Are there any Countries that have Square Flags?

Summary

Who Smarted? – “Are There Any Countries That Have Square Flags?”

Podcast Summary for Episode Released October 17, 2025
Podcast: Who Smarted? (Educational Podcast for Kids)
Theme: Fun and fascinating facts about flags—how they're designed, what shapes they come in, their history, and the hidden meanings behind their colors, all wrapped in a humorous, interactive parade setting.

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Episode Overview

In this festive, curiosity-sparking episode, host Adam Tex Davis and ace parade commentator (and resident vexillologist) Chet Nickerson delve into the flag-filled world of Flag Day. Through playful banter, interactive trivia, and laugh-out-loud moments, listeners explore questions like: Why are most flags rectangles? Which countries have square flags? Who really designed the first U.S. flag? And what’s the story behind flag colors and shapes? Perfect for curious kids and the adults who learn alongside them, this episode blends history, science, and humor in the show's signature style.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. What is a Vexillologist? [01:01–02:20]

• Chet introduces himself as a "vexillologist," prompting a multiple choice trivia moment.
  • Correct Answer: "A person who studies flags."
  • Origin: "The word vexillology...comes from the Latin word vexillum, which means flag." —Chet Nickerson [02:09]
• Fun offshoot: The mix-up between "vexillologist" (flags), "ventriloquist" (puppets), and "vexing" (annoying).

2. History of Flags & U.S. Flag Origins [04:29–09:11]

• Early Flags: Ancient Romans used the "vexillum," which gave the study its name.
• Materials: First modern flags appeared in the 6th century thanks to silk from China.
  • "The first flags using silk from China were attached to bamboo or flown from poles..." —Adam [05:20]
• First U.S. Flag: Raised at Independence Hall, Philadelphia, PA.
• Design Evolution:
  • The first U.S. flag ("Grand Union") had a small British flag (Union Jack) in the corner, not stars.
  • British soldiers got confused seeing both U.S. and British flags mixed!
    "When British soldiers saw the Union Jack on the corner of the flag, they got confused and thought George Washington was giving up." —Chet [06:58]
• Who Designed the U.S. Flag?
  • While Betsy Ross is famous for redesigning the flag, many experts credit Francis Hopkinson—a founding father, politician, writer, and artist who even billed the U.S. Treasury for his work (never paid!).
  • "Her grandson spread the story that she indeed redesigned the flag. And... that was good enough for the history." —Chet [08:34]

3. Decoding U.S. Flag Symbols [09:11–10:53]

• Five-Pointed Stars: Practical choice—easier to cut than six points.
• Star Count: Represents current U.S. states; original flag had 13 stars for the 13 states.
• Stripes: Always 13, representing the colonies. Seven red, six white.
• No strict rule for star/stripe design at first—lots of variants!
  • "So different people waved different looking flags that all represented the same country." —Adam [10:17]
• Flag Day Origin: June 14, 1777—Congress recognized the 13 stripes/13 stars design.

4. Why Are Most Flags Rectangular? Unusual Flag Shapes [11:10–15:24]

• Practical Reason: "Rectangular flags are best at catching the wind." —Chet [15:17]
• Triangle Exception: Nepal’s flag is the world’s only non-rectangular, non-square national flag—two stacked triangles to represent the Himalayas.
• Square Flags: Only Switzerland and Vatican City use a square national flag.
  • "Switzerland and Vatican City are the only countries that use a square shaped flag." —Chet [15:45]

5. Double-Sided Flags—Are They the Same Front and Back? [15:54–16:27]

• False! Most are the same but there are exceptions:
  • Moldova: only the front has the coat of arms
  • Paraguay: the reverse shows a treasury seal not found on the front
  • Saudi Arabia: two flags sewn together due to religious script
  • "On Moldova's flag, only the front displays the coat of arms..." —Chet [16:02]

6. Flag Colors & Their Meanings [16:27–19:23]

• Common Colors: Red, white, blue, green.
• Examples:
  • U.S.:
    • Blue: loyalty, friendship, justice
    • Red: courage
    • White: honesty
  • U.K./Union Jack:
    • Blue: Scotland
    • Red: St. George’s Cross (England)
  • Australia & New Zealand: Blue backgrounds, Union Jack in corner, link to colonial past.
  • Canada: Red for WWI soldiers & maple leaves, white for snow.
  • Ireland: White for hope/peace; green for religious movement.
  • Dominica, Bolivia, Brazil: Green for nature.
• Fun Pizza Fact:
  • "The ingredients of the first pizza were inspired by the colors of the Italian flag." —Chet [19:13]
  • Red (tomato), white (mozzarella), green (basil).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Puppet-Pal Banter:
  • "SpongeBob Square flag." —Chet, joking about Spongebob SquarePants as a square flag [15:54]
• Flag History Humor:
  • "I know you're not calling my grandson a liar." —Adam, pretending to be Betsy Ross during the myth-busting segment [09:00]
• Pizza-Flag Connection:
  • "Wait, the colors of the Italian flag were inspired by pizza?" —Adam [19:09]
  • "No, no, it's the other way around." —Chet [19:13]

