A simplified version of the US coat of arms — a yellow eagle holding an olive branch and three arrows — flanked by the letters V and I, on a white field.
The design
The Flag of the U.S. Virgin Islands is a national emblem rendered in the colours and proportions defined by the country’s flag law. Its official aspect ratio is 2:3, the height-to-length ratio that fixes how the flag should be cut and flown. The colour scheme uses white, gold, blue, green, with each shade specified to particular Pantone or RGB values for official reproduction.
Colour palette
| Colour | Name | Common symbolism |
|---|---|---|
| White | white | Commonly represents peace, purity, honesty or snow-capped landscapes. |
| Gold | gold | Stands in for sunlight, mineral wealth or sovereign authority. |
| Blue | blue | Frequently symbolises sky, sea, freedom, vigilance or perseverance. |
| Green | green | Tends to evoke land, agriculture, hope, Islam or the natural environment. |
Symbolism & heraldry
The eagle holds three arrows representing the three main islands (St Thomas, St John, St Croix). The olive branch and shield are taken from the US coat of arms. The yellow eagle is heraldically significant — yellow (gold) symbolises a more pacific intent than the silver eagle of the federal arms.
Heraldic elements on the Flag of the U.S. Virgin Islands — 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 1921. It is credited to Percival Wilson Sparks. Earlier banners flown by Flag of the U.S. Virgin Islands 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 the U.S. Virgin Islands 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 the U.S. Virgin Islands | — |
| Continent | North America | — |
| ISO alpha-2 | 2-letter code | |
| ISO alpha-3 | 3-letter code | |
| Adopted | 1921 | year of current design |
| Proportion | 2:3 | height : length |
| Colours | white, gold, blue, green | — |
| Designer | Percival Wilson Sparks | — |
| Emoji | Unicode codepoint sequence |
Did you know?
The Virgin Islands flag was designed in 1921 — just four years after the US bought the islands from Denmark for $25 million in 1917.
