A white triangle pointing toward the hoist on a dark blue field, with a bald eagle holding two Samoan symbols — a fly-whisk and a war-club.
The design
The Flag of usa-state/american-samoa/" data-it-autolink="1">American Samoa is a national emblem rendered in the colours and proportions defined by the country’s flag law. Its official aspect ratio is 1:2, the height-to-length ratio that fixes how the flag should be cut and flown. The colour scheme uses red, white, dark blue, gold, with each shade specified to particular Pantone or RGB values for official reproduction.
Colour palette
| Colour | Name | Common symbolism |
|---|---|---|
| Red | red | Often signifies courage, sacrifice, revolution or the blood of those who fought for the nation. |
| White | white | Commonly represents peace, purity, honesty or snow-capped landscapes. |
| Dark blue | dark blue | A nationally significant colour for this flag — see the symbolism section below for the country-specific meaning. |
| Gold | gold | Stands in for sunlight, mineral wealth or sovereign authority. |
Symbolism & heraldry
The bald eagle (US national bird) holds two traditional Samoan emblems: the uatogi (war club, representing government power) and the fue (fly-whisk, representing wisdom). Together they symbolise American protection of Samoan tradition. The colours red, white, and blue evoke both US and Samoan flag traditions.
Heraldic elements on the Flag of American Samoa — bands, charges, emblems or stars — each carry meaning agreed at the moment of the flag’s adoption. Re-readings happen across generations: a colour or a symbol that began with one meaning often picks up further layers as the country’s history unfolds.
Adoption & history
The current flag was adopted in 1960. Earlier banners flown by Flag of American Samoa reflected the politics of their day; each redesign typically marked a moment of independence, regime change or constitutional reform. The current flag was chosen, debated and codified through the country’s official channels and is now protected by flag law.
Etiquette & protocol
The Flag of American Samoa should be flown with respect: never allowed to touch the ground, never used as drapery for ceremonies it was not made for, and lowered or removed at sundown unless illuminated. When flown alongside other national flags, it takes precedence on home soil and is hoisted first and lowered last. On days of national mourning, the flag is flown at half-mast in line with directives from the head of state. These conventions are common to most nations and are usually written into the flag’s founding statute.
Specifications
| Field | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Country | Flag of American Samoa | — |
| Continent | Oceania | — |
| ISO alpha-2 | 2-letter code | |
| ISO alpha-3 | 3-letter code | |
| Adopted | 1960 | year of current design |
| Proportion | 1:2 | height : length |
| Colours | red, white, dark blue, gold | — |
| Designer | — | |
| Emoji | Unicode codepoint sequence |
Did you know?
American Samoa is the only US territory where US citizenship is not automatically granted at birth — but residents are US nationals.
