The seal of the United States Virgin Islands is an official symbol of the

United States Virgin Islands The United States Virgin Islands,. Also called the ''American Virgin Islands'' and the ''U.S. Virgin Islands''. officially the Virgin Islands of the United States, are a group of Caribbean islands and an unincorporated and organized territory ...

History

The present seal was adopted on 1 January 1991 and replaced an earlier seal similar to the flag of the United States Virgin Islands, which was based on the central design of the Great Seal of the United States.

Design

The seal features the three-island design of the main islands of

Saint Croix Saint Croix; nl, Sint-Kruis; french: link=no, Sainte-Croix; Danish and no, Sankt Croix, Taino: ''Ay Ay'' ( ) is an island in the Caribbean Sea, and a county and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands (USVI), an unincor ...

, Saint John and Saint Thomas, often seen throughout the territory. It reads "Government of the United States Virgin Islands". The seal also contains the

flag of the United States The national flag of the United States, United States of America, often referred to as the ''American flag'' or the ''U.S. flag'', consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rect ...

and also the

flag of Denmark The national flag of Denmark ( da, Dannebrog, ) is red with a white Nordic cross, which means that the cross extends to the edges of the flag and the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side. A banner with a white-on-red cross is ...

to symbolize its former status as a

Danish colony , conventional_long_name = Danish overseas colonies , status = Empire , status_text = , life_span = 1536–1953 (Denmark)1536–1814 (Norway) , government_type = Constitutional monarchy , even ...

before 1917. There's also, centered in the seal, a bananaquit, the island's

national bird This is a list of national birds, including official birds of overseas territories and other states described as nations. Most species in the list are officially designated. Some species hold only an "unofficial" status. National birds See al ...

and a ribbon bearing the motto ''United in Pride and Hope''. It was designed by St. Thomas artist Mitchlyn E. Davis, Sr.

References

External links

Virgin Islands Revised Organic Act of 1954
{{US state seals

Virgin Islands The Virgin Islands ( es, Islas Vírgenes) are an archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. They are geologically and biogeographically the easternmost part of the Greater Antilles, the northern islands belonging to the Puerto Rico Trench and St. Cro ...

United States Virgin Islands culture