Guam flag   Save
Ohio History Connection
Description: A maker's mark indicates that it was manufactured by Annin & Co., America's oldest and largest flag maker. The founder, Alexander Annin, began making flags on the New York City waterfront in the 1820’s. Adopted on February 9, 1948, the flag of the Territory of Guam features the coat of arms on a blue field bordered in red. The almond-shaped seal represents indigenous slingshot stones. Inside are the word "GUAM" and a palm tree, behind which are cliffs and a proa (sailboat) sailing near the capital Hagatna. Guam is the largest and southernmost of the Mariana Islands in the Western Pacific Ocean (Micronesia). Guam's indigenous Chamorro society is thought to have began around 4,000 years ago. After 'discovery' by European Ferdinand Magellan the first colony was established in 1668 by Spain. During WWII, Japanese occupation lasted for approximately thirty-one months. The Battle of Guam on July 21, 1944 (Liberation Day) was notoriously brutal, as Imperial Japanese soldiers fought to the death. Less than 500 surrendered. In 2010, Guam's Governor declared the island name be changed back to the original Chamorro term Guahan. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: H65495_001
Subjects: Ceremonial artifact; Communication artifact; Indigenous population; Flags--Guam; World War, 1939-1945; Textile--cotton; Colonization--Spain; Pacific Ocean--Micronesia
Places: Guam