Flag of Tibet

What the flag looks like

A white mountain rising from the bottom, with two snow lions holding a flaming jewel and a swirling gankyil, under a yellow sun whose rays of red and dark blue spread to the edges; a yellow border runs along every side except the fly.

What it means

According to the Tibetan government in exile, the mountain stands for Tibet, the six red rays for the six ancestral tribes of the Tibetan people, the snow lions for the union of spiritual and secular rule, and the open fly edge for openness to Buddhist teaching.

How to remember it

Tibet's snow lion flag is hard to mistake: two snow lions on a white peak under a sunburst of red and blue rays, with a yellow border on every side but the fly.

Fun facts

• The flag was introduced by the 13th Dalai Lama and is now used by the Central Tibetan Administration, the government in exile based in Dharamsala, India.
• Displaying the flag is banned in the People's Republic of China, which regards it as a symbol of Tibetan independence.

Tibet at a glance

De facto independent

1913–1951

Flag used

1916–1959; since then in exile

Today

Tibet Autonomous Region of China

Capital

Lhasa

Region

1913–1951

Languages

Tibetan

Flag adopted

1916