Only one flag out of the 195 countries in the world isn’t rectangular – and the reasons behind the ancient flag’s unique shape remain shrouded in mystery.
Nepal’s flag has two deep red triangles with a navy blue border and shapes which are meant to represent the sun and moon.
The specifications for the design are so exact that one expert referred to it as ‘the nerdiest mathematical flag out there’.
The flag has an exact standard size which was made by a mathematician in 1962. The measurements are even included in Nepal’s constitution.
On the flag, the sun is required to have 12 rays. Both the moon and sun have to be white and the border colour of the flag must be a ‘deep blue’.
But even with its strict specifications, the meaning of the world’s most unique flag is still hotly debated.
Some believe the symbols on the flag represent ideas ranging from Buddhist and Hinduist legacies, modern nation-building and even movement of the stars and sky.
The sun symbol on the lower half mirrors the moon symbol on the upper triangle, accentuated by the deep blue border.
The single and double pennon both have a ‘long’ history in South Asia, Sanjog Rupakheti, a professor of history at the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts told CNN.
He explained: ‘We were taught in school growing up that the sun and moon represent the eternity of the nation, triangles supposedly representing the (Himalayan) mountains that Nepal is known for.
‘As a historian, I think a better and a more persuasive interpretation would be to see these symbols as representing these mythical, ancient, illustrious dynasties that many ruling elites in the region often styled their genealogy after.’
Mr Rupakheti said some Nepalese believe the deep scarlet colour of the flag is intended to represent the national flower, the rhododendron.
Others have suggested it could symbolise war, but the true meaning may be lost to history.
The flag is believed to date back to the The Vedic Period, a period in ancient India between the years of 1500 and 600 BC.
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