African countries have the following coats of arms or national emblems:
African countries have the following coats of arms or national emblems:
| Country | Coat of arms | Motto | Main article |
|---|---|---|---|
| Algeria |  | Al Jumhūrīyah al Jazā'irīyah ad Dīmuqrāţīyah ash Shabiyah الجمهورية الجزائرية الديمقراطية الشعبية "People's Democratic Republic of Algeria" | Emblem of Algeria |
| Angola |  | República de Angola | Emblem of Angola |
| Benin |  | Fraternité, Justice, Travail (French: "Brotherhood, Justice, Work") | Coat of arms of Benin |
| Botswana |  | Pula (Setswana: "Rain") | Coat of arms of Botswana |
| Burkina Faso |  | Burkina Faso - Unité, Progrès, Justice (French for "Unity, Progress, Justice") | Coat of arms of Burkina Faso |
| Burundi |  | Unité Travail Progrès (French for "Unity, Work, Progress") | Coat of arms of Burundi |
| Cabo Verde |  | Republica de Cabo Verde | National emblem of Cape Verde |
| Cameroon |  | Paix, Travail, Patrie (French for "Peace, Work, Fatherland") | Coat of arms of Cameroon |
| Central African Republic |  | Unité, Dignité, Travail (French for "Unity, Dignity, Work") | Coat of arms of the Central African Republic |
| Chad |  | Unité, Travail, Progrès (French for "Unity, Work, Progress") | Coat of arms of Chad |
| Comoros |  | Unité, Solidarité, Développement (French: "Unity, Solidarity, Development") Also features the state's name in French and Arabic | National seal of the Comoros |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo |  | Justice, paix, travail (French: "Justice – Peace – Work") | Emblem of the Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Djibouti |  | None | Emblem of Djibouti |
| Egypt |  | Jumhuriyat Misr al-Arabiya جمهورية مصر العربية (Arabic: "Arab Republic of Egypt") | Coat of arms of Egypt |
| Equatorial Guinea |  | Unidad, Paz, Justicia (Spanish: "Unity, Peace, Justice") | Coat of arms of Equatorial Guinea |
| Eritrea |  | دولة إرتريا The State of Eritrea | Emblem of Eritrea |
| Eswatini |  | Siyinqaba (Swazi: "We are the fortress") | Coat of arms of Eswatini |
| Ethiopia |  | None | Emblem of Ethiopia |
| Gabon |  | Union, Travail, Justice | Coat of arms of Gabon |
| The Gambia |  | Progress, Peace, Prosperity | Coat of arms of the Gambia |
| Ghana |  | Freedom and Justice | Coat of arms of Ghana |
| Guinea |  | Travail, Justice, Solidarité (French: "Work, Justice, Solidarity") | Coat of arms of Guinea |
| Guinea-Bissau |  | Unidade, Luta, Progresso (Portuguese: "Unity, Struggle, Progress") | Emblem of Guinea-Bissau |
| Ivory Coast |  | République de Côte d'Ivoire (French: "Republic of Cote d'Ivoire") | Coat of arms of Ivory Coast |
| Kenya |  | Harambee (Swahili: "Let us all pull together") | Coat of arms of Kenya |
| Lesotho |  | Khotso, Pula, Nala (Sotho: "Peace, Rain, Prosperity") | Coat of arms of Lesotho |
| Liberia |  | The love of liberty brought us here | Coat of arms of Liberia |
| Libya |  | Arabic : حكومة الوحدة الوطنية - دولة ليبيا "Government of National Unity - State of Libya" | Emblem of Libya |
| Madagascar |  | Tanindrazana, Fahafahana, Fandrosoana (Malagasy: "Ancestral land, Liberty, Progress") | Seal of Madagascar |
| Malawi |  | Unity and Freedom | Coat of arms of Malawi |
| Mali |  | Un peuple, un but, une foi (French: "One people, one goal, one faith") | Coat of arms of Mali |
| Mauritania |  | "Islamic Republic of Mauritania" in Arabic and French | Seal of Mauritania |
| Mauritius |  | Stella Clavisque Maris Indici (Latin: "Star and Key of the Indian Ocean") | Coat of arms of Mauritius |
| Morocco |  | الله، الوطن، الملك (Arabic) Allāh, al Waţan, al Malik (transliteration) "God, Country, King" | Coat of arms of Morocco |
| Mozambique |  | República de Moçambique | Emblem of Mozambique |
