Flag of Guam
A dark blue field with a narrow red border. In the centre is an almond-shaped seal showing a proa sailing in Hagåtña Bay, a coconut palm and the cliff of Two Lovers Point, with GUAM in red.
What the flag means
The almond shape recalls the sling stones used by the ancient Chamorro people. The red border stands for the blood spilled during the Second World War and under earlier Spanish rule.
History
Helen Paul, the wife of a US naval officer, designed the flag in 1917 without the border, and Governor Roy Campbell Smith accepted it that year. She placed the seal on blue to match other US territorial and state flags. The red border, added to mark suffering under the Japanese occupation of 1941–1944, was approved by military governor Charles Alan Pownall in 1948.
Earlier flags of Guam
- 1917–1948Same design without the red border
Sources
- Wikipedia: Flag of Guam
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Read how we research flags in our editorial policy, or report a mistake.
