The coat of arms of

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...

(along with the flag), were developed 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 ...

and granted in 1960.

Design

The shield on the arms depicts a lion beneath a zigzag border, representing the Lion Mountains, after which the country was named. It also shows three torches which are meant to symbolize peace and dignity. At the base are wavy bars depicting the sea. The supporters of the shield are lions, similar to those on the colonial badge. The three main colours from the shield – green, white and blue – were used to form the flag. The green represents agricultural and natural resources, the blue represents the Harbour of

Freetown Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, educational and p ...

and the white represents unity and justice. At the bottom of the shield, the national motto can be seen.

Blazon

The coat of arms of Sierra Leone are described as: (a) for arms- #

Vert Vert or Verts may refer to: * Vert (heraldry), the colour green in heraldry * Vert (music producer) (born 1972), pseudonym of Adam Butler, an English music producer * Vert (river), in southern France * Vert (sport), a competition in extreme vers ...

a lion passant Or armed and langued

Gules In heraldry, gules () is the tincture with the colour red. It is one of the class of five dark tinctures called "colours", the others being azure (blue), sable (black), vert (green) and purpure (purple). In engraving, it is sometimes depict ...

. # Standing on a base

Argent In heraldry, argent () is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it. In engravings and line drawings, regions to b ...

, two bars wavy Azure. # And a chief indented of four points

, three flaming

torches A torch is a stick with combustible material at one end, which is ignited and used as a light source. Torches have been used throughout history, and are still used in processions, symbolic and religious events, and in juggling entertainment. In ...

Sable The sable (''Martes zibellina'') is a species of marten, a small omnivorous mammal primarily inhabiting the forest environments of Russia, from the Ural Mountains throughout Siberia, and northern Mongolia. Its habitat also borders eastern Kaza ...

, its flames

. (b) for the supporters- # Two lions rampant Or , armed and langued

, each supporting a palm-tree proper. # They stand on a grassy ground Vert. (c) with the motto "UNITY, FREEDOM, JUSTICE”.

Colonial arms

The arms of the

Colony of Sierra Leone The Colony and Protectorate of Sierra Leone (informally British Sierra Leone) was the British colonial administration in Sierra Leone from 1808 to 1961, part of the British Empire from the abolitionism era until the decolonisation era. The Cr ...

were granted by royal warrant of 30 July 1914: :Per pale Argent and Or on the dexter issuant from the base in front of a Ship under sail on waves of the Sea a representation of the sea shore, seated thereon the figure of a Negro, representing a freed slave, cloaked and armed with a spear and quiver of arrows, all proper, on the sinister, on a Mount Vert an Oil Palm tree also proper, a Chief charged with the Union device as used at the time of the cession of Sierra Leone to be a Settlement for freed slaves under British protection, together with the Motto "Auspice Britannia liber." The "Union device as used at the time of the cession" was the

flag of Great Britain The flag of Great Britain, commonly known as King's Colours, the first Union Flag, the Union Jack, or the British flag, was used at sea from 1606 and more generally from 1707 to 1801. It was the first flag of Great Britain. It is the precursor ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coat Of Arms Of Sierra Leone

National symbols of Sierra Leone

Coats of arms with trees, Sierra Leone