Vexillology: Non-Quadrilateral Flags

Not every flag is rectangular... it's true! While some flags, like that of the Vatican, are square, there are a few others that are entirely non-quadrilateral!

Nepal

There are actually 14 non-quadrilateral flags in the world, but the majority of those are local or municipal flags. In fact, there's only one current sovereign state that flies a non-quadrilateral flag, and that is Nepal! I've written about Nepal's fantastic flag before, but it bears repeating how interesting it is. It's rich in symbolism, and is evocative of the prayer pendants which commonly fly in the Himalayas.

Ohio

In the US, the only non-quadrilateral flag is that of the Buckeye State. It just barely missed a spot on the list I made of my 5 favorite US state flags. The swallow-tail flag was designed in 1901, and was meant to be reminiscent of the cavalry flags flown in the US Civil War and the Spanish-American War. It's not unusual to see pennant-shaped cavalry flags, but as for civil flags, Ohio's is unique.

Venice

The insanely elaborate flag of the Republic of Venice, known as the Standard of St. Mark, is still in use today as the official flag of the city. It may look like a rectangle, but in actual fact, the five stripes on the right-hand side of the flag are free-flying fringes representing the six sestiere, or sub-divisions, of Venice. The tails were meant to help the flag fly more smoothly, and to prevent wear on the central part of the flag in the strong Venetian wind.

The flag features the Lion of St. Mark and an open Bible (though when the city-state was at war, the Bible was replaced by a sword). The flag flew over the fiercely independent republican city-state until it was conquered in 1797 by Austria and France.

Qing Dynasty (1862-1889)

I've written about the Qing flag in the past as well. In fact, I've written about it twice, and through a long and complicated series of events, even have a Qing flag in my possession, which I received as a gift. I guess it's fair to say that the flag of the Qing Dynasty may well by my very favorite flag in the world. I just think it's cool.

While the version that I wrote about before was a typical rectangle, this triangular pendant was actually the first flag of the Qing Dynasty, and was introduced originally as a naval flag. In 1882, a diplomat on a state visit to England noticed that the flag of China was the only flag in attendance not in the standard rectangular shape, and he petitioned the imperial family to introduce a modernized version of the flag featuring the same design, which flew over China until the fall of the Qing Dynasty and the rise of the Republic of China.