The Emblem of Ethiopia has been in its current form since 1996. It contains a yellow interlaced

pentagram A pentagram (sometimes known as a pentalpha, pentangle, or star pentagon) is a regular five-pointed star polygon, formed from the diagonal line segments of a convex (or simple, or non-self-intersecting) regular pentagon. Drawing a circle aroun ...

radiating rays of light on a blue shield. Today, the pentagram stands for the unity of the people and nationality of the

Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

. The Emblem appears in the centre of the

flag of Ethiopia The flag of Ethiopia ( am, የኢትዮጵያ ሰንደቅ ዐላማ, Ye-Ītyōṗṗyā sändäq ʿälama) is the national flag of Ethiopia. It consists of a green, yellow, and red tricolour with the National Emblem, a golden pentagram on a blu ...

. Prior to 1975, the coat of arms of the

Ethiopian Empire The Ethiopian Empire (), also formerly known by the exonym Abyssinia, or just simply known as Ethiopia (; Amharic and Tigrinya: ኢትዮጵያ , , Oromo: Itoophiyaa, Somali: Itoobiya, Afar: ''Itiyoophiyaa''), was an empire that historical ...

was used. In 1975, an earlier version of the emblem of Ethiopia was adopted, consisting of a plow on a yellow sunburst surrounded by a

wreath A wreath () is an assortment of flowers, leaves, fruits, twigs, or various materials that is constructed to form a circle . In English-speaking countries, wreaths are used typically as household ornaments, most commonly as an Advent and Chri ...

. It was used until 1987 and eventually became associated with the

Dergue The Derg (also spelled Dergue; , ), officially the Provisional Military Administrative Council (PMAC), was the military junta that ruled Ethiopia, then including present-day Eritrea, from 1974 to 1987, when the military leadership formally " c ...

regime.
Colours scheme

History

File:Reported Coat of arms of Ethiopian Empire.svg, Medieval European depiction of the symbol of

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

, a lion holding a

patriarchal cross The Patriarchal cross is a variant of the Christian cross, the religious symbol of Christianity, and is also known as the Cross of Lorraine. Similar to the familiar Latin cross, the patriarchal cross possesses a smaller crossbar placed above t ...

File:Ethiopian lion seal.jpg, The seals of multiple members of Ethiopian nobility during the 19th and early 20th centuries File:Lion of Judah emblem of the Ethiopian Empire.svg, Conquering

Lion of Judah The Lion of Judah ( he, אריה יהודה, ) is a Jewish national and cultural symbol, traditionally regarded as the symbol of the tribe of Judah. The association between the Judahites and the lion can first be found in the blessing given by ...

(until 1975) File:Emblem of the Provisional Military Government of Socialist Ethiopia.svg, Emblem of the

Provisional Military Government of Socialist Ethiopia The Derg (also spelled Dergue; , ), officially the Provisional Military Administrative Council (PMAC), was the military junta that ruled Ethiopia, then including present-day Eritrea, from 1974 to 1987, when the military leadership formally " c ...

(1975-87) File:Emblem of the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.svg, Emblem of the

People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia The People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (PDRE) () was a socialist state that existed in Ethiopia and present day Eritrea from 1987 to 1991. The PDRE was established in February 1987 as a Marxist-Leninist one-party state upon the adoption o ...

(1987-91) File:Emblem of Transitional Government of Ethiopia.svg, Emblem of the

Transitional Government of Ethiopia The Transitional Government of Ethiopia (TGE) was an era established immediately after the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) seized power from the Marxist-Leninist People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (PDRE) in 1991. D ...

(1991-95) File:Emblem of Ethiopia (1996-2009).svg, Emblem of Ethiopia (1996-2009, lighter shade of blue than the current one) File:Imperial coat of arms of Ethiopia (Menelik II).svg, Coat of arms of the

(Menelik II) File:Imperial coat of arms of Ethiopia (Haile Selassie).svg, Coat of arms of the

(Haile Selassie)

References

National symbols of Ethiopia

{{Heraldry-stub

History

See also

References