The Flag of The United States Virgin Islands

The flag of the United States Virgin Islands is a simplified version of the United States coat of arms on a white ground. A bald eagle holds a laurel branch in one talon and three arrows in the other, with a shield of thirteen red and white stripes on its chest. The letters 'V' and 'I', in blue, flank the eagle on either side.

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The flag of the United States Virgin Islands, an unincorporated U.S. territory in the Caribbean, puts a stripped-down version of the American coat of arms on a plain white field.

Adopted four years after the transfer

The United States bought the islands from Denmark in 1917, a wartime purchase driven by the risk that Germany might otherwise take them and by their position relative to the Panama Canal. New symbols of government were needed almost immediately.

Early proposals mixed Danish and American elements. The design that won out dropped the Danish half and went with an unambiguously American emblem. Rear Admiral Sumner E. W. Kittelle, then governor of the islands, had a large hand in settling the final version, which was adopted on May 17, 1921.

Design and symbolism

The flag has a white field with a bald eagle at the center, taken from the Great Seal of the United States. The eagle holds a laurel branch in its left talon and three arrows in its right, with the striped shield of the United States on its chest. A blue "V" and "I" sit on either side of it.

The eagle is read as strength and vigilance, the laurel branch as peace, and the arrows as readiness to defend. Borrowing from the Great Seal makes the link to the mainland explicit. White signifies purity and peace, blue vigilance and truth, red valour, and gold the wealth and sunshine of the Caribbean.

How it is used

The flag is the official emblem of the territory and hangs at government buildings, schools and other public places. It is usually flown next to the U.S. flag, which is the arrangement most residents see day to day.

It turns up at official ceremonies and local celebrations, most conspicuously on Transfer Day, which marks the 1917 handover, and during Carnival. Local artists use it, and it appears in island media often enough to be part of the visual furniture.

Related flags and terminology

The bald eagle links the flag to other U.S. territorial flags, including those of Puerto Rico and Guam, and to the national flag itself. Before 1917 the islands flew Danish colors.

The vocabulary used to describe it is standard vexillology: the "field" is the white background, a "charge" is anything placed on it, and the eagle is the flag's central emblem.

References

[1] The Flag Institute
[2] North American Vexillological Association
[3] "The Flags of the World" by Whitney Smith

Common questions

What do the letters V and I on the Virgin Islands flag mean?

They stand for Virgin Islands, set in blue on either side of the eagle. Placing the territory's initials directly on the flag is unusual; most territorial flags rely on arms or emblems alone.

What do the eagle's talons hold on the Virgin Islands flag?

A laurel branch in one and three arrows in the other. The laurel stands for peace and the three arrows for the three main islands: Saint Thomas, Saint John and Saint Croix. The design is a simplified version of the United States coat of arms.

When did the United States buy the Virgin Islands?

In 1917, from Denmark, for reasons tied to the Panama Canal and to the risk of German seizure during the First World War. They had been the Danish West Indies until then. The flag followed on 17 May 1921.

Why is the Virgin Islands flag mostly white?

The white ground is unusual among territorial flags, which more often use blue or red fields. It puts the whole emphasis on the eagle and the initials, and was adopted as part of a wider effort to give the islands an American identity after the transfer from Danish rule.