Introduction
The flag of Guam is a dark blue field inside a thin red border, with the seal of Guam in the centre. The seal is almond shaped and shows a proa under sail in Hagåtña Bay, a coconut palm, and the word GUAM in red letters.
Meaning & Symbolism
The almond shape is not decorative: it recalls the sling stones used by the ancient Chamorro people. The cliff in the background is Two Lovers Point, on the northern edge of Tumon, and the proa is the fast outrigger canoe the Chamorro built.
The red border was added later and stands for the blood shed during the Second World War and under earlier Spanish rule.
History of the Guam Flag
The flag was adopted on 9 February 1948, designed by Helen Paul, the wife of a US naval officer stationed on the island.
Guam had been taken by Japan in 1941 and retaken in 1944 after heavy fighting, which is the history the red border refers to.
Curiosities
- The almond shape of the seal is the shape of a Chamorro sling stone.
- The red border was added after the Second World War, for blood shed under both Japanese occupation and Spanish rule.
- The cliff in the seal is Two Lovers Point, a real place on the north of the island.
- The boat is a proa, the outrigger the Chamorro built, once among the fastest sailing craft in the world.
- Its 22:41 proportions are among the oddest of any flag in use.
Download Flag
Download the flag of Guam in high-quality SVG vector format or PNG raster images. SVG files can be scaled to any size without losing quality.
Digital icon artwork; its proportions may differ from the official flag proportions listed on this page.