Flag of Guam

Flag origins

Guam’s flag has a dark blue field, a narrow red border and a central seal. Government material explains blue as the surrounding ocean and red as blood shed in struggles against domination and war. The seal is shaped like an ancient CHamoru slingstone. Inside are a coconut palm, the sea, Hagåtña River, a sailing canoe called a proa and coastal scenery. The seal underlying the flag dates to 1917; the red border was added in 1948.

Flag story

Guam is an unincorporated US territory. Its flag is therefore a territorial flag comparable to a US state flag, rather than a national flag; government material makes that distinction. The seal’s oval outline is specifically a slingstone used as a weapon by ancient CHamoru people, incorporating Indigenous culture into its shape. Formerly a Spanish possession, Guam was ceded to the United States after the Spanish-American War in 1898. Japan occupied it in 1941; US forces retook it in 1944. It remains an important US military base in the western Pacific.

Editorial notes and references

Edited by ABELHA WORKS. The English text translates the administrator-edited Japanese description. Legends should be distinguished from documented history. General reference links do not substantiate every statement in the text.

• Guam — general information on Wikipedia
• Japan MOFA: countries and regions (Japanese)

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