The flag of Nepal
Field and colours only. Not shown: two stacked pennants — the only non-rectangular national flag — bearing a moon and a sun.
It is the only non-rectangular national flag in the world, and the shape comes from combining two separate pennants that were flown together for centuries. The 1962 constitution does not state a ratio at all; Schedule 1 gives 24 numbered construction steps, starting from a baseline and building the whole flag with straightedge and compass, which makes it the only flag whose legal definition is a geometry exercise. Before 1962 the emblems had human faces, which were removed for modernisation. The diagonal edge means Nepal cannot be shown in a standard flag grid without either distortion or white space, and international bodies handle it inconsistently.
What the colours mean
- Crimson
#DC143CThe rhododendron, the national flower, and the bravery of the people - Blue
#003893Peace, in the border - White
#FFFFFFThe sun and moon emblems
Flag laws usually specify a Pantone chip, a CMYK mix or just a colour name. Converting any of those to sRGB is lossy, which is why published hex values disagree.
The symbols on it
| What | What it stands for |
|---|---|
| Moon | The royal house; also the cool weather of the Himalaya |
| Sun | The Rana prime ministers; also the heat of the lowlands |
| The pair together | A wish that Nepal endure as long as the sun and moon |
- Ratio
- Non-rectangular; the constitution gives a geometric construction, and the resulting height is about 1.22 times the width
- Current design adopted
- 1962
- Colours
- crimson, blue, white
Common questions
- What does the flag of Nepal look like?
- Two stacked crimson pennants with blue borders, the upper bearing a white crescent moon and the lower a white twelve-pointed sun. The only national flag that is not a rectangle.
- What do the colours of the Nepal flag mean?
- Crimson: the rhododendron, the national flower, and the bravery of the people. Blue: peace, in the border. White: the sun and moon emblems.
- When was the Nepal flag adopted?
- The current design dates from 1962, and its official ratio is Non-rectangular; the constitution gives a geometric construction, and the resulting height is about 1.22 times the width.
Related pages
- Nepal Capital, area, population and currency
- Every flag with crimson in it
- The flag of Japan Ratio 2:3
- The flag of Sri Lanka Ratio 1:2
- The flag of Latvia Ratio 1:2
- The flag of Eswatini Ratio 2:3
Sources
- Official vendor product documentation — At One Place