Flag of Singapore

Flag origins

Singapore's flag has red above white, with a white crescent and five stars in the upper hoist. The law assigns red to universal brotherhood and equality, white to lasting purity and virtue, the crescent to a young nation on the rise, and the stars to democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality. A committee led by Toh Chin Chye created it for self-government; unveiled on 3 December 1959, it remained at independence in 1965.

Flag story

The crescent's official meaning is not Islam but a developing young nation. Toh later explained concerns that five stars alone might suggest China or an exclusively Chinese state, and that the crescent helped communicate a multiracial, multireligious identity. A crescent on a flag therefore does not automatically identify an Islamic state.

Editorial notes and references

Edited by ABELHA WORKS. The English text translates the administrator-edited Japanese description. Legends should be distinguished from documented history. General reference links do not substantiate every statement in the text.

• Singapore — general information on Wikipedia
• Japan MOFA: countries and regions (Japanese)

Report an error