| Namibia |  | Unity, Liberty, Justice | Coat of arms of Namibia |
| Niger |  | Republique du Niger (French: "Republic of Niger") | Coat of arms of Niger |
| Nigeria |  | Unity and Faith, Peace and Progress | Coat of arms of Nigeria |
| Republic of the Congo |  | Unité Travail Progrès (French for "Unity, Work,Progress") | Coat of arms of the Republic of the Congo |
| Rwanda |  | Ubumwe, Umurimo, Gukunda Igihugu (Kinyarwanda: "Unity, Work, Patriotism") | Seal of Rwanda |
| São Tomé and Príncipe |  | Unidade, Disciplina, Trabalho (Portuguese: "Unity, discipline, work") | Coat of arms of São Tomé and Príncipe |
| Senegal |  | Un Peuple, Un But, Une Foi (French: "One People, One Goal, One Faith") | Coat of arms of Senegal |
| Seychelles |  | Finis Coronat Opus (Latin : The End Crowns the Work) | Coat of arms of Seychelles |
| Sierra Leone |  | Unity – Freedom – Justice | Coat of arms of Sierra Leone |
| Somalia |  | None | Coat of arms of Somalia |
| South Africa |  | ǃke e꞉ ǀxarra ǁke (ǀXam: "Unity In Diversity") (literally "Diverse People Unite") | Coat of arms of South Africa |
| South Sudan |  | Justice, Liberty, Prosperity | Coat of arms of South Sudan |
| Sudan |  | Al-Nasr Lana النصر لنا (Arabic: "Victory is Ours") | Emblem of Sudan |
| Tanzania |  | Uhuru na Umoja (Swahili: "Freedom and Unity") | Coat of arms of Tanzania |
| Togo |  | Travail, Liberté, Patrie (French: "Work, Liberty, Homeland") | Emblem of Togo |
| Tunisia |  | نظام، حرية، عدالة (Arabic) Niẓām, Ḥurrīyah, 'Adālah (transliteration) "Order, Freedom, Justice" | Coat of arms of Tunisia |
| Uganda |  | For God and My Country | Coat of arms of Uganda |
| Zambia |  | One Zambia, One Nation | Coat of arms of Zambia |
| Zimbabwe |  | Unity, Freedom, Work | Coat of arms of Zimbabwe |
| Country | Coat of arms | Motto | Main article | Other claimants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic |  | Ḥurrīyyah, Dīmuqrāṭīyyah, Wiḥdah حرية ديمقراطية وحدة (Arabic: "Liberty, Democracy, Unity") | Coat of arms of Western Sahara | Morocco |
| Somaliland |  | In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful | National emblem of Somaliland | Somaliland |
| Country | Territory | Coat of arms | Motto | Main article | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | Ceuta |  | Siempre Noble, Leal y Fidelísima Ciudad de Ceuta (English: Always Noble, Loyal and Faithful City of Ceuta) | Coat of arms of Ceuta | |
| Melilla |  | "Præferre Patriam Liberis Parentem Decet" (English: It is proper for a parent to put his country before his children) and "Non Plus Ultra" (English: No more Beyond) | Coat of arms of Melilla | ||
| Islas Chafarinas (one of the plazas de soberania) |  | (None) | Islas Chafarinas | ||
| France | Mayotte |  | "Ra Hachiri" (Shimaore: "We are vigilant") | Coat of arms of Mayotte | |
| Réunion |  | "Florebo quocumque ferar" (Latin: "I will flourish wherever I am brought") | Coat of arms of Réunion | ||
| United Kingdom | Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha | Saint Helena |  | Loyal and Unshakeable | Coat of arms of Saint Helena |
| Ascension Island |  | (None) | Coat of arms of Ascension Island | ||
| Tristan da Cunha |  | Our Faith is Our Strength | Coat of arms of Tristan da Cunha | ||
| Tanzania | Zanzibar (autonomous region of Tanzania) | "Serikali ya Mapinduzi, Zanzibar" (English: Revolutionary Government, Zanzibar) | Coat of arms of Zanzibar | ||
Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings, as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known branch of heraldry, concerns the design and transmission of the heraldic achievement. The achievement, or armorial bearings usually includes a coat of arms on a shield, helmet and crest, together with any accompanying devices, such as supporters, badges, heraldic banners and mottoes.
