What Foreign Nation Has Five-Sided Flags?
Of the more than 190 countries in the world, only one has a flag that is not rectangular in shape. Indeed, five-sided flags are quite rare. Within the United States, only Ohio has a flag with five sides. And although there are probably other cities, states, territories and organizations in the world with five-sided flags, you wanted to know what foreign nation has five-sided flags. It’s Nepal.
Nepal? Where is Nepal? It is bordered on the south, east and west by India, and on the north by Tibet. For a more specific frame of reference, the Chinese consider Tibet a part of southern China, and Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world, is located on the border of Tibet and Nepal.
The Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal became a republic on May 28, 2008, making it the world’s most recent nation to have been declared a republic. It has a total area of 56,827 square miles, making it roughly the same size as Iowa. However, with more than 29 million people, Nepal’s population rivals that of larger U.S. states like Texas and California.
Based on archaeological finds, it appears as though people have been living in the region that is now Nepal for 9000 years. It gained global importance in the 5th and 6th centuries BC with the birth of Prince Siddhartha Gautama, who left his life of opulence and luxury to pursue a life of asceticism, earning him the name “Buddha,” the enlightened one. Thus the religion of Buddhism was born in Nepal along with the Buddha himself.
Before the birth of the Gautama Buddha, Hinduism was the dominant religion of the region. The Buddha himself was born into the Hindu faith, and by and large, the two religions are still not seen by the Nepalese as being wildly different. Because of their shared history, traditions and culture, Hindus and Buddhists have been able to live quite peaceably in Nepal for millennia.
About Nepal’s Flag
The five-sided flag of Nepal looks as though two right triangles have been overlapped just enough to sew them together. The triangles represent the two religions practiced by the Nepalese – Hinduism and Buddhism. They also represent the Himalayas. Additionally, the shape of the flag symbolizes a Nepalese pagoda. If you were to hold a mirror to the flag-pole side of the flag, you would see a two-tiered pagoda.
The flag is mostly red in reference to the rhododendron, Nepal’s national flower. The red of the flag also stands for bravery and victory in war. The flag is outlined in blue, which stands for peace. On the lower triangle of the flag, there is a 12-pointed star, and on the upper triangle, there is a crescent moon with what appears to be a sun rising out of it. The sun and moon are there to symbolize permanence and the hope that the nation will last as long as the sun and moon do. The moon also stands for calm while the sun stands for the fierce resolve of the Nepalese people.