Malaysia flag is the flag of Malaysia, a nation in Southeast Asia. The flag has 14 horizontal stripes—7 red and 7 white. Its canton (upper corner nearest the flagpole) is blue with a yellow crescent and star. Malaysians often refer to the flag as Jalur Gemilang (Stripes of Glory).
The flag’s 14 stripes represent the equal status of Malaysia’s 13 states and the federal government. The star, with 14 points, stands for the unity of the federal government and the states. The blue canton originally represented the Commonwealth of Nations, an association of independent countries and other political units that were once governed by the United Kingdom. Today, the blue also symbolizes the unity of the Malaysian people. The crescent is a traditional symbol of Islam, the majority religion of Malaysia. Yellow is the color associated with the nation’s royal rulers. Malaysia, a constitutional monarchy, has a king who performs mostly ceremonial duties.
Malaysia’s flag originated in the mid-1900’s. From the late 1700’s to the early 1900’s, the British established either direct or indirect colonial control over all the territories in present-day Malaysia. After World War II (1939-1945), the region gradually gained self-government. In 1948, the part of Malaysia that lies on the Malay Peninsula, together with some nearby islands, formed the Federation of Malaya. The federation was a partially independent territory under British protection. It had 11 states. It adopted a flag with 11 red and white stripes, one for each state. The flag’s blue canton featured a yellow crescent and 11-pointed star.
The Federation of Malaya gained full independence in 1957. In 1963, three additional states—Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore—joined, and the nation became known as the Federation of Malaysia. It increased the number of stripes on its flag to 14 and gave the star on the flag 14 points. Singapore left the union two years later, but Malaysians kept the 1963 flag design. In 1974, the government established Kuala Lumpur as a federal territory, bringing the number of Malaysian states and territories back to 14. Today, the stripes and points on the star are considered to represent either all 14 states and territories or the federal government itself.
