5 Countries with the Most Out-There Flags

The national flag is a massive symbol of pride for many of the world’s nations, as we see them waving at every international event like the Olympics or World Cup. People are proud of their homeland for the most part and want to display that by waving their country’s flag whenever possible. There are a lot of simple designs when it comes to flags, though, with some being indistinguishable from one another to the untrained person.

A lot of countries simply have three different colored bars, while others keep it simplistic. Then, there are those countries that really like to make things unique by creating something that you can’t miss. Here are five of those countries that have the most eye-catching and out-there national flags.

Nepal

Every country in the world has a national flag that’s rectangular, except for one. Nepal decided to go the most unique route possible by ditching the traditional rectangle flag and making it a pair of pennants on top of one another. Nepal has always opted for this style of flag, though, while the designs on the flag itself have changed over the years.

The modern version of the Nepal flag that was adopted in 1962 is red with a blue outline and features a crescent moon with a sun peeking out on the top pennant while the bottom pennant features the full sun. The two symbols represent Hinduism and Buddhism, which are the two main religions of Nepal.

Mozambique

There are always going to be countries that have interesting symbols on their flags, but the combination of symbols doesn’t get more out-there than Mozambique. The flag features teal, black, and yellow bars with a red triangle on the left side. Within that triangle, though, brings up a lot of questions as to what’s going on.

The base layer of the triangle features a yellow star, which is pretty standard, with the next layer being an open book. It isn’t even a specific book, either, as it’s meant to symbolize education. Then in front of the book is a hoe crossed with an AK-47 that has a bayonet. The hoe, of course, symbolizes agriculture, while the AK-47 is supposed to mean vigilant defense of the nation. Needless to say, it really gets the point across.

Dominica

The Caribbean nation of Dominica adopted a new flag in 1990, and it’s one of the only ones that people would consider “cute.” The flag has different proportions compared to most at a 1:2 ratio, though most of the design is pretty standard with a cross made up of yellow, black, and white bars on a green background.

The real eye-catcher, though, is the symbol in the center. There’s a red circle with 10 green stars, and inside of those stars is a purple parrot. The parrot is the sisserou species, which is native to Dominica and the national bird that’s on the coat of arms. The sisserou is an endangered bird, with only around 300 remaining. Yes, the real-life parrot is indeed purple in case you were wondering.

Mexico

Mexico essentially has the same flag as Italy with three stripes of green, white, and red, in that order. However, there is one massive difference between the two. The Italian flag has nothing in the white stripe, while Mexico is telling an entire story with theirs. The Mexico flag shows an eagle standing on a cactus while eating a snake alive.

Why such a graphic nature image, though? The symbol is actually an Aztecan one that’s part of the culture’s legend. The eagle was pointing while devouring the snake, showing how to reach the city of Tenochtitlan.

Bhutan

There are a few countries in the world that feature a dragon on their flag, but none go into more detail than the Asian nation of Bhutan. With a 50/50 diagonal background split between orange and yellow, there’s a black and white dragon front and center, taking up most of the flag.

The dragon has changed over the years thanks to new designs, but the symbolism has remained the same. The dragon’s white color symbolizes purity while also looking aggressive in case of needing to defend the country, while the dragon as a whole represents the Dragon King of Bhutan, a.k.a. the head of state.