Flag of the British Virgin Islands

What the flag of the British Virgin Islands looks like

The flag is a blue ensign, a flag type used by British overseas territories, with a ratio of 1:2. The Union Jack, the flag of the United Kingdom, fills the canton in the upper hoist corner. On the blue field to the right is the territory's coat of arms.

The shield shows Saint Ursula holding a flaming gold oil lamp, surrounded by eleven further lamps, with the motto Vigilate beneath. The coat of arms dates to the early nineteenth century. The Union Jack gives the flag its blue, red and white; the green comes only from the shield.

British Virgin Islands flag meaning and symbolism

The blue ensign shows that the islands are a British overseas territory, and the Union Jack reflects the link with the United Kingdom. The meaning of the coat of arms comes from the islands' name. When Christopher Columbus saw the islands in 1493, he named them after Saint Ursula and her eleven thousand virgin followers, according to the legend, her 11,000 virgin followers. Ursula is shown holding a lamp, and the eleven surrounding lamps represent her followers.

The motto Vigilate is Latin for be watchful.

History of the British Virgin Islands flag

The islands were administered as part of the British Leeward Islands until they were made a separate British colony. The flag, a Blue Ensign defaced with the coat of arms showing Saint Ursula, was adopted by royal warrant on 15 November 1960. It was modified in 1999, when the shield was enlarged and outlined in white.

The British Virgin Islands remain a British overseas territory with their own government, based in Road Town on Tortola. The same coat of arms appears on the territory's other flags, including the governor's flag (a Union Flag with the arms) and the civil ensign, a Red Ensign authorised in 2001. See also the BVI flag emoji.

Flags that look like the British Virgin Islands flag

Several other British overseas territories use blue ensigns with a shield in the fly, so they are easy to confuse. The flags of Anguilla, the Cayman Islands, Montserrat and the Turks and Caicos Islands all share the same layout. The shield is what sets them apart: in the case of the British Virgin Islands, it is the green shield with Saint Ursula. See all flags of the world for more.