Flag of Penang

The state flag of Penang, a Malaysian state, consists of three vertical bands and an areca-nut palm on a grassy mount in the centre. All three bands are of equal width. From left to right, the colour of each band is light blue, white and yellow.

Penang
UseCivil and state flag
Proportion1:2
Adopted1949
DesignA triband of light blue, white and yellow; an areca nut palm tree within the middle white band.

The colours of the flag are derived from the tinctures of the coat of arms of Penang that was granted by King George VI in the 1940s. Light blue denotes the sea that surrounds Penang Island, white represents peace and yellow for the prosperity of the state.[1]

The areca-nut palm, known as pokok pinang in Malay, symbolises the tree from which Penang got its name. The tree and its grassy mount is centred within the middle white band.

The flag was first adopted in 1949 after Penang became a component state of the Federation of Malaya. The flag was slightly modified to its present form in the 1960s by removing a torse of blue and white at the bottom of the grassy mount.[2]

City and municipal flags

The State of Penang is further divided between two local governments. The Penang Island City Council administers Penang's capital city of George Town and the entirety of Penang Island, whilst the Seberang Perai Municipal Council governs Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula. Each of the local governments flies its own municipal flag.

Local government Penang Island City Council Seberang Perai Municipal Council
Flag
Municipality Penang Island Seberang Perai
Defunct flag of the George Town City Council (now succeeded by the Penang Island City Council).

Previously, the city of George Town also had its own flag, which dated back to the grant of city status to the George Town City Council in 1957. The original city flag is no longer in use; the City Council was eventually merged with the Penang Island Rural District Council to form, in 1974, the Penang Island Municipal Council, which subsequently became the Penang Island City Council in 2015.

Historical flags
Flag Duration Political Entity Description
1874-1941 Straits Settlements Adopted after the Straits Settlements, which consisted of Penang, Singapore and Malacca, became a British crown colony.
1941-1945 Empire of Japan Used during the period of Japanese occupation between 19 December 1941 and 3 September 1945.
1946-1949 Crown Colony of Penang Adopted after the dissolution of the Straits Settlements, with Penang becoming a separate British crown colony. Penang joined the Malayan Union in 1946.
1949-1965 Crown colony of Penang (1949-1957)

State of Penang (1957-1965)

 Adopted in 1949 when Penang became part of the Federation of Malaya, a successor of the Malayan Union. This original flag continued to be used up to 1965, when it was modified to its present form.

References
  1. "Penang Flag". Southwest Penang Island District Land Office.
  2. "Penang (Malaysia)". www.crwflags.com. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
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