American Samoa, flag of

American Samoa, flag of

▪ Flag History

      U.S. territorial flag consisting of a blue field (background) and a white isosceles triangle with its base at the fly end and its apex touching the centre of the hoist, and which is bordered in red on its longest sides and bears an American bald eagle. The flag's width-to-length ratio is 10 to 19.

      Samoa had no flags before Europeans arrived in the early 18th century, and the history of Samoan national flags in the 19th century is complex and not fully documented. In 1899 Great Britain, Germany, and the United States agreed to partition Samoa. The U.S. flag (United States of America, flag of the) was officially hoisted over American Samoa on April 27, 1900, and remained the sole official flag for the next 60 years. Local government gradually developed and expanded to involve an increasing proportion of the Samoan population. As a result, the idea of a local flag was first discussed in the 1950s. Local leaders and the U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry created the current flag based on ideas submitted by the Samoan populace. It became official on April 27, 1960, the day the first constitution of American Samoa went into effect and the 60th anniversary of the first hoisting of the U.S. flag in Samoa.

      The red, white, and blue on the flag are traditional colours in both Samoa and the United States. The eagle on the fly holds in its talons two traditional Samoan emblems, a fly whisk (fue) and a war club (uatogi). The former symbolizes the wisdom of Samoa's traditional chiefs, and the latter represents the power of the state.

Whitney Smith
 

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • American Samoa — the part of Samoa belonging to the U.S., comprising mainly Tutuila and the Manua Islands. 61,819; 76 sq. mi. (197 sq. km). Cap.: Pago Pago. Abbr.: AS (for use with zip code). Cf. Samoa, Western Samoa. * * * American Samoa Introduction American… …   Universalium

  • American Samoa — <p></p> <p></p> Introduction ::American Samoa <p></p> Background: <p></p> Settled as early as 1000 B.C., Samoa was not reached by European explorers until the 18th century. International rivalries… …   The World Factbook

  • Flag of American Samoa — The flag of American Samoa was adopted on April 24, 1960. The eagle present on the flag represents the nation s relationship with the United States. The eagle holds traditional symbols of power among Samoan chiefs in its claws …   Wikipedia

  • Outline of American Samoa — …   Wikipedia

  • List of American Samoa-related topics — The following is a list of topics about the United States Territory of American Samoa. NOTOC compactTOC4 0–9A*Administrative divisions of American Samoa *Agriculture in American Samoa * *American Samoa [http://americansamoa.gov/ website] ** ***… …   Wikipedia

  • Seal of American Samoa — The seal of the territory of American Samoa is based in traditional local design. The fue or the fly switch, represents wisdom, while the To oto o or staff represents authority. Both symbols are used by talking chiefs indicating their rank. The… …   Wikipedia

  • LGBT rights in American Samoa — American Samoa (USA) Same sex sexual activity legal? Legal since 1889 Recognition of relationships None Discrimination pr …   Wikipedia

  • Tafuna, American Samoa — Infobox Settlement name =Tafuna official name = other name = native name = nickname = settlement type =Village total type = motto = imagesize = image caption = flag size = image seal size = image shield = shield size = image blank emblem = blank… …   Wikipedia

  • Poloa, American Samoa — Infobox Settlement name =Poloa official name = other name = native name = nickname = settlement type =Village total type = motto = imagesize = image caption = flag size = image seal size = image shield = shield size = image blank emblem = blank… …   Wikipedia

  • Utulei, American Samoa — Infobox Settlement name =Utulei official name = other name = native name = nickname = settlement type =Village total type = motto = imagesize = image caption = flag size = image seal size = image shield = shield size = image blank emblem = blank… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”