Officially approved in 1963, the national flag of Malaysia is called the "Glorious Striped" flag in its homeland. It highlights the country's sovereignty along with the Malaysian anthem and coat of arms.
Description and proportions of the flag of Malaysia
The rectangular cloth of the Malaysian flag has sides proportional to each other as 2: 1. The main field of the flag consists of horizontal stripes of red and white colors of equal width. There are fourteen stripes in total, the topmost one is red and the bottom one is white. The stripes symbolize the 13 states that make up the country and the government of the state.
The upper part of the cloth, closest to the shaft, equal in width to eight stripes, contains a dark blue canopy, in the field of which a fourteen-rayed star and a crescent moon covering it on the left are applied. The star and its rays remind Malaysians of the unity of the federal authorities with the 13 states of the country, and the crescent moon serves as an Islamic symbol. The majority of Malaysians are Muslims.
The red, blue and white colors of the banner are a tribute to friendly relations with Great Britain and a reminder of the past of the state that was a colony of the United Kingdom.
History of the flag of Malaysia
The creation of the Malaysian flag began in 1949, when a federal competition was announced for the best design of the state symbol. The victory was won by the architect Johor Mohammed bin Hamza, who worked at that time in the government of the country. The flag was based on the banner adopted for installation at the stern of all ships of the British East India Company. In its roof, against the background of a striped red and white cloth, was the flag of Great Britain.
The design of the flag was approved by George VI, and the banner was first raised over the ruler's palace in Kuala Lumpur in 1950. At that time, the number of stripes and rays of the star was less than in the modern version. There were fourteen of them in 1963, when the Federation of Malay included some more territories. Then the final version of the national flag of Malaysia was officially approved.
The flag was given its own name "Glorious Striped" in 1997, when at the celebration of the anniversary of the country's independence, its Prime Minister solemnly announced that the state symbol of Malaysia had a name.
The flag of the Malaysian Navy contains an image of the state in a canopy at the top of the flagstaff. The rest of the flag of the country's navy is white, with a blue anchor with two crossed sabers on it in the lower right part.
