Nepal Flag: Meaning, Colors, History & Facts
Nepal has the world’s only non-quadrilateral sovereign national flag: two joined crimson pennants with a dark-blue border, a white moon and a white sun.
What does the Nepal flag look like?
The national flag consists of two joined triangular pennants. The field is crimson with a dark-blue border. The upper triangle contains a white moon emblem and the lower triangle a white sun.
Why is Nepal’s flag not rectangular?
Nepal retained a traditional double-pennant design instead of adopting the rectangular standard used by nearly every other modern state. This makes it the only non-quadrilateral sovereign national flag.
Explore the unique shape and construction →
What do the moon and sun mean?
The two celestial symbols are traditionally interpreted as expressing permanence—the aspiration that Nepal will endure as long as the sun and moon.
What do the colors mean?
Crimson is Nepal’s national color and is associated with the rhododendron, the national flower. The blue border is commonly associated with peace.
How is the flag constructed?
The Constitution includes a detailed geometric construction procedure rather than a simple rectangular ratio. The instructions specify how to draw the two pennants, border and celestial symbols.
How old is the design?
The double-pennant form has traditional roots older than the modern constitutional state. Nepal’s successive constitutions preserved and precisely defined the design.
Nepal flag facts
| Shape | Two joined triangular pennants |
|---|---|
| Field | Crimson |
| Border | Dark blue |
| Symbols | Moon and sun |
| Unique distinction | Only non-quadrilateral sovereign national flag |
How can you identify Nepal’s flag instantly?
Look for two stacked crimson triangles with a blue border. The upper triangle contains the moon and the lower one the sun. No other sovereign national flag has this overall shape.
Why is Nepal’s flag famous in vexillology?
Its constitutional construction is unusually mathematical. Because the flag is not rectangular, the legal instructions define the geometry through a sequence of lines, intersections and arcs rather than a simple aspect ratio.
Nepal flag FAQ
Is Nepal the only country with a triangular national flag?
It is the only sovereign state whose national flag is non-quadrilateral and formed from two joined pennants.
What is Nepal’s national color?
Crimson.
What symbols are on the flag?
A white moon on the upper pennant and a white sun on the lower one.
