Introduction
The flag of the Northern Mariana Islands is a blue field carrying three things at once: a white star, a grey latte stone, and a mwarmwar, a circular floral wreath, around both.
Meaning & Symbolism
Each element belongs to a different people. The star is the United States. The latte stone, the carved pillar the ancient Chamorro used to raise their houses, is the Chamorro. The mwarmwar, a head garland, is the Carolinians, the other main community of the islands.
The wreath is made of real named plants: green ylang-ylang, white plumeria and other island flowers.
History of the Northern Mariana Islands Flag
The star and latte stone came first, on the flag of the Trust Territory period. The mwarmwar was added when the present flag was adopted on 1 July 1985 under the Second Northern Marianas Constitution, so that the Carolinian population would be represented alongside the Chamorro.
Curiosities
- The flag names three peoples at once: American, Chamorro and Carolinian.
- The latte stone is a real architectural element, the stone pillar ancient Chamorro houses stood on.
- The floral wreath was added in 1985 specifically so the Carolinians would be represented.
- The wreath is made of identifiable plants, among them ylang-ylang and plumeria.
- Its 20:39 proportions are almost, but not quite, 1:2.
Download Flag
Download the flag of Northern Mariana Islands 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.