The coat of arms of Kiribati, officially known as the National Emblem of Kiribati, is the

heraldic symbol Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known branch ...

representing the Central Pacific island nation of

Kiribati Kiribati (), officially the Republic of Kiribati ( gil, ibaberikiKiribati),Kiribati
''The Wor ...

. The arms feature a yellow

frigatebird Frigatebirds are a family of seabirds called Fregatidae which are found across all tropical and subtropical oceans. The five extant species are classified in a single genus, ''Fregata''. All have predominantly black plumage, long, deeply forked ...

over a rising sun on a red background among white and blue stripes (symbol of the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

) and the 3 groups of stripes represent (

Gilbert Gilbert may refer to: People and fictional characters * Gilbert (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Gilbert (surname), including a list of people Places Australia * Gilbert River (Queensland) * Gilbert River (South ...

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

and

Line Islands The Line Islands, Teraina Islands or Equatorial Islands (in Gilbertese, ''Aono Raina'') are a chain of 11 atolls (with partly or fully enclosed lagoons) and coral islands (with a surrounding reef) in the central Pacific Ocean, south of the Hawa ...

). The 17 rays of the sun represent the 16 Gilbert Islands and

Banaba BanabaThe correct spelling and etymology in Gilbertese should be ''Bwanaba'' but the Constitution of Kiribati writes Banaba. Because of the spelling in English or French, the name was very often written Paanapa or Paanopa, as it was in 1901 Ac ...

(former Ocean Island). On the ribbon under the shield is the

Gilbertese Gilbertese or taetae ni Kiribati, also Kiribati (sometimes ''Kiribatese''), is an Austronesian language spoken mainly in Kiribati. It belongs to the Micronesian branch of the Oceanic languages. The word ''Kiribati'', the current name of the i ...

motto ''Te Mauri te Raoi ao te Tabomoa'' (Health, Peace, and Prosperity). The previous motto of the British Colony (1937–1979) was "Fear God, Honour the King" (both in

, ''Maaka te Atua, Karinea te Uea''; or Tuvaluan, ''Mataku i te Atua, Fakamamalu ki te Tupu''). Gilbert & Ellice Islands 1968 stamp

After being drawn by Sir

Arthur Grimble Sir Arthur Francis Grimble, (Hong Kong, 11 June 1888 – London, 13 December 1956) was a British Colonial Service administrator and writer. Biography Grimble was educated at Chigwell School and Magdalene College, Cambridge. He then went ...

in 1932, the coat of arms was granted by the

College of Arms The College of Arms, or Heralds' College, is a royal corporation consisting of professional Officer of Arms, officers of arms, with jurisdiction over England, Wales, Northern Ireland and some Commonwealth realms. The heralds are appointed by the ...

on 1 May 1937 to the

Gilbert and Ellice Islands The Gilbert and Ellice Islands (GEIC as a colony) in the Pacific Ocean were part of the British Empire from 1892 to 1976. They were a protectorate from 1892 to 12 January 1916, and then a colony until 1 January 1976. The history of the colony w ...

, then British Colony, which paid £25 for it, and was adapted as the official coat of arms of Kiribati in 1979 with the new motto. The same motif is seen on the

flag of Kiribati The flag of Kiribati (Gilbertese: ''buraki ni Kiribati'') is red in the upper half with a gold frigatebird ( ''Fregata minor'', in Gilbertese: ''te eitei'') flying over a gold rising sun (''otintaai''), and the lower half is blue with three hori ...

Sources

* Minahan, James, 2010: ''The Complete Guide to National Symbols and Emblems'' (2 vols); Kiribati: p 79 (tex
Googlebooks
and p 282 (image
Googlebooks
ABC-CLIO LLC.
Heraldry of the World: Kiribati
National symbols of Kiribati

Kiribati Kiribati (), officially the Republic of Kiribati ( gil, ibaberikiKiribati),Kiribati
''The Wor ...

{{Heraldry-stub