# Why is Nepal's flag such a weird shape? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 23, 2010, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-nepals-flag-such-a-weird-shape/558083 "2010-10-23T06:59:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Terra1041](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Terra1041](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terra1041)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2010, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-nepals-flag-such-a-weird-shape/558083/1 "2010-10-23T06:59:24Z")
In any depiction of multiple national flags, you’ll notice that all of them are rectangular or occasionally square, except Nepal’s oddball double pennant. Why does Nepal have so weird of a flag? ---
**Author:** ![falcotron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3ab097/32.png) [@falcotron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/falcotron)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2010, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-nepals-flag-such-a-weird-shape/558083/2 "2010-10-23T09:01:10Z")
[Flag of Nepal - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Nepal) gives some of the history of their flag. I’d guess the answer is half that they intentionally wanted a flag that stands out to emphasize their uniqueness, and half that they’re generally less influenced by the major European naval powers than most countries. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2010, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-nepals-flag-such-a-weird-shape/558083/3 "2010-10-23T09:01:32Z")
> [@Terra1041](#): > > In any depiction of multiple national flags, you’ll notice that all of them are rectangular or occasionally square, except Nepal’s oddball double pennant. Why does Nepal have so weird of a flag? Because they didn’t bow to the pressure of conformity. There’s nothing inherently correct about having a rectangular flag, and we still fly variations like pennants and swallowtails, but the rectangular flag is simple, has plenty of room for designs, looks good both horizontally and vertically and thus became the pattern for the national flags in Europe. The rest of the world then followed suit. Except for Nepal who had a different tradition and stuck with it: > [@](#): > > The flag was adopted, with the formation of a new constitutional government, on December 16, 1962. The individual pennants had been used for the preceding two centuries and the double pennant since the 19th century. > **[Flag of Nepal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Nepal)** > > The flag of Nepal\[a\] is a non-quadrilateral flag of red, white, and blue colour. It is used as both the state and civil flag of Nepal. It is the only non-rectangular national flag in the world. The flag's unique shape is a combination of two single pennants, and is known as a double-pennon. The red colour of the field represents bravery and Nepal's national flower, the rhododendron, while the blue colour of the border represents peace. > The current flag was adopted on 16 December 1962, along w... ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2010, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-nepals-flag-such-a-weird-shape/558083/4 "2010-10-23T09:03:13Z")
Basically, it’s a merger of two individual pennant flags. Note that the two pennants are actually different in shape – the one on bottom has a sharper angle. There’s lots more on this at Flags of the World: [Nepal](http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/np.html) > [@](#): > > The flag of Nepal is the only national flag which is not rectangular, being based upon two separate pennants which belonged to rival branches of the Rana dynasty, which formerly ruled the country. The two pennants were first joined in the last century, but it was not adopted as the official flag until 1962, when a constitutional form of government was established. I believe that text was written in the 90s, so they would have been first joined in the 19th century. ---
**Author:** ![ExVoxMachina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/59ef9b/32.png) [@ExVoxMachina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExVoxMachina)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-nepals-flag-such-a-weird-shape/558083/5 "2010-10-24T04:23:30Z")
[http://flagspot.net/images/n/np\_gatel.jpg](http://flagspot.net/images/n/np_gatel.jpg) [http://3.bp.blogspot.com/\_5GNh\_yRe-BA/StrzRRTJcoI/AAAAAAAAADM/J6G2oWhjGSI/s1600-h/The+temple+with+the+flag.jpg](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5GNh_yRe-BA/StrzRRTJcoI/AAAAAAAAADM/J6G2oWhjGSI/s1600-h/The+temple+with+the+flag.jpg) [http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:vKE3BMgrNU53wM:http://66.70.224.3/PhotosD1/BDSC-015-14.jpg&t=1](http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:vKE3BMgrNU53wM:http://66.70.224.3/PhotosD1/BDSC-015-14.jpg&t=1) Many temples in Nepal have and still do fly pendent shaped flags as a display of their particular denomination. This is true for both Buddhist and Hindu temples. Pre-independence if a pendent was flown that was made up of two combined pendants it was a temple that served both religions. Although rare it was seen as a symbol of the unity of the two major religions of the country thus inspiring the flag. The shared temples are for the most part non existent today.