The coat of arms of
the Gambia
The Gambia,, ff, Gammbi, ar, غامبيا officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland AfricaHoare, Ben. (2002) ''The Kingfisher A-Z Encyclopedia'', Kingfisher Publicatio ...
has been in use since 18 November 1964. It depicts two
lions
The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large cat of the genus '' Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphic; adult ...
holding an axe and hoe, supporting a shield that depicts another pair of hoe and axe, crossed. Atop the shield is set the
heraldic
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 bran ...
helmet and an oil palm as a crest. At the bottom is the national motto: Progress – Peace – Prosperity. The Gambian coat of arms also appeared in the fly of the Gambian
air force ensign
An Air force ensign is a flag used by a national air force.
With the creation of independent air forces in the first half of the 20th century, a range of distinguishing flags and ensigns were adopted. Such flags may often feature a roundel in the ...
.
Overview
The two lions represent the colonial history of The Gambia as part of the
British Empire
The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...
. The crossed axe and hoe represent the importance of agriculture to The Gambia. They are also considered to represent the two major ethnic groups of The Gambia: the
Mandinka and the
Fulani
The Fula, Fulani, or Fulɓe people ( ff, Fulɓe, ; french: Peul, links=no; ha, Fulani or Hilani; pt, Fula, links=no; wo, Pël; bm, Fulaw) are one of the largest ethnic groups in the Sahel and West Africa, widely dispersed across the region. ...
. The crest, a palm tree, is also a vital national tree.
The design was created by Nicholas Potin, a government employee with the Department of Surveys, who won a national competition to design it.
Variations
Coat of arms of
Gambia Armed Forces
The Gambia Armed Forces, also known as the Armed Forces of The Gambia, consists of three branches: the Gambia National Army (GNA), the Gambia Navy, and the Republican National Guard (RNG). It formerly included the Gambia National Gendarmerie (GNG) ...
service branches had variations:
* Coat of arms used by the Gambian Army had a crossed sword in the shield.
* Coat of arms used by the Gambian Navy had an anchor in the shield.
* Coat of arms used by the Gambian Air Force had an eagle above national coat of arms.
See also
*
Flag of the Gambia
The flag of the Gambia is the national flag of the Gambia. It consists of three horizontal red, blue and green bands separated by two thin white lines. Adopted in 1965 to replace the British Blue Ensign defaced with the arms of the Gambia Colon ...
References
External links
Image of Gambian coat of arms
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coat Of Arms Of The Gambia
National symbols of the Gambia
Gambia
Gambia
Gambia
Gambia
Gambia