Nepal is the landlocked country whose national flag is the world’s only non-quadrilateral national flag.
The flag consists of two stacked triangular pennants, often described as double pennons. Its crimson-red field represents bravery and is bordered in blue, symbolizing peace. The upper triangle contains a crescent moon, while the lower triangle contains a sun.
Nepal’s modern constitutional flag design was adopted in 1962, although the two pennants have much older historical roots in South Asian and Himalayan heraldry. The shapes are not simply decorative: they are traditionally associated with the mountains and the country’s long political history.
Switzerland and Vatican City also have unusually shaped national flags, but both are square. Bhutan’s flag is rectangular. Nepal’s distinctive geometry therefore makes it unique among sovereign states.