Singapore flag

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Singapore flag
Flag of Singapore.svg

Vexillological symbol : Civil flag and official flag on land?
Aspect ratio: 2: 3
Officially accepted: 3rd December 1959

The flag of Singapore was officially hoisted for the first time on December 3, 1959.

Description and meaning

National flag of Singapore

The national flag consists of two horizontal stripes of equal size: red above and white below. The color red symbolizes the universal brotherhood and equality of people, white purity and virtue .

In the upper left corner there is a white crescent moon , next to it five white stars that form a circle. The crescent stands for a young, rising nation, the five stars for Singapore's ideals: democracy , peace , progress , justice and equality .

When designing the flag, consideration had to be given to the various ethnic groups. Red was chosen for the Chinese population as it is a traditional lucky color in Chinese culture . In addition, red stands for courage in the Malay understanding. White was chosen as the color of purity in Malay culture.

As a model for the People's Republic of China , the Chinese population demanded 5 stars on the flag. The Malays demanded that the crescent moon be placed on the flag as an expression of Islam. As a compromise, the government decided to display five stars and a crescent moon on the flag - in contrast to flags of Islamic countries, where the crescent moon with a star is common.

history

For more than 140 years (1819-1959) the Union Jack was a component of the Singaporean colonial flag of Great Britain. From 1826 Singapore was part of the Straits Settlements . Their symbol was three crowns, which stood for the three main settlements of the colony. The design was changed several times, from 1874 a Blue Ensign with the symbol of the colony on a white disc was used. In 1946 Singapore received its own flag with only one crown. On December 3, 1959, the new national flag was hoisted for the first time by the head of state (" Yang di-Pertuan Negara "). At this point in time Singapore was not yet independent, but it received extensive autonomy rights from the British government. The design of the flag came from the then Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Toh Chin Chye.

In 1963 Singapore joined the Malaya Federation , from which the State of Malaysia emerged. In its flag there is still a ray of sunshine and a stripe for Singapore, even if Singapore left the federation in 1965.

More flags of Singapore

Trade flag

The sea flags of Singapore have a completely different design, otherwise there would be a risk of confusion with the flag of neighboring Indonesia . The trade flag shows on a red background a white circle in the center with the emblem of the country , the lying crescent moon with five white stars above it. In the lower part of the flight, the service flag at sea shows a red and white compass rose on a dark blue background , while the white crescent moon and the five stars are shown as a jack on a red background. The naval war flag shows in the lower flight part a red compass rose with thin white lines and a white background. It has been in use since May 5, 1967. Before that, the dark blue official flag at sea was used. The aspect ratio of all sea flags is 1: 2.

The armed forces of Singapore use the red and white national flag with the seal of the armed forces in the army and the emblems of the navy or air force in the other two armed forces in the lower flight part as the war flag . The so-called State Colors are only used on ceremonial occasions, such as the national holiday or when the President visits. While the navy also uses the naval war flag as a symbol of the armed forces on land with an aspect ratio of 2: 3, the army and air force have their own flags as symbols of armed forces for everyday use, not as a state symbol. The flag of the air force is light blue with the seal of the air force in the lower part of the flight and the red jack with a crescent moon and stars. It is only in use in this form with the introduction of the new aircraft cockade. The first flag of the Luftwaffe showed the cockade of that time (red dot in white circle in red circle) in the center of the flight section in 1968. Since the cockade corresponded to those of Peru and Turkey, a new one was introduced in 1973 with a red and white Yin-Yang symbol . The current lion's head has been in use since 1990. In contrast, the flag of the army shows the emblem of the army and has a yellow base color.

Presidential flag as a hanging version (opposite the presidential palace)

The flag of the President shows the white crescent moon and the five white stars in the center on a red background.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. a b Flags of the World - War Ensign (Singapore)
  2. Flags of the World - Organizational Flags vs. State Colors
  3. Air Force Flags (Singapore)
  4. Flags of the World - Army Flags (Singapore)

Web links

Commons : Flags of Singapore  - Collection of images, videos and audio files