Flag of Guam

What the flag looks like

A dark blue field with a thin red border and, in the center, the almond-shaped seal of Guam: a proa sailing in a bay beneath a coconut palm and a cliff, with the word GUAM in red letters.

What it means

The seal's almond shape recalls the sling stones of the ancient Chamorro people, and the cliff in the background is Two Lovers Point; the red border is said to represent the blood shed in the Second World War and under earlier Spanish rule.

How to remember it

Guam frames its dark blue in a thin red border and spells out GUAM in red on an almond-shaped beach scene; the Northern Mariana Islands has a white star on a gray stone and no words.

Fun facts

• The seal at the center of the flag was designed by Helen Paul, the wife of a U.S. Navy officer stationed on the island.
• The thin red border was a later addition to the original design.

Guam at a glance

Status

Unincorporated territory of the United States

Sovereign state

United States

Capital

Hagåtña

Region

U.S. territory

Population

153,836

Area

549 km²

Languages

English, Chamorro

Currency

United States dollar ($)

Flag adopted

1948

Flags often confused with Guam

• Northern Mariana Islands: Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands are both blue Pacific flags with a central emblem. Guam has a red border and an almond-shaped seal with GUAM written on it; the Northern Marianas show a white star on a gray stone inside a flower wreath.