The coat of arms of

the Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to ...

contains a shield with the national symbols as its focal point.

Official description

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 is described in Bahamas law:FLAGS AND COAT OF ARMS (REGULATION)
/ref> Arms: Upon a representation of the Santa Maria on a base barry wavy of four Azure and Argent on a Chief Azure demisun Or. Crest: Upon a representation of Our Royal Helmet mantled Azure doubled Argent on a Wreath Or and Azure. A Conch Shell proper in front of a Panache of Palm Fronds proper. Supporters: On the dexter side a Marlin proper and on the sinister side a Flamingo proper; and upon a Compartment per pale Waves of the Sea and Swampland proper. Motto: “Forward, Upward, Onward Together”.

Explanation

The escutcheon (shield) is supported by a

marlin Marlins are fish from the family Istiophoridae, which includes about 10 species. A marlin has an elongated body, a spear-like snout or bill, and a long, rigid dorsal fin which extends forward to form a crest. Its common name is thought to deri ...

and

flamingo Flamingos or flamingoes are a type of Wader, wading bird in the Family (biology), family Phoenicopteridae, which is the only extant family in the order Phoenicopteriformes. There are four flamingo species distributed throughout the Americas ...

. The

crest Crest or CREST may refer to: Buildings *The Crest (Huntington, New York), a historic house in Suffolk County, New York *"The Crest", an alternate name for 63 Wall Street, in Manhattan, New York *Crest Castle (Château Du Crest), Jussy, Switzerla ...

on top of the helm (helmet) is a conch shell, which represents the varied marine life of the island chain. Below the helm is the escutcheon itself, whose main

charge Charge or charged may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Charge, Zero Emissions/Maximum Speed'', a 2011 documentary Music * ''Charge'' (David Ford album) * ''Charge'' (Machel Montano album) * ''Charge!!'', an album by The Aqua ...

is a ship, reputed to represent the '' Santa María'' of

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...

. It is sailing beneath a sun in the

chief Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boa ...

. The animals supporting the shield are the national animals, and the national

motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...

is found at the bottom. The flamingo is located upon land, and the marlin upon sea, indicating the geography of the islands. The vibrant

tincture A tincture is typically an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol (ethyl alcohol). Solvent concentrations of 25–60% are common, but may run as high as 90%.Groot Handboek Geneeskrachtige Planten by Geert Verhelst In chemistr ...

s of the coat of arms are also intended to point to a bright future for the islands. They are also reputed to have been maintained for their attractiveness to tourists. The coat of arms was approved by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

on 7 December 1971. It was designed by Bahamian artist and clergyman, Dr. Hervis L. Bain, Jr., who is also a member of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

History

Island arms

In addition to the National Coat of Arms, there are a total of eighteen regional island shields (including two unofficial devices). These were granted upon Independence in 1973, to be displayed at the Independence day celebration to reflect each island's individual cultural heritage.

References

External links

Coat of arms of Bahamas In The World All Countries Coat of arms

Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to ...

National symbols of the Bahamas

Society of the Bahamas

{{Bahamas-stub