The coat of arms of the Republic of

Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (french: link=no, République des Seychelles; Creole: ''La Repiblik Sesel''), is an archipelagic state consisting of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, ...

shows a shield, in which a

giant tortoise Giant tortoises are any of several species of various large land tortoises, which include a number of extinct species, as well as two extant species with multiple subspecies formerly common on the islands of the western Indian Ocean and on the ...

is located on green grounds. On the ground there is a

coco de mer Coco commonly refers to: * Coco (folklore), a mythical bogeyman in many Hispano- and Lusophone nations Coco may also refer to: People * Coco (given name), a first name, its shorthand, or unrelated nickname * Coco (surname), a list of people w ...

palm tree. Behind it there is a blue sea with two islands and a sail ship to be seen. The shield is enthroned by a silver helmet, on which a

white-tailed tropicbird The white-tailed tropicbird (''Phaethon lepturus'') is a tropicbird. It is the smallest of three closely related seabirds of the tropical oceans and smallest member of the order Phaethontiformes. It is found in the tropical Atlantic, western P ...

is located above blue and white waves. The shield is supported by two white

sailfish The sailfish is one or two species of marine fish in the genus ''Istiophorus'', which belong to the family Istiophoridae ( marlins). They are predominantly blue to gray in colour and have a characteristically large dorsal fin known as the ...

. Beneath the shield the motto of Seychelles is stated: "Finis Coronat Opus" (a phrase traditionally attributed to

Ovid Pūblius Ovidius Nāsō (; 20 March 43 BC – 17/18 AD), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a contemporary of the older Virgil and Horace, with whom he is often ranked as one of the th ...

) (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

for "The End Crowns the Work").

History

First coat of arms

After the separation of Seychelles from the Mauritius in 1903, a new badge for Seychelles was adopted. The new badge was designed by Major-General Charles George Gordon. The badge consisted of a disc with a picture of the coast of Mahé with a ''Coco de mer'' on the shore, some shrubs and a giant Tortoise . On a listel in the base is the motto ''Finis Coronat Opvs''.

Second coat of arms

The second coat of arms was embellished and augmented in 1961. The coat of arms was designed by Mrs. Alec McEwen of Toronto. On the coat of arms, a second island was added, symbolizing the other 114 islands of the archipelago. In the ocean, a schooner symbolizes the traffic between the islands. Around the badge is a bordure with stylized waves and the title and the motto of the colony.

Current coat of arms

First variant

The current coat of arms was given by the Royal Warrant of Queen Elizabeth II, dated 27 May 1976.

Second variant

On 18 June 1996, by the National Symbols Act of 1996, the colour of the coat of arms were changed to a brighter color. The most significant change was the change of the torse on the helmet, from white-blue-red (based on the older Seychellois flag), to blue-yellow-red-white-green (the color of the current flag of Seychelles).

Current official description

The coat of arms of Seychelles is officially described as follows: ARMS: Azure a Female Coco de Mer Palm (Lodoicea maldivica) issuant from in base a grassy mount thereon a Giant Tortoise (Testudo gigantea) the whole in front of water rising therefrom to the dexter an Island and sailing thereon a two-masted Schooner in full sail all proper. CREST: Upon a Wreath Azure, Or, Gules and Vert above water barry wavy Azure and Argent a White Tailed Tropic Bird (Phaethon lepturus lepturus) volant proper. SUPPORTERS: On either side a Sail Fish (Istiophorus gladius) proper. MOTTO: FINIS CORONAT OPUS

Gallery

File:Badge of Seychelles (1903–1961).svg, 1903–1961 File:Badge of Seychelles (1961–1976).svg, 1961–1976 File:Coat of arms of Seychelles (1976–1996).svg, 1976–1996 File:Coat of arms of Seychelles.svg, Current version

References

External links

New National Symbols of the Republic of the Seychelles, Adopted 18th June 1996
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coat Of Arms Of The Seychelles

National symbols of Seychelles