The coat of arms or national seal of

Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...

was adopted upon independence, and the current coat of arms is only slightly different from that used when Belize was a British colony (the Union Jack has been removed, and a

Mestizo (; ; fem. ) is a term used for racial classification to refer to a person of mixed Ethnic groups in Europe, European and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous American ancestry. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also r ...

woodcutter has replaced one of the supporting

Afro-Belizean There are two main Afro-Belizean ethnic groups: * Belizean Creole people, also called Kriols * Garifuna The Garifuna people ( or ; pl. Garínagu in Garifuna) are a people of mixed free African and indigenous American ancestry that originate ...

woodcutters). The circular border of the coat is formed by 25 leaves. Within the circle is a

mahogany Mahogany is a straight-grained, reddish-brown timber of three tropical hardwood species of the genus ''Swietenia'', indigenous to the AmericasBridgewater, Samuel (2012). ''A Natural History of Belize: Inside the Maya Forest''. Austin: Unive ...

tree, in front of which is a shield tierced per pall inverted. Within the shield are the tools of a woodcutter in the upper sections and a ship in the lower one. These are symbolic of the importance of mahogany in the 18th- and 19th-century Belizean economy. The flag of Belize features the coat of arms in its centre.

Official description

The British College of Heraldry laid forth the

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The vis ...

of the coat of arms as follows: Crest – A mahogany tree proper Compartment – A grassy field proper Escutcheon – Party per pall inverted, 1st Argent a paddle and a squaring axe proper in saltire 2nd Or a saw and beating axe proper in saltire 3rd per fess bleu celeste and barry wavy or vert azure above the last a sailing ship proper Supporters – Dexter a Mestizo (revised post-independence to Belizean Mestizo) woodsman proper garbed in trousers argent bearing in the dexter hand a beating axe, sinister an African (revised post-independence to Afro Belizean) woodsman proper garbed in trousers argent bearing in the sinister hand a paddle proper. Other elements – The whole surrounded by a wreath of 25 leaves proper

Historical versions

Coat of arms of British Honduras (1819-1907).svg, Coat of arms of British Honduras, 1819-1907 Coat of arms of British Honduras (1907-1967).svg, Coat of arms of British Honduras, 1907-1967 Coat of arms of British Honduras-Belize (1967-1981).svg, Coat of arms of British Honduras/Belize, 1967-1981 Coat of arms of Belize (1981-2019).svg, Coat of arms of Belize, 1981-2019

References

National symbols of Belize

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