Ohio (USA)

Today I'll talk about non-rectangular flags. The most obvious choice should be the Nepal flag, the only non-rectangular national flag in the world currently in use. As an evaluation of Nepal would present "more variables" than only its shape (look at the video and understand the joke), I'll talk about this flag other day. So I chose the second most famous flag that applies to this subject: Ohio state, in United States of America.

Look at this flag:

The flag is good at first sight, except for some considerations: there are too many stars, and they're arranged in an apparently non-logical layout - although there is explanations: look like there's thirteen stars on the left, as representing the Thirteen Colonies. There are much more symbolism, but I'll cite the five stripes for the five states of Northwest Territory (Ohio itself, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin), and the big "O" that comes from "Ohio" (although it was someday confused with "Obama").

Oh, and the shape! The Ohio flag's shape resembles more what's called "burgee", generally used by yachts identification, what doesn't make it necessarily inappropriate, however. Some people say it's a kind of "charm" that makes this flag more special, while other people consider that it only turns the flag more expensive and difficult to be produced (personally, I'm part of second group). Changing this flag isn't a high-emergency goal, but it could be recommended.

To know more about flag shapes, I made a small visual dictionary:

Many types, like pennants and streamers, have variant shapes. In a better opportunity I'll post a more complete diagram.

If you have doubts about flag shapes, or only want to express any opinion, please leave a comment.

Observation: Opinions expressed by third-person sites are full responsibility of their authors. Use your critical thinking!