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Key Timestamps

| Timestamp | Topic | |------------|--------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:01 | What’s a vexillologist? | | 04:46 | Flags in ancient Rome and flag origins | | 05:20 | Silk enables modern flag-making | | 05:48 | The first US flag’s debut | | 06:53 | Why did the original U.S. flag have a British flag on it? | | 07:27 | Who really designed the US flag: Betsy Ross vs. Francis H. | | 09:11 | Why do US flag stars have 5 points? | | 10:38 | Congress adopts the 13-star, 13-stripe design—Flag Day! | | 11:10 | Why are flags usually rectangles? | | 15:17 | Fun fact: rectangular flags catch wind better | | 15:45 | Square flags: Switzerland & Vatican City | | 16:02 | Double-sided flags are not always identical | | 16:38 | What do flag colors mean? | | 19:13 | The Italian flag & the origin of Margherita pizza |

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Episode Style & Tone

• Warm, conversational, and playful: Characters joke, use fun sound effects, and address “Smartypants” listeners directly.
• Interactive trivia: Frequent questions to listeners, often giving space for kids to answer aloud.
• Informative yet silly: Puppet shenanigans, parade commentary, and frequent giggles keep things lively.

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Conclusion

This episode brings history and design alive for young listeners, showing that even everyday sights like flags have stories full of adventure, creativity, and a few delicious surprises. Listeners walk away with memorable tidbits (“rectangles catch wind best!” “Nepal’s flag looks like mountains!” “Pizza was inspired by the Italian flag!”) and the confidence to look for meaning in the world around them—plus, maybe, a craving for pizza.

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Perfect for classrooms, car rides, or family learning time—this episode makes you proud to be a “Smartypants!”

Transcript

[Adam Tex Davis]

And now it's time for who Smarted?

[Chet Nickerson]

Psst.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Hey, smartypants. As you can hear, today I'm at a parade. If you've ever been to a parade, you know there's lots of cool things to see and hear. There's marching bands, dancers, floats, balloons, costumed characters, and fire trucks, to name a few. Ooh, we're also in luck, because who's smartest? Ace reporter Chet Nickerson is. Is commentating on today's parade.

[Chet Nickerson]

Hello, and welcome to the who Smarted Parade to celebrate Flag Day, which, while not a federal holiday, is a day of observance to commemorate the adoption of the red, white and Blue Stars and Stripes as the official flag of the United States of America.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Ah, yes, June 14th is Flag Day. And I do see a lot of flags today, which, if you know me, means I'm about to ask lots of questions about flags.

[Chet Nickerson]

Go for it, trusty narrator. You're in luck. Besides being a reporter and parade commentator, I'm also a vexillologist.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Uh, Smartypants, did you just hear a word you've never heard before?

[Chet Nickerson]

Yeah, me too.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Let's see if we can figure it out together. What is a vexillologist? Is it, A, a person who studies flags, B, a person who talks with a puppet, or C, a person who studies confusing things? Chet?

[Chet Nickerson]

Well, if you said, B, a person who talks with a puppet, you're thinking of a ventriloquist, which I also do in my spare time with my talking dummy, Nick Chetterson. Say hi, Nick.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Hello.

[Chet Nickerson]

And if you said, see a person who studies annoying things, you're probably thinking of the word vexing, which means confusing. But if you said, a, a person who studies flags, you're right.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Cool. Cool. But why wouldn't it be a flagologist? Why a vexillologist?

[Chet Nickerson]

Ah, yes. The word vexillology, meaning the study of flags, comes from the Latin word vexillum, which means flag.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Well, look at that, smarty pants. We're learning new things about flags already. And since Chet's a vexillologist, I'm sure he can answer more flag related questions, like, where was the first US Flag raised? Why are most flags rectangular? And who really designed the US Flag? Get ready for another whiff of science and history on who's smarted.

[Chet Nickerson]

Who's smarted? Who's smart? Is it you? Is it me? Is it science? History? Listen up, everyone. We make smarting lots of fun, but who's smart?

[Adam Tex Davis]

And you know, when I was a.

[Kim Davis]

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[Adam Tex Davis]

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[Chet Nickerson]

Welcome back, Paradypants. Aha. What do I see on the horizon? Why, it's a giant floating balloon of someone who lives in a pineapple under the sea. SpongeBob SquarePants. SpongeBob SquarePants. SpongeBob Square.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Um, Chet, do you mind putting your puppy it away? I'm trying to learn more about flags.

