Flag of Bhutan
The flag of Bhutan is split diagonally into a yellow upper half and an orange lower half, with a white dragon holding jewels in its claws across the middle.
At a glance
- Adopted
- 1969a first version with a green dragon was shown in 1949; the current design dates from 1969, and the rules were written down by the National Assembly in 1972
- Shape (height : width)
- 2:3
- Capital
- Thimphu
- Continent
- Asia
- Colours
- yellow
- orange
- white (dragon)
What it means
- Yellow: the king and the country's civil (non-religious) traditions
- Orange: Buddhism and its religious traditions in Bhutan
- Dragon across the middle: the king and the Buddhist traditions are equally important
- White dragon: purity, and the loyalty of all Bhutan's peoples despite their different languages and backgrounds
- Jewels and snarling mouth: the jewels are the country's wealth and the people's security; the snarling mouth shows the strength of the gods protecting Bhutan
Where it came from
Bhutan's name in its own language is Druk Yul, "land of the thunder dragon", and the dragon on the flag is the Druk. The first design is credited to Mayum Choying Wangmo Dorji in the late 1940s. It was later redesigned into its current form by Dasho Shingkhar Lam.
History
The first flag was shown in 1949 at the signing of a treaty between Bhutan and India. It was nearly square and had a green dragon.
In 1956 a version with a white dragon was made for a royal tour. Later the dragon was placed over the diagonal line, the lower half became orange around 1968-69, and the shape was changed to match India's flag, which the king felt fluttered better. The National Assembly wrote down the flag's rules in 1972.
Fun facts
- Bhutan is one of the very few countries with a dragon on its flag.
- The first flag had a green dragon, not a white one.
- The flag's shape was changed to copy India's because the king thought it waved better in the wind.
- The dragon is called Druk, which is also Bhutan's own name for the country.
Easy to mix up with
Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka also shows an animal holding something, a gold lion with a sword, on a dark red background
Questions
What does the flag of Bhutan look like?
The flag of Bhutan is split diagonally into a yellow upper half and an orange lower half, with a white dragon holding jewels in its claws across the middle.
What do the colours and symbols on the flag of Bhutan mean?
Yellow: the king and the country's civil (non-religious) traditions; Orange: Buddhism and its religious traditions in Bhutan; Dragon across the middle: the king and the Buddhist traditions are equally important; White dragon: purity, and the loyalty of all Bhutan's peoples despite their different languages and backgrounds; Jewels and snarling mouth: the jewels are the country's wealth and the people's security; the snarling mouth shows the strength of the gods protecting Bhutan.
When was the flag of Bhutan adopted?
The current flag of Bhutan was adopted on 1969. (a first version with a green dragon was shown in 1949; the current design dates from 1969, and the rules were written down by the National Assembly in 1972)
What colours are on the flag of Bhutan?
The flag of Bhutan uses yellow, orange and white (dragon).
Which flag is easy to mix up with the flag of Bhutan?
It is easy to mix up with the flag of Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka also shows an animal holding something, a gold lion with a sword, on a dark red background
Famous landmarks in Bhutan
🎯 Play the flag quiz 🌍 Play the globe
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org
- crwflags.com
- Flag picture: flagcdn.com (Wikimedia Commons)