Flag of Nepal

Country

Flag of Nepal uses two stacked pennants with a moon and a sun. Ratio Non-rectangular and current adoption December 16, 1962.

Hoist Ratio Non-rectangular Fly

Flag Reference

Flag	Flag of Nepal
Entity Type	Country
Official Name	Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal
Identifier	NP / NPL
Region	Southern Asia

Flag Specifications

Current Adoption	December 16, 1962
First Documented Use	1743
Proportion	Non-rectangular
Shape	Non-rectangular
Colours	Crimson, Blue, White
Construction	Two stacked pennants with a moon and a sun
Common Name	The Double Pennon

Documented Colour Values

Colour	HEX	RGB	CMYK
Crimson	#DC143C	220, 20, 60	0, 91, 73, 14
Blue	#003893	0, 56, 147	100, 62, 0, 42
White	#FFFFFF	255, 255, 255	0, 0, 0, 0

Design and Symbolism

Crimson	the rhododendron, the national flower, and bravery.
Blue	peace and harmony.
White	the sun and moon.
Only non-rectangular national flag	The two pennants of the rival Rana and Shah houses, joined into one.
Sun and moon	The hope that the nation will endure as long as they do; the moon also stands for the cool Himalayas and the sun for the heat of the lowlands.
Geometry	The constitution defines the flag with a step-by-step geometric construction, unique among national flags.

Proportions

Ratio	Non-rectangular

About the Flag of Nepal

Two stacked pennants with a moon and a sun The recorded proportion is Non-rectangular. Within this library it is grouped with non-rectangular pennant designs.

Colours and construction

The reference palette stored for Nepal is Crimson (#DC143C), Blue (#003893) and White (#FFFFFF). The colour table above is intended for digital reference; where an issuing authority publishes a different colour standard, that specification takes precedence.

Symbols and recorded meaning

Only non-rectangular national flag: The two pennants of the rival Rana and Shah houses, joined into one; Sun and moon: The hope that the nation will endure as long as they do; the moon also stands for the cool Himalayas and the sun for the heat of the lowlands; Geometry: The constitution defines the flag with a step-by-step geometric construction, unique among national flags.

History and adoption record

The design record traces first use to 1743. The adoption field for the present record is December 16, 1962.

Additional flag context

Nepal's is the only national flag that is not a quadrilateral, made of two stacked pennants inherited from two rival branches of the ruling house.

Schedule 1 of the constitution defines the flag by a twenty-four step geometric construction using only a straight edge and compass, so it can be reproduced exactly at any size.

The sun and moon once carried human faces, which were removed in 1962 when the flag was standardised.

How to identify this flag

For quick identification, look for Two stacked pennants with a moon and a sun, a Non-rectangular proportion and the visible only non-rectangular national flag. Use the comparison and design-family links on this page when another flag has a similar palette or layout.

Verification sources

Flags of the World — Nepal — Specialist vexillological reference

Facts about the Flag of Nepal

Nepal is recorded as two stacked pennants with a moon and a sun.
The reference proportion for the flag of Nepal is Non-rectangular.
The stored palette for Nepal contains Crimson, Blue and White.
The adoption field for this country flag record is December 16, 1962.
The design record traces first use to 1743.
Its construction is grouped with the non-rectangular pennant design family in this library.
Only non-rectangular national flag: The two pennants of the rival Rana and Shah houses, joined into one.
Sun and moon: The hope that the nation will endure as long as they do; the moon also stands for the cool Himalayas and the sun for the heat of the lowlands.
Nepal's is the only national flag that is not a quadrilateral, made of two stacked pennants inherited from two rival branches of the ruling house.
Schedule 1 of the constitution defines the flag by a twenty-four step geometric construction using only a straight edge and compass, so it can be reproduced exactly at any size.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Flag of Nepal

What does the flag of Nepal look like?

Two stacked pennants with a moon and a sun, with a recorded proportion of Non-rectangular.

What proportion is recorded for the flag of Nepal?

The reference proportion stored for this flag is Non-rectangular.

Which colours are recorded for the flag of Nepal?

The reference palette lists Crimson #DC143C, Blue #003893 and White #FFFFFF.

What do the symbols on the flag of Nepal represent?

Only non-rectangular national flag — The two pennants of the rival Rana and Shah houses, joined into one. Sun and moon — The hope that the nation will endure as long as they do; the moon also stands for the cool Himalayas and the sun for the heat of the lowlands. Geometry — The constitution defines the flag with a step-by-step geometric construction, unique among national flags.

When was the present flag record for Nepal adopted?

The adoption field in this record is December 16, 1962.

Which design family does the flag of Nepal belong to?

WorldFlags.online groups it with non-rectangular pennant designs for visual browsing; that classification describes construction, not necessarily historical ancestry.

Where can I verify information about the flag of Nepal?

The verification-source section on this page links to an official, governmental or specialist reference used to check the underlying record. Source wording is not copied into the article.