot of discussion (obviously, as we are talking about it here), bringing a certain degree of notoriety to the small country otherwise known as the birthplace of Buddha and a destination for mountain climbing and hash enthusiasts from around the world.
Sometimes referred to as the “Triangle Flag,” the two pennants of the Nepali flag are said to represent the two dominant religions of the country, Hinduism and Buddhism, and their ability to coexist peacefully side by side.
Since the flag is so unique, it has caused minor diplomatic incidents on occasion. During the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the Nepali flag was produced with larger white areas to make it proportionately similar to other flags. Although the majority of the world didn’t notice the change and Nepal’s leaders didn’t care, some Nepalis took to social media to voice their displeasure. The flag furor quickly died down and the people of Nepal soon went back to their daily lives.
Although new countries are formed every year in the world, it looks like Nepal will continue to hold the distinction of having the world’s only non-rectangular national flag for the foreseeable future.