The flag of Malaysia was adopted on September 16, 1963. It is an interesting combination of a flag inspired by that of the United States with the crescent and star, a traditional symbol of Islam. Malaysia's flag is similar to that of the United States in that it has a blue field, along with stars and stripes. On the Malaysian flag, there are 14 stripes that stand for the thirteen states and one for the Federal Territories of Malaysia, likewise the star has fourteen points for the same reason. Other sources say that the number of stripes is for the thirteen states of Malaysia plus one for Singapore, which at the Federation's inception was a part of Malaysia. The blue field symbolizes the unity of the Malaysian people, and the yellow seen on the crescent and star is the color of the royal family.
31 August 1997, the Malaysian flag was given a name Jalur Gemilang - Glorious Stripes by then Prime Minister Tun Mahathir bin Mohammad.
History
The Malaysian flag was designed by Mohamed Hamzah, a 29 year old architect working in Public Works Deparment (JKR) in Johor Bahru, Johor. He entered a flag design competition in 1947 with two designs. The first design was a green flag with blue kris in the middle, surrounded by 15 white stars. The second design which was accepted to the final three was similar to the current flag but with a 5 sided star.
Dato' Onn Jaafar met with Mohamed Hamzah after he won the competition and suggested the star is changed to an 11 sided star to reflect the Federated Malay States and the 3 Straits Settlements. Mohamed Hamzah died just shy of his 75th birthday on 13 February 1993.
The Malaysian flag was approved by King George VI on 19 May 1950 and was first raised in front of Istana Selangor on 26 May 1950.