The flag of the USA and of Malaysia - like the US flag - why?

Problem
I love flags. I learn flags. I like to test myself on flag quizzes. The flag of Malaysia looks like the US flag which you might find a problem, a pleasure or a puzzle. Why those colours, the stripes and the star?

The US flag

Stars and stripes.

The first time I saw the Malaysian flag from a distance I thought it was the US flag. When I got closer I thought it was like one of those tee-shirts which copy Western ideas but either get the wrong or make minor changes for copyright reasons.

Flag On A Tour
I took a tour of Kuala Lumpur. A national monument resembles a famous photo of the US flag being hoisted by successful soldiers in WWII at Iwo Jima. The Malaysian monument was created inspired by the same statue. I think it was the same sculptor-designer.

Our tour guide explained the story behind the sculpture and the symbolism of the Malaysian flag was explained.  But I was busy taking photos and that day I heard so much information that by the end of the day I had forgotten.

Learning Flags
I have since decided that it is a good idea to learn the country's flag before visiting the country or taking a guided tour. That way you can reinforce what you already know, and understand any garbled English or half-heard sentences. With your basic knowledge, you can and add on information which is not readily available on the internet.

Does knowing the country flag have any practical use to a tourist? Yes. You need to know your host country's flag as it could help distinguish your tour bus from those of coaches in the car park from other neighbouring countries.

The Malaysian flag.
1 It looks like the US flag with stripes but has a yellow moon section. If you thought that might be an Islamic symbol, you are right.

No, it isn't a copy of the US flag. The red and white stripes came from a trading company in Malaysia.

I was interested to read in Wikipedia about how the flag was chosen by popular vote from the  Malaysian people from a choice of flags. The current flag one in one sense by default. Some voters thought the alternative star flag looked too much like the Communist flag.

Once you have fixed in your mind you can add on the comments by the tour guide, the guidebook you buy, the free leaflet, and the comments by people from other countries about how they recognize the flag and how it resembles or differs from other flags.

What about the number of points on the star?

Useful Websites
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Malaysia
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Iwo-Jima-3c.jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Monument_(Malaysia)

(NB the country code for Singapore is 65).
As you cross the border your phone will give pings and popups with offers of charges for logging onto the Malaysia phone systems.

Useful Websites
www.bandarmalaysia.my
visit-malaysia.com
singaporeair.com (Singapore Airlines)

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer, photographer, author, speaker, teacher of languages. business trainer and workshop leader.
See my other posts on Singapore and Malaysia and learning Chinese and Malay. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Quiz on Flags with stars: can you guess all ten - with a little help?

Palace of Nations, UN building in Geneva, Switzerland. Photo in Wikipedia by Tom Page.

Quiz

Problem
Which country do these flags with stars belong to?

Flag 1

Flag 2



Flag 3


Flag 4




Flag 5




Flag 6










Flag 7

 




Flag 8






Flag 9









Flag 10














Bonus Flag




Hints:
These flags are of (alphabetical order): Australia, China, Esperanto, European, Israel, Malaysia; New Zealand, Singapore, Turkey, Vietnam, USA,
Do the quiz again, by process of elimination, before looking at the answers.

Clues
1 United. 'Beautiful'. Take the 'Route ..', or a greyhound, 'from sea to shining sea'. Be careful if you are 'in the city'.

2 The crescent suggests Muslims. Near Singapore. See their statue resmbling American's Iwo Jima flag-raising memorial. Visit the towers where Katherine Zeta-Jones made a movie.

3 Holy land. David's star. See the Scrolls and the wall. Volunteer to work on a kibbutz.

4 British flag. English speaking. Big and brash. Somewhere down under. Hop over and see it. They may be far but we think of them as 'Neighbours'.

5 British flag. English speaking. A smaller, quieter country, accent and flag. Not old. Ski in summer (their winter). See Lord of the Rings and Hobbit sights.

6 Red for communists. Lucky colour, red. A great country with a Great Wall you can climb.

7 More lucky red. Chinese speakers? Get out of the concrete jungle and take a Night Safari.

8 Another Muslim crescent. That's the only key I'm giving you. Would you like a second key? See the  Blue mosque, Green mosque, and red flag.

9 Not a white star like the American flag, but Americans know this drafty country. 'Good morning.'  See and sigh.

10 Union of countries. Which continent? Not America. Where? The united kingdom is divided on whether to get disunited and exit. Go now, while it's easy.

Bonus Flag - 'I hope' you will try learning this easy International language. Inventor Zamenhof. See the museum in Vienna, Austria. The language taught in schools in Hungary, if you want a place to practise your extra language, which compensates for lack of languages.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Answers
Flag 1 USA
Flag 2 Malaysia
Flag 3 Israel
Flag 4 Australia
Flag 5 New Zealand
Flag 6 China
Flag 7 Singapore
Flag 8 Turkey
Flag 9 Vietnam
Flag 10  European
 Bonus Flag Esperanto

If you got
1-3 right answers, your first go at this quiz?
Same result as me.  Learn something new every day. Go back and try it again.

4-5 right. You've lived in Australia or New Zealand or Singapore or China. That gives you a head start.  Good effort.

6-10 You've done this quiz before. Great to learn flags, isn't it!
Useful Websites

https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2019/03/should-you-and-i-learn-esperanto-or.html
(Flags of Esperanto and Edo.)

Author
Angela Lansbury. Travel writer and photographer. Author and speaker. I can give an entertaining and informative talk or workshop on flags to a club, college or corporation. If you like this quiz, please share links to it with your friends.