25 Strange Yet Amazing Facts About Flags of the World

The flag of Nepal, famous for being the only current national flag that isn't a quadrilateral, has its dimensions specified by law. The rectangle circumscribing the flag has an irrational ratio that is the least root of a quartic polynomial.

2. The Indonesian flag is nearly the same as the Dutch flag, but with the bottom third and blue strip removed. After 138 years of Dutch rule, youths removed a Dutch flag tore off the blue strip and re-hoisted it as an Indonesian flag in 1945 (War of Independence 1945-1949).

3. The quarantine flag also called the “Yellow Jack”, is an international signal flag that was last flown during the 2002-03 SARS outbreak (before COVID-19). The flag is flown from a ship that is either arriving in port with known serious health problems or that has been placed under quarantine.

4. The golden circle on the flag of Portugal represents an armillary sphere, a nautical device used by Portuguese sailors exploring unknown seas during the Age of Discoveries.

5. The first Olympic flag went missing for 77 years after the 1920 games until a 1920 olympian revealed he’d had it in his suitcase the whole time.

There are only 2 countries in the world whose flags contain neither red, white, nor blue: Jamaica and Mauritania.

7. The Canadian Flag that flies over the Peace Tower of the Canadian Parliament is changed daily. Used flags are then given away. Any Canadian resident may request one of these flags but the current waiting period is 63 years.

8. The American flag present on the deck of the USS Missouri during signing of the Japanese Instrument of Surrender was the same flag that Commodore Matthew Perry flew when the U.S. Navy's Far East Squadron sailed into Tokyo Bay to force the opening of Japan's ports to foreign trade.

9. The star and crescent on the Turkish flag are unrelated to Islam. Instead, they represent the ancient Turkic sun and moon deities, Gün Ana, and Ay Ata.

10. When flown at half-staff, the American flag should be first hoisted to the peak for an instance and then lowered to the half-staff position.

The symbol on the flag of Kyrgyzstan is what you see when you look up while inside a yurt.

12. The flag most often associated with the Confederate Flag is actually the Battle Flag of Northern Virginia.

13. The flag of Denmark is the oldest flag in the world still in use (since 1219).

14. The Sun seen on many South American flags and coat of arms, such as Argentina, Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador, is a reference to the Incan god of the Sun, Inti.

15. The flags of Australia and New Zealand are so similar, the Prime Minister of Australia was greeted with the flag of New Zealand on a state visit to Canada in 1984.

India has the only national flag with restrictions over its material. The hand-spun khadi cloth must be cotton, silk, or wool; producing a flag without the specific khadi treading is a crime punishable by up to 3 years in jail and a fine.

17. "Plus Ultra" is on Spain's flag and coat of arms. It's a reversal of the Latin phrase "Non plus ultra" (Nothing further beyond) supposedly on the Pillars of Hercules at the Strait of Gibraltar. The motto ("Further beyond") was adopted after Columbus' discovery of the Americas.

18. The stars on the Brazilian flag, much like the ones on the American flag, reflect the current number of states Brazil has.

19. The Canadian flag with the maple leaf in the middle has only been in use since 1965.

20. The flag of the Shetland Islands is a white Nordic cross on a blue background. It is an amalgamation of the flag of Scotland and the Scandinavian flags' use of the Nordic cross on their flags symbolizing Shetland's historical and cultural ties with Scandinavia.

The flag of Arkansas was originally designed by a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution but was subsequently updated by the State to reflect Confederate history.

22. From 1977-2011, the national flag of Libya was literally a green rectangle.

23. The flag of Amsterdam is meant to represent a triple cross of St. Andrew's.

24. The flag of Mozambique features an AK-47 with a bayonet attached to the barrel crossed by a hoe, superimposed on an open book. It is the only one of the four to feature a modern firearm instead of cannons or muskets.

25. The flag of Zeeland in the Netherlands has a lion in the waves and represents the region's constant struggle against the ocean.