The national emblem of

Cape Verde , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...

contains a circle within which is written the name of the nation in

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

. Within the circle are a torch and triangle, symbols of freedom and national unity. At the top of the shield is a

plumbob A plumb bob, plumb bob level, or plummet, is a weight, usually with a pointed tip on the bottom, suspended from a string and used as a vertical reference line, or plumb-line. It is a precursor to the spirit level and used to establish a vertic ...

, a symbol of righteousness; three chain links are at the bottom. This emblem replaces the earlier variant with the

seashell A seashell or sea shell, also known simply as a shell, is a hard, protective outer layer usually created by an animal or organism that lives in the sea. The shell is part of the body of the animal. Empty seashells are often found washe ...

that had been in use since

independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

. The current emblem was adopted in 1992.

Background and historical arms

On 8 May 1935, Portugal introduced a new coat of arms for its

colonies In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the '' metropolitan state'' ...

, including Cape Verde,

São Tomé and Principe SAO or Sao may refer to: Places * Sao civilisation, in Middle Africa from 6th century BC to 16th century AD * Sao, a town in Boussé Department, Burkina Faso * Saco Transportation Center (station code SAO), a train station in Saco, Maine, U.S. ...

, and

Guinea-Bissau Guinea-Bissau ( ; pt, Guiné-Bissau; ff, italic=no, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫 𞤄𞤭𞤧𞤢𞥄𞤱𞤮, Gine-Bisaawo, script=Adlm; Mandinka: ''Gine-Bisawo''), officially the Republic of Guinea-Bissau ( pt, República da Guiné-Bissau, links=no ) ...

(then

Portuguese Guinea Portuguese Guinea ( pt, Guiné), called the Overseas Province of Guinea from 1951 until 1972 and then State of Guinea from 1972 until 1974, was a West African colony of Portugal from 1588 until 10 September 1974, when it gained independence as Gu ...

). The 1935 arms are described as follows: "All arms were of the same model: divided vertically in such a way that two sub-shields are formed. The dexter was white with five small blue shields each bearing five white discs (i.e. the “quinas cross” representing the motherland). The sinister represented the colony. In the base green and white waves to indicate the overseas location. To complete the badge, the arms were set upon a golden armillary sphere with a golden mural crown." On July 11, 1951, a slightly revised version was introduced, which was used until July 5, 1975. The replacement flag following independence in 1975, in use from then until 1992, used colours more typical of African nations, with red, green and yellow, almost identical to the

flag of Guinea-Bissau The national flag of Guinea-Bissau was adopted in 1973 when independence from Portugal was proclaimed. Gallery File:Flag of Portuguese Guinea (proposal).svg, Proposed flag for the Portuguese Guinea (1965) File:Flag of PAIGC.svg, Flag of PAIGC M ...

. On the left in the red portion of the flag was the coat of arms, in use from July 5, 1975 until September 22, 1992 in its own right. It featured a large black star, surrounded by a saffron-yellow and green maize wreath and a scallop shell in the centre, also of a saffron/amber colour. The independent coat of arms, not used on the flag, featured the same saffron-yellow and green maize wreath and a scallop shell in the centre at the bottom, but the star was smaller and complicated with several other features, including a flag poll and something resembling a book. The current national emblem of Cape Verde was adopted in 1992 at the same time as the

national flag A national flag is a flag that represents and symbolizes a given nation. It is flown by the government of that nation, but usually can also be flown by its citizens. A national flag is typically designed with specific meanings for its colours ...

, 17 years after the island nation became independent.

Gallery

File:Provisional Coat of Arms of the Colony of Cabo Verde.svg, Coat of arms of

Portuguese Cape Verde Cape Verde was a colony of the Portuguese Empire from the initial settlement of the Cape Verde Islands in 1462 until the independence of Cape Verde in 1975. History 15th century The islands of Cape Verde was discovered in 1444 by Dom Prin ...

between 1933 and May 8, 1935 File:Coat of arms of Portuguese Cape Verde (1935-1951).svg, Coat of arms of

between May 8, 1935 and June 11, 1951. File:Coat of arms of Portuguese Cape Verde (1951-1975).svg, Coat of arms of Portuguese Cape Verde from June 11, 1951 to July 5, 1975. File:Lesser coat of arms of Portuguese Cape Verde.svg, Lesser coat of arms between May 8, 1935 and July 5, 1975. File:Coat of Arms of Cape Verde (1975).svg, Coat of arms of Cape Verde from July 5, 1975 to September 22, 1992.

Symbolism

The circle of the current emblem is ringed with ten stars, that represent the islands of Cape Verde, and is similar to the symbolism on the

flag of Cape Verde The national flag of Cape Verde (Portuguese: ''bandeira de Cabo Verde''; Capeverdean ( ALUPEC): ''bandera di Kauberdi'') was adopted on 22 September 1992, replacing the flag adopted during Cape Verdean independence, fought for with Guinea-Bis ...

. The plumbob symbolizes righteousness and uprightness which constitute the "key vault" of Cape Verdean constitution. The equilateral triangle symbolizes unity, equality and people's civil rights recognized by the democratic system. The torch symbolizes freedom gained after many years of struggle. The sea symbolizes nostalgia. The palms symbolize victory won in the struggle for national independence, and the stars represent the ten islands that form the archipelago of Cape Verde.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:National Emblem Of Cape Verde National symbols of Cape Verde

Cape Verde , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...