The national flag of Zambia was adopted upon independence on 24 October 1964, by the first Republican President Dr. Kenneth David Kaunda. Before that, Zambia was the British protectorate of Northern Rhodesia and used a defaced Blue Ensign as its flag.
This armorial of sovereign states shows the coat of arms, national emblem, or seal for every sovereign state. Although some countries do not have an official national emblem, unofficial emblems which are de facto used as national emblems are also shown below.
An officer of arms is a person appointed by a sovereign or state with authority to perform one or more of the following functions:
In heraldry, an armiger is a person entitled to use a heraldic achievement either by hereditary right, grant, matriculation, or assumption of arms. Such a person is said to be armigerous; a family or a clan likewise.
The coat of arms of Uganda was adopted three weeks before the proclamation of independence by the Uganda Legislative Council. On 1 October 1962 the arms were approved by Governor of Uganda Walter Coutts, and formally established by law on 9 October.
Armorial ware or heraldic china are ceramics decorated with a coat of arms, either that of a family, or an institution or place. Armorials have been popular on European pottery from the Middle Ages with examples seen on Spanish Hispano-Moresque ware, Italian maiolica, slipware, English and Dutch Delft, and on porcelain from the 18th century. Earlier examples were mostly large pieces such as jugs or basins and ewers, but later whole table services, all painted with the arms, were produced.
A roll of arms is a collection of coats of arms, usually consisting of rows of painted pictures of shields, each shield accompanied by the name of the person bearing the arms.
The cross moline is a Christian cross, constituting a kind of heraldic cross.
These are the various flags of Africa.
A grant of arms or a governmental issuance of arms is an instrument issued by a lawful authority, such as an officer of arms or State Herald, which confers on a person and his or her descendants the right to bear a particular coat of arms or armorial bearings. It is one of the ways in which a person may lawfully bear arms in a jurisdiction regulating heraldry, another being by birth, through inheritance.
This is a list of the national coats of arms or equivalent emblems used by countries and dependent territories in Europe.
The coat of arms of Kenya features two lions, a symbol of protection, holding spears and a traditional East African shield. The shield and spears symbolize unity and defence of freedom. The shield contains the national colours, representing:
South African heraldry dates back to the 1650s, inheriting European heraldic traditions. Arms are borne by individuals, official bodies, local authorities, military units, and by a wide variety of organisations. South Africa has had its own heraldic authority since 1963, to provide armigers with legal protection, and to promote high standards of armorial practice.
Below is a list of national emblems and coats of arms used by Asian countries, territories and regions.
Countries and territories in Oceania have the following emblems and national coats of arms:
Hugh Birley was a British businessman and Conservative politician.
This is a list of the national coats of arms of South American countries.
This is a list of the coats of arms of North American countries.
The Illyrian Armorials are a group of armorials compiled from mainly fictional medieval coats of arms, among which there can be found several actual coats of arms, during the late 16th to mid 18th century. They are all copies based on alleged lost original of the Ohmučević Armorial, commissioned by Petar Ohmučević, a person of Ragusan origin, who went to become an admiral of Spanish court and navy at some point between 1584 and 1594. It is an example of the earliest ("Interconfessional") form of Illyrism idea and notion of so-called "Illyrian Empire", which formed the ideological basis for both the later rise of nationalism in the Balkans among its South Slavs, and the idea of unification.