Why are flags rectangular? - Page 3 - Historum

**Ancientgeezer** · June 11th, 2012, 07:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lawnmowerman

I'd love to see a circular TV

Early Cathode ray tubes and thus TVs WERE round.

**AlpinLuke** · June 11th, 2012, 12:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jinit

Eevn if its hindu they has to use something to take his body to the site of funeral. I don't know about nepalis but In India they use the coffin for the intial militry funeral ceremony of the martyr even if its hindu and cover his body with the flag. However they take the flag from the body before burning it. So I think Nepalis might have some protocol like that.

Thanks for your contribution. Probably my experience about this aspect of Nepali society was partial.

I haven't noted it. I had occasion to see the site where they celebrated their funeral ceremonies with fire in the capital since it was on my walk. I didn't note coffins. Perhaps my fault.

the Chief · June 11th, 2012, 03:09 PM

I thought that a flag is rectangular because it it a flag or else it could be a banner or pennant or maybe a guidon?

laketahoejwb · June 11th, 2012, 05:53 PM

I think that it has to be equal to the Golden Ratio. 1.6180339887.....

Golden Ratio

Lake

**Pacific_Victory** · June 11th, 2012, 05:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the Chief

I thought that a flag is rectangular because it it a flag or else it could be a banner or pennant or maybe a guidon?

Good point... A Banner is triangular right? A guidon is swallow tailed... what makes a penant a penant though? Or is a penant triangular too? What's a banner then?

the Chief · June 11th, 2012, 10:00 PM

I think of a banner as any shape but hanging verticaly from a cross-staff whereas flags etc. fly horizontaly. I think 'common' usages have developed over time but it is probably not carved in stone and one could be refered to as the other without being 'wrong'. Banners could be a collective term refering to any type of 'flags' (also a collective term?) carried by a force or body or group or retainers of a lord etc. or flying from a rampart or... you get the picture.
As an example, if I read pennant I think of a triangular 'flag' whereas if I read pendant I think of a hangy thing at the end of a loop of chain but apparently they can be used interchangably (we won't bring 'pennon' into this!) and one can't call the other usage wrong.
Those better versed in flag lore may be able to add more to this matter of usage of terms.

**AlpinLuke** · June 11th, 2012, 10:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the Chief

I thought that a flag is rectangular because it it a flag or else it could be a banner or pennant or maybe a guidon?

Here there's can be a semantic matter. In Italian the term "bandiera" [FLAG] indicates also guidons, banners, pennants ... all kinds of flags in our language.

In Italian the rectangular flag is a "proper flag", just because of the historical usage of that form.

Take a look at the paragraph "shape and design" of this English article on WIKI: there is just the mention of the Nepali flag.

Flag

abvgd · June 12th, 2012, 03:52 AM

There's not really much to wonder or contemplate about this... The whole concept of national flags, anthems and coats of arms is linked to the nation-building process of the 19th and 20th centuries. To create or to become a modern state, new as well as old countries looked to the Western powers that at that time ruled most of the globe, not only for mere symbolism such as flags but also for state constitutions, legal frameworks, educational institutions, etc. So, the question could just as well be why do nations have specific flags at all? The answer would be the same as for their shape, i.e. that was the model for symbolic representation that these states adopted or inherited from these Western powers.

However, apart from the formal national flag that all countries have, many countries also have other types of flags or variations of their national flag, which are used by for instance their army or other institutions of the government, and these flags do not always conform to the standard shape and size. Of course, flags as such have existed in various parts of the world for centuries, in different shapes and sizes, but since these did not have the significance of today's national flags, there was no need for them to conform to any one specific model. In terms of shape, a rectangle simply makes the most sense. Visual aesthetics is usually based around the concept of symmetry and a rectangle is the simplest shape that gives a design symmetry. A square could also do the job, but a square is nothing more than a rectangle with the added unnecessary restriction that the horisontal and vertical lengths must be identical.

pbl1998 · June 12th, 2012, 03:56 AM

I'm sure the way it flies has something to do about it-I think, in general, it is easier to fly a rectangular or square flag than a triangle or circle flag.

abvgd · June 12th, 2012, 04:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pbl1998

I'm sure the way it flies has something to do about it-I think, in general, it is easier to fly a rectangular or square flag than a triangle or circle flag.

That's true for square flags and circular flags would be hard to even mount properly for a start, but the triangular flags that I've seen do a pretty good job at flying too. Most national flags can be projected quite easily onto a triangular shape anyway, since they are usually "read" from left to right...