Why Is Nepal's Flag Not Rectangular? The Story of the Double Pennant

Of all the national flags in the world, only one is not a rectangle: Nepal's. Two stacked triangular pennants, crimson with a blue border, carry a white moon and sun. It is instantly recognisable, and full of meaning.

Where the shape comes from

Triangular pennants were common across the Himalaya and South Asia. In Nepal, two pennants were used by ruling families, and the double-pennant form developed over the 19th century. When Nepal standardised its national symbols, it kept this traditional shape rather than adopting a rectangle like other countries.

What the flag means

• The two triangles are often said to represent the Himalayan peaks, and are also associated with Hinduism and Buddhism, Nepal's two great religions.
• The crimson red is Nepal's national colour, the colour of the rhododendron, and stands for the bravery of the people.
• The blue border represents peace.
• The moon and sun express the hope that Nepal will last as long as the moon and sun; they are also linked to the calm and the fierce resolve of the Nepali people.

A flag drawn by geometry

Nepal's constitution includes precise step-by-step geometric instructions for drawing the flag, from the angles of the triangles to the positions of the moon and sun. It is one of the most mathematically defined flags in the world, and drawing it is a classic exercise for Nepali students.

Seeing the flag in Nepal

You'll see the flag everywhere, from government buildings to the summits of mountains. Nepali climbers often carry it to the top of Everest.

Read more interesting facts about Nepal.

The flag at a glance

How the flag changed over time

Older versions of the flag were not identical to today's. For much of the 19th and early 20th centuries, the sun and moon on Nepali pennants were often drawn with human faces, a style common in Himalayan art. The shapes and proportions also varied from flag to flag. When the flag was standardised in 1962, the faces were removed, the shapes were fixed, and the blue border was defined, giving the clean, geometric design used today. The design was retained in the constitutions that followed, including the current Constitution of Nepal adopted in 2015.

Different interpretations of the symbols

Nepalis explain the flag in several ways, and all are part of its story:

• The two peaks represent the Himalaya, Nepal's most famous feature.
• The two pennants are said to stand for Hinduism and Buddhism, which have lived side by side in Nepal for centuries.
• The moon is often said to represent the calm, cool nature of the Nepali people, and the sun their fierce determination; they also express the wish that the nation will last as long as the sun and moon.
• Historically, the moon was also associated with the royal house and the sun with the Rana family, who held power as hereditary prime ministers until 1951.
• Crimson is the colour of the rhododendron, Nepal's national flower, and a symbol of victory and bravery.

How to draw the flag

The constitution sets out about two dozen steps for constructing the flag. In simplified form, the method works like this:

1. Draw a vertical line on the left (the hoist) and a horizontal base line from its bottom.
2. Mark points on these lines using fixed proportions, and join them to form the lower pennant.
3. Build the upper, smaller pennant above it, using further measured points and lines.
4. Locate the centres of the moon and sun by dividing specific lines into set ratios.
5. Draw the arcs of the crescent moon and its eight rays, and the circle of the sun with its twelve rays.
6. Add the blue border, with its width defined as a fraction of the flag's dimensions.

Because every point is defined geometrically, any correctly drawn Nepali flag has exactly the same proportions, whatever its size. The height-to-width ratio works out at an irrational number of about 1.22 to 1.

Other unusual flags

Nepal's is the only national flag that is not a rectangle, but a few others stand out in different ways. Switzerland and Vatican City use square flags, and Ohio in the United States has a swallowtail state flag. Many Himalayan prayer flags and temple banners are triangular too, so Nepal's shape is rooted in a regional tradition.

Flag etiquette in Nepal

• Treat the flag with respect: don't let it touch the ground, and don't use it as clothing or decoration in disrespectful ways.
• Climbers who carry the flag to summits usually photograph it carefully and bring it back down.
• The flag is flown at half-mast during national mourning.

Where you'll see it

On government buildings, schools and army posts; on the uniforms of the Nepal Army and on Gurkha regimental badges in another form; at the Everest summit in countless photos; and on the shirts and scarves of fans at football and cricket matches, where Nepal's national teams have growing followings. During national celebrations such as Constitution Day (Sambidhan Diwas, in September), flags fly from homes and shops across the country.

Pennants in Himalayan tradition

Triangular flags have a long history in the Himalaya. Hindu temples fly triangular pennants from their spires, and the flags carried in processions and at shrines across Nepal and northern India are often pointed. In Buddhist areas, prayer flags strung across passes and bridges, and the tall vertical darchor poles outside houses, carry prayers on the wind. Military units in the region also carried pointed banners into battle. Seen against that background, Nepal's flag is less strange than it first appears: it took a shape that was already familiar everywhere and made it national.

Before the modern flag was standardised, the two pennants were sometimes flown separately, one above the other, with different emblems. Combining them into a single, connected shape created the distinctive double-peaked outline that is now recognised around the world.

The flag in Nepali life

The flag is part of everyday life in Nepal. Schoolchildren learn to draw it step by step in mathematics lessons, and it appears on banknotes, stamps, passports and the uniforms of national sports teams. At Nepali cricket matches, which draw huge crowds, fans paint the double pennant on their faces. Nepali mountaineers carry it to the summits of the highest peaks, and Nepali workers abroad fly it at festivals and celebrations far from home. For many Nepalis, the unusual shape is a source of pride: no other country could be mistaken for theirs.

Buying a Nepali flag

Small Nepali flags, stickers, patches and pins are sold in Thamel and at souvenir shops across the country, and make inexpensive gifts. If you plan to photograph one on a summit or at Everest Base Camp, buy it in Kathmandu before your trek, where the choice is better and prices are lower.

Other national symbols of Nepal