[Chet Nickerson]

Sorry, trusty. Go ahead, ask me anything.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Well, we just learned that a vexillologist studies flags and that the word comes from vexillum, the Latin word meaning flag. But why was there a Latin word for flag? What early flags were they using?

[Chet Nickerson]

Flags go back to ancient times, but the vexillum, or early flag that gave the study of flags its name was used by the ancient Romans.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Who knew flags were around that long? So when did we start seeing flags like the ones of today?

[Chet Nickerson]

Modern flags didn't appear until the 6th century, when a material became more widely available.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Smarty pants, was that material A, cotton, B silk, or C polyester? If you said B silk, you're right.

[Chet Nickerson]

The first flags using silk from China were attached to bamboo or flown from poles by a variety of people. Flags were used to identify different regions or flown by their military.

[Adam Tex Davis]

As for the first U.S. flag, that appeared way later than the 6th century. Smarty Pants, where was the first U.S. flag raised? Was it A, Washington, D.C. b, Williamsburg, Virginia, or C, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania?

[Chet Nickerson]

If you said C, you're right. The first U.S. flag was flown at Independence hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Smartypants, have you ever seen a U.S. flag? If you have you might know it has 50 white stars on a blue background and 13 red and white stripes. True or false? That's what the first US Flag looked like. The answer is false.

[Chet Nickerson]

The US Flag has gone through some pretty big changes over the years. The first US flag was called the Grand Union. And while it was red, white and blue, like the flag you see today, in the corner where the white stars on a blue background are, there was something else.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Smarty pants. Any idea what was in the corner? Was it A, a firework, B, an eagle, or C, a small British flag?

[Chet Nickerson]

It may sound surprising, but the Grand Union flag actually had a small British flag known as the Union Jack in the corner.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Since the United States was fighting for independence from Britain at the time, it makes sense why that changed.

[Chet Nickerson]

Exactly. In fact, when British soldiers saw the Union Jack on the corner of the flag, they got confused and thought George Washington was giving up. Has old Georgie given up already? I guess not.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Run away, smartypants. Any idea who redesigned the US Flag? Did you say Betsy Ross? If so, you're right or wrong, depending.

[Chet Nickerson]

On who you ask.

[Adam Tex Davis]

But I've always heard Betsy Ross redesign the flag. If it wasn't her, then who was it?

[Chet Nickerson]

Do you have your time travel app?

[Adam Tex Davis]

Of course. I never narrate without it.

[Chet Nickerson]

See that man over there? That's Francis Hopkinson, a politician, writer, artist, lawyer and judge who signed the Declaration of Independence and helped design American money.

[Adam Tex Davis]

That's a lot of accomplishments. But what does he have to do with the US Flag?

[Chet Nickerson]

While Francis doesn't get as much credit for the flag as Betsy Ross, some people believe he created the US flag. In any case, he definitely worked on one. In 1780, he sent a bill to the US Board of Treasury for the work he did on one.

[Adam Tex Davis]

He must have made a lot of the money he helped design.

[Chet Nickerson]

Actually, the bill was never paid.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Question. If Frances Hopkinson helped design the first flag, why is Betsy Ross so much more well known?

[Chet Nickerson]

For starters, Betsy Ross was a well known flag maker at the time. Secondly, her grandson spread the story that she indeed redesigned the flag. And despite having no evidence, he claimed that he heard the story directly from his grandmother many, many times. And that was good enough for the history. I know you're not calling my grandson a liar.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Nope, not at all. Betsy. Heading back to the present, perhaps some things are better left a mystery.

[Kim Davis]

But now that I'm looking at a.

[Adam Tex Davis]

US flag, I have another question. Why do the stars have five points.

[Chet Nickerson]

That I can answer definitively? And the reason is a practical one. Five points are Easier to cut than six points.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Smarty pants, do you know what the stars on the US Flag represent? Did you say the states? Great job. Today's US flag has 50 stars representing the 50 US states. However, the original US flag only had 13 stars because there were only 13 states at that time. Whenever a new state was added to the country, a new star was added to the flag. Now, smarty pants, do you know how many stripes are there? The answer is 13. And those 13 stripes represent the original 13 colonies. True or false? There are more red stripes than white stripes. The answer is true. There are seven red and six white stripes. So, Chet, have all US Flags basically looked the same?

[Chet Nickerson]

Actually, no. Originally, there was no rule for how the stars and stripes should look. So different people waved different looking flags that all represented the same country.

[Adam Tex Davis]

That sounds a little vexing.

[Chet Nickerson]

It sure was. You can understand the need to have one design for the flag.

[Adam Tex Davis]

And that leads us to flag day. On June 14, 1777, the redesigned US flag with the 13 stripes and 13 stars in a circle was officially recognized by Congress.

