Flag of Bhutan

Facts about the Flag of Bhutan

1. The Druk, or thunder dragon, gives the country its name in Dzongkha: Druk Yul, the land of the thunder dragon.
2. The dragon grips a jewel in each of its four claws, standing for wealth, and its snarling mouth represents the strength of the protecting deities.
3. The diagonal division runs from lower hoist to upper fly, separating orange for the Buddhist spiritual tradition from yellow for civil authority.
4. The dragon is white regardless of the colour beneath it, which is unusual — most flag charges change colour to preserve contrast.
5. The flag of Bhutan was officially adopted on 1969.
6. The design is older than its adoption. It was already in use in 1947, 22 years before it was formally made the flag of Bhutan.
7. The flag in its present form is 57 years old as of 2026.
8. Design type: Diagonally divided field with a white dragon.
9. The official proportions are 2:3. It shares that ratio with 82 national flags.
10. The flag uses 3 colours: saffron, orange and white.
11. The saffron on the flag stands for the secular authority of the king.
12. The orange on the flag stands for the Buddhist spiritual tradition.
13. The white on the flag stands for the dragon and the purity of loyalty.
14. Druk: The Thunder Dragon of Bhutanese mythology — the country’s name in Dzongkha means “Land of the Thunder Dragon”.
15. Jewels in the claws: The wealth and protection of the nation; the dragon’s snarling mouth is the strength of the deities defending the country.
16. The design belongs to the "Diagonally divided field with an emblem" family, shared with 2 other flags in this reference.
17. Flags most often confused with it: Christmas Island and Papua New Guinea.
18. Bhutan was never colonised. The 1949 treaty with India confirmed that it would run its own internal affairs, and the monarchy became a constitutional one in 2008.