It is made from two joined triangular shapes, with a blue border and white moon and sun symbols. Nepal's Constitution formally defines the national flag and provides detailed instructions for constructing its shape.
The only national flag with this shape
Most national flags are rectangular. Nepal's is the striking exception: its national flag consists of two triangular pennons joined vertically, creating a distinctive double-pennant shape.
This isn't an artistic choice made by a modern flag designer. The shape is part of Nepal's constitutional definition of its national flag. The Constitution specifies a crimson field, a dark-blue border, a crescent moon in the upper section and a sun in the lower section.
What is on the flag?
Why two triangles?
The two-pennon form comes from Nepal's traditional flag design rather than from the rectangular flag conventions that became common elsewhere. The modern Constitution preserves that traditional form and even includes a precise geometric construction method in its first schedule.
That means the shape is not merely a decorative outline. Nepal's legal definition specifies how the internal shape and border are constructed.
Why are there a moon and a sun?
The flag carries a crescent moon in the upper pennon and a sun in the lower pennon. Their presence gives the flag a strong connection with traditional Nepalese symbolism.
The exact shapes are also legally specified. Nepal's constitutional description identifies a white crescent moon and a white sun, with the schedule providing detailed construction instructions.
Has the flag always looked exactly like this?
The design has a long historical tradition, but its modern legal definition is relatively precise. Nepal's current constitutional framework formally describes the national flag and its construction. The government of Nepal also publishes guidance on its official use.
That distinction is useful: the traditional design is much older than the modern constitutional wording that defines exactly how the flag should be drawn.
Why doesn't Nepal use a rectangle?
Because the country's traditional flag shape survived rather than being replaced by the rectangular format used by most modern states. Instead of fitting Nepal's flag into a standard rectangle, the modern constitution preserves its two-pennon form.
The result is one of the easiest national flags to recognise from its outline alone. Even before you see the colours or symbols, the shape tells you that it is Nepal.
How to remember the Nepal flag
Think of it as two pennants, one moon, one sun. The upper triangle carries the moon, the lower triangle carries the sun, and both are surrounded by a dark-blue border on a crimson field.
Explore Nepal
See more flags in the Flag Explorer, test yourself in the Flag Quiz, or print the Nepal flag colouring page if you have one on your FlagAtlas site.
Sources: Nepal Law Commission — Constitution of Nepal; Government of Nepal — use of the national flag.