The

national flag A national flag is a flag that represents and national symbol, symbolizes a given nation. It is Fly (flag), flown by the government of that nation, but can also be flown by its citizens. A national flag is typically designed with specific meanin ...

Brunei Brunei, officially Brunei Darussalam, is a country in Southeast Asia, situated on the northern coast of the island of Borneo. Apart from its coastline on the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, with ...

holds deep historical and symbolic significance, reflecting the nation's royal heritage and unity. First introduced in 1906 when Brunei became a

British protectorate British protectorates were protectorates under the jurisdiction of the British government. Many territories which became British protectorates already had local rulers with whom the Crown negotiated through treaty, acknowledging their status wh ...

, the flag originally featured the now-familiar yellow, white, and black design, representing solidarity among the agreement's signatories. The red

national emblem A national emblem is an emblem or seal that is reserved for use by a nation state or multi-national state as a symbol of that nation. Many nations have a seal or emblem in addition to a national flag. Other national symbols, such as national ...

, symbolising government support and unity, was added following the proclamation of the

constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed. When these pri ...

in 1959. The flag’s design incorporates traditional Southeast Asian royal colours, with yellow symbolising the monarchy, white and black representing the purity and strength of Brunei’s wazirs, and red symbolising bravery and unity. Today, the flag stands as a powerful emblem of Brunei's Islamic faith, royal authority, and enduring

national identity National identity is a person's identity or sense of belonging to one or more states or one or more nations. It is the sense of "a nation as a cohesive whole, as represented by distinctive traditions, culture, and language". National identity ...

History

With the exception of the symbol, Brunei's current national flag design has been in use since 1906, when the country became a British protectorate under an agreement with the

government of the United Kingdom His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

. After the constitution was proclaimed on 29 September 1959, the national emblem was added. Prior to 1906, the

sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...

and other high-ranking officials, such as wazirs, used their personal standards as Brunei's only flag. The yellow, white, and black colors of the national flag represented the signatories' solidarity in the 1906 pact. Only some people, such as the descendants of sultans and wazirs, were permitted to keep their own banners after 1959 in an effort to decrease the number of flags flown during state occasions.

Design and symbolism

Brunei's national flag is a rectangle design that is wide and 72 inches long. A diagonal parallelogram that runs from 2.5 inches below the top left corner to 2.5 inches above the bottom right corner, forming two distinct upper and lower sections, divides it into four sections. This diagonal is further divided into two uneven bands, with the upper white band measuring 7.5 inches wide and being one inch broader than the lower black band. The red national emblem, with uplifted hands signifying unity and support for the government, sits in the center of the flag. The symbol is 24 inches from the left and right edges, which is the same distance from either side. The

national motto This article lists state and national mottos for the world's nations. The mottos for some states lacking general international recognition, extinct states, non-sovereign nations, regions, and territories are listed, but their names are not bold ...

, "" (meaning "Always Render Service with God's Guidance"), is inscribed in yellow Arabic calligraphy. The flag incorporates four colours: * Yellow for the background, symbolising the monarchy. * White for the upper diagonal, representing the wazirs' purity. * Black for the lower diagonal, indicating strength and determination. * Red for the emblem, symbolising bravery and unity. In

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

, yellow is traditionally the colour of royalty, and the royal standards of Malaysia and Thailand, and the

flag of Sarawak The flag of Sarawak, officially known as Ibu Pertiwi ('Motherland'), is the official flag of Sarawak, a state in Malaysia. It is based on the flag of the Raj of Sarawak of the White Rajahs, White Rajah, and includes the yellow of Southeast Asia ...

, along with the presidential flag of Indonesia, all use a yellow field as well. The crescent symbolises

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

, the

parasol An umbrella or parasol is a folding canopy (building), canopy supported by wooden or metal ribs that is mounted on a wooden, metal, or plastic pole. It is usually designed to protect a person against rain. The term ''umbrella'' is traditionall ...

symbolises monarchy, and the hands at the side symbolise the benevolence of the government. The black and white stripes represent Brunei's wazirs who were once joint-

regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

s and then – after the sultan came of age – senior advisors: the ''Pengiran Bendahara'' (First Minister, symbolised by a slightly thicker white stripe) and the ''Pengiran Pemancha'' (Second Minister, governing foreign affairs, symbolised by black), with the white stripe being roughly 12% wider than the black one.

Colors

Historical flags

File:Old Flag of Brunei.svg, Flag from 1888 to 1906 File:Flag of Brunei 1906-1959.svg, Flag from 1906 to 1959

References

External links

*
National Flag and Crest
Government of Brunei Darussalam
National Flag and Crest
Prime Minister's Office *

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brunei, Flag of Flags introduced in 1959 National flags

Flag A flag is a piece of textile, fabric (most often rectangular) with distinctive colours and design. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design employed, and fla ...

Brunei Darussalam Brunei, officially Brunei Darussalam, is a country in Southeast Asia, situated on the northern coast of the island of Borneo. Apart from its coastline on the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, with ...