Introduction
The flag of the United States Virgin Islands is a white field bearing a simplified American eagle between the letters V and I.
The eagle holds a sprig of laurel in one talon and three blue arrows in the other.
Meaning & Symbolism
The laurel is victory. The arrows are the part worth noticing: the United States coat of arms gives its eagle thirteen arrows for the thirteen colonies, but here there are three, for Saint Croix, Saint Thomas and Saint John, the three main islands.
History of the United States Virgin Islands Flag
The islands were Danish until 1917, when the United States bought them, and under Denmark they flew a blue ensign with the Danish flag in the canton.
The present flag was adopted on 17 May 1921 and designed by Percival Wilson Sparks, a local artist.
Curiosities
- The eagle carries three arrows, not the thirteen of the United States arms, one for each main island.
- The islands were Danish until the United States bought them in 1917.
- Under Denmark the flag was a blue ensign with the Danish flag in the canton.
- The letters V and I simply stand for Virgin Islands.
- The design is by a local artist, Percival Wilson Sparks, not by a government committee.
Download Flag
Download the flag of United States Virgin 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.