The flag of Singapore was adopted in 1959, the year Singapore became self-governing within the British Empire. It remained the national flag upon the country's independence from Malaysia on 9 August 1965. The design is a horizontal bicolour of red above white, overlaid in the canton by a white crescent moon facing a pentagon of five small white five-pointed stars. The elements of the flag denote a young nation on the ascendant, universal brotherhood and equality, and national ideals.
Temasek is an early recorded name of a settlement on the site of modern Singapore. The name appears in early Malay and Javanese literature, and it is also recorded in Yuan and Ming Chinese documents as Danmaxi. Two distinct settlements were recorded in Temasek – Long Ya Men and Ban Zu. The name is used in modern-day Singapore for national honours as well as institutions and corporations.
The coat of arms of Malaysia is a coat of arms comprising a shield or escutcheon, two tigers for supporters, a crescent and fourteen-pointed star for a crest and a motto. As the Malaysian coat of arms descended from that of the Federated Malay States under British colonial rule, it resembles European heraldic designs.
Zubir Said was a Singaporean composer most notable for composing the national anthem of his country, "Majulah Singapura" – "Onward Singapore".
Orders and decorations conferred to civilians and military personnel in Singapore, listed by order of precedence. Awards specific to the military or police forces are separately listed. All state orders and decorations are styled in the Malay language.
The Darjah Utama Temasek is Singapore's second most prestigious national honour and was instituted in 1962. It is an Order conferred by the President of Singapore only to citizens of Singapore. It may be awarded to non-citizens only under special circumstances.
Yusof bin Ishak was a Singaporean journalist and senior civil servant who served as the first president of Singapore between 1965 and 1970. His portrait appears on the Singapore Portrait Series currency notes introduced in 1999.
The following lists events that happened during 1959 in Singapore.
The 1993 Southeast Asian Games, officially known as the 17th Southeast Asian Games were held in Singapore from 12 to 19 June 1993 with 29 sports in 440 events featured in this edition. This was the third time Singapore hosted the games after 1983 and 1973 competition. It was opened by President Wee Kim Wee. The Games featured 29 sports in 440 events. The final medal tally was led by Indonesia.
Toh Chin Chye was a Singaporean statesman and academic who served as Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore between 1959 and 1968. Toh is widely recognised as one of the founding fathers of Singapore. He was also one of the founders of the People's Action Party (PAP), which has governed the country continuously since independence.
Sang Nila Utama was a prince from Palembang and is the founder of the Kingdom of Singapura in 1299. His official title adopted upon his coronation was Sri Tri Buana, which can be translated as "Lord of Three Worlds"; the "Three Worlds" may refer to the three realms of the universe—the heaven of the gods, the world of humans, and the underworld of demons or his lordship over Java, Sumatra and Temasek/Singapura. This title is attested to elsewhere in Southeast Asia.
The early history of Singapore refers to its pre-colonial era before 1819, when the British East India Company led by Stamford Raffles established a trading settlement on the island and set in motion the history of modern Singapore.
The Coat of arms of Malacca resembles European heraldic designs, and descended from that of Malaysia and the Federated Malay States under British colonial rule.
The Darjah Utama Nila Utama is Singapore's third most prestigious national honour instituted in 1975. It is an Order conferred by the President of Singapore and was originally intended to be the highest award to be conferred to a foreign dignitary. It was later awarded to mostly citizens of Singapore.
"Majulah Singapura" is the national anthem of Singapore. Composed by Zubir Said in 1958 as a theme song for official functions of the City Council of Singapore, the song was selected in 1959 as the nation's anthem when it attained self-government. Upon full independence in 1965, "Majulah Singapura" was formally adopted as Singapore's national anthem. By law, the anthem must be sung with Malay lyrics, but there are authorised translations of the lyrics of the anthem in Singapore's three other official languages: English, Mandarin and Tamil.
The following outline is provided as an overview and topical guide to Singapore:
National symbols of Singapore are the symbols that are used in Singapore to represent what is unique about the nation, reflecting different aspects of its cultural life and history.
The names of Singapore include the various historical appellations as well as contemporary names and nicknames in different languages used to describe the island, city or country of Singapore. A number of different names have been given to the settlement or the island of Singapore all through history, the earliest record may have been from the 2nd century AD. Possible mentions of Pulau Ujong, the name for the island of Singapore, may be found in Chinese works, and it was also referred to as Temasek in Malay and Javanese literature. Sometime in the 14th century the name was changed to Singapura, which is now rendered as Singapore in English. Singapura means "Lion City" in Sanskrit, and Sang Nila Utama is usually credited with naming the city, although its actual origin is uncertain.
The Kingdom of Singapura was a Malay Hindu-Buddhist kingdom thought to have been established during the early history of Singapore upon its main island Temasek from 1299 until its fall sometime between 1396 and 1398. Conventional view marks c. 1299 as the founding year of the kingdom by Sang Nila Utama, whose father is Sang Sapurba, a semi-divine figure who according to legend is the ancestor of several Malay monarchs in the Malay World.
Datuk Ramli Sarip, also known as "Papa Rock", is a Singaporean musician, singer, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He is also one of the pioneers of Singapore's rock scene. Ramli was the front man and lead singer of the Singapore-based heavy metal-rock group Sweet Charity until 1986.