[Chet Nickerson]

It certainly is a grand old flag, right, Nick Chetterson? It sure is.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Okay, okay, back to flags. When it comes to the shape of a flag, I'm noticing that many countries, not just the US have rectangular flags. And is there any special reason for that shape?

[Chet Nickerson]

Why, yes. And it too is a practical reason.

[Adam Tex Davis]

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[Kim Davis]

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[Adam Tex Davis]

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[Adam Tex Davis]

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[Adam Tex Davis]

Now back to who's smarted? Smartypants, have you ever wondered why most flags are rectangular instead of, say, square or circle or triangular? The answer is pretty practical, Chet.

[Chet Nickerson]

Rectangular flags are best at catching the wind.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Ah. So all countries must fly rectangular shaped flags, right?

[Chet Nickerson]

Wrong. Nepal's flag is two connected triangles, one on top of the other. They use this shape to represent the Himalaya Mountains. Whoa.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Oh, that's pretty cool. Are there any other unique flag shapes?

[Chet Nickerson]

Well, Switzerland and Vatican City are the only countries that use a square shaped flag. Spongebob Square flag.

[Adam Tex Davis]

No, no, no, no, no, no. Puppets. Smartypants True or false? All flags are the exact same on both sides, front and back.

[Chet Nickerson]

The answer, surprisingly, is false. On Moldova's flag, only the front displays the coat of arms. On Paraguay's flag, only the reverse side shows the treasury seal. And since Saudi Arabia's flag features religious writing, the back of the flag is a duplicate of the front and two flags are actually sewn together. Interesting.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Let's talk flag colors. Smartypants, have you ever noticed a lot of flags use similar colors? Blue, red, white and green seem to be pretty common. Are there any reasons for that?

[Chet Nickerson]

Flag colors usually stand for something important to the country. On the US Flag, blue represents loyalty, friendship and justice. On the Union Jack, the blue background represents Scotland, since Scotland is one of the countries that make up the United Kingdom. Australia's flag has a blue background and features the Union Jack in the corner because a British man named Captain Cook took possession of the island of Australia in 1770. New Zealand's flag also has a blue background with the Union Jack in the corner because it is a former British colony.

[Adam Tex Davis]

What about red? That's a popular color. What does red usually mean?

[Chet Nickerson]

On the US Flag, red stands for courage. On the Union Jack, red represents the red Cross of St George, the patron saint of England. The red stripes on Canada's flag are a tribute to the soldiers who fought in World War I, while the Red maple leaf in the center represents maple leaves turning red in autumn.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Ooh, smarty pants. See if you can guess what the white represents on the Canadian flag. It's something Canada is famous for.

[Kim Davis]

No, not a moose.

[Chet Nickerson]

Snow.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Of course, the US Flag also has white. Does that symbolize snow too?

[Chet Nickerson]

No. The white stripes on the US Flag symbolize honesty. And on the flag of Ireland, the white stripe between the green and orange ones symbolizes the hope for peace.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Speaking of green, what does that symbolize on flags.

[Chet Nickerson]

On Ireland's flag, the green stripe symbolizes a religious movement. But in many cases, such as the flag of Dominica, Bolivia and Brazil, green symbolizes nature, forests, and natural resources.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Makes sense.

[Chet Nickerson]

By the way, Trusty, did you know your favorite food was inspired by the colors of a flag?

[Adam Tex Davis]

This I have to know.

[Chet Nickerson]

Smarty pants. Have you ever seen an Italian flag? Do you know what colors it is? Well, here's an easy way to remember. Think of it like a slice of pizza with red tomato sauce, white mozzarella cheese, and a piece of green fresh basil on it. Those are the colors of the Italian flag.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Wait, the colors of the Italian flag were inside inspired by pizza?

[Chet Nickerson]

No, no, it's the other way around. The ingredients of the first pizza were inspired by the colors of the Italian flag. Ooh.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Ah. That is deliciously cool to know.

[Chet Nickerson]

And it looks like we're coming to the end of today's who Smarted Flag Day parade. Thanks for joining me, Chet Nickerson and my friend Nick Chatterson. Hey, let's get some pizza.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Hey. I think I like this puppet after all. A super smarty shout out to Jax and Jet in Prince Frederick, Maryland. You told us who Smarted keeps you laughing and learning every time you get.

[Kim Davis]

In the car and that even your.

[Adam Tex Davis]

Mom Mary loves listening. Now that's what we call a true smartie family. This episode Flags was written by Sarah Sweeten and voiced by Adam Chet Davis, Kim Davis and Jerry Colbert. Technical direction and sound design by Josh Hahn. Who Smarted is recorded and mixed at the Relic Room studios. Our associate producer is Max Kamasky. The theme song is by Brian Suarez with lyrics written and performed by Adam Tex Davis. Whosmarted was created and produced by Adam Tex Davis and Jerry Colbert. This has been an Atomic Entertainment production.