Armorial of Africa
African countries use the following coats of arms or national emblems:
Sovereign states
| Country | Coat of arms | Blazon | Motto/Text | Main article |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Algeria | Copper, the Star and crescent in front of the Hand of Fatima and the Atlas mountains, below a rising sun, surrounded by buildings and plants, or. | الجمهورية الجزائرية الديمقراطية الشعبية Al Jumhūriyyah al Jazā'iriyyah ad Dīmuqrāţiyyah ash Shabiyyah (Arabic: "People's Democratic Republic of Algeria") |
Emblem of Algeria | |
| Angola | Azure, a hoe and machete crossed atop a rising sun and below a five-pointed star, or, surrounded by a segment of a cogwheel and sheaves of maize, coffee and cotton. "República de Angola" in black on a beige half-tone scroll. | República de Angola (Portuguese: "Republic of Angola") |
Emblem of Angola | |
| Benin | Chief two cornucopias sable, ears of corn coming therefrom; Quarterly I. Argent, a Somba castle or; II. Argent, the Star of Benin proper, which is a Maltese cross azure, anglé of rays argent and in fess point sable; III. Argent, a palm tree vert charged with a fruit gules; IV. Argent, a ship sable sailing on a sea azure with a sewn upon the line of quartering a lozenge gules; dexter and sinister two leopards or as supporters. | Fraternité, Justice, Travail (French: "Brotherhood, Justice, Work") |
Coat of arms of Benin | |
| Botswana | Argent three barrulets wavy in fess Azure between in chief three cogwheels proper, one above engaged with two below and in base a bull's head caboshed proper, and for the supporters on either side a zebra the dexter supporting a white elephant's tusk the sinister a green stalk of sorghum and brown sorghum head with white grains proper. Motto "Pula" in black on a Botswana blue half tone scroll. The reverse side of the scroll is red. | Pula (Setswana: "Rain") |
Coat of arms of Botswana | |
| Burkina Faso | one escutcheon bearing in the chief on a ribband argent the name of the country: "BURKINA FASO";in fess point an inescutcheon of two bands in fess with the banner of arms, sewn upon two crossed spears;two stallions rampant argent supporting on each side the escutcheon; in base, an open book; below, two stalks of millet with three pairs of green leaves in crescent coming from the bottom, and equidistant to the vertical passing through the points of the shield and the upper ray of the star of the flag, crossed and connected in their bases with a ribbon bearing the motto of the country "Unité - Progrès - Justice | Burkina Faso - Unité, Progrès, Justice (French: "Unity, Progress, Justice") |
Coat of arms of Burkina Faso | |
| Burundi | Unité, Travail, Progrès (French: "Unity, Work, Progress") |
Coat of arms of Burundi | ||
| Cabo Verde | República de Cabo Verde (Portuguese: "Republic of Cabo Verde") |
National emblem of Cape Verde | ||
| Cameroon | Paix, Travail, Patrie (French: Peace, Work, Fatherland) |
Coat of arms of Cameroon | ||
| Central African Republic | Quarterly; first: vert, an elephant's head cabossed argent; second: argent, a tree eradicated vert; third: Or, three mullets of four points sable, one and two, each charged with a roundel argent; fourth: azure, a hand couped pointing to dexter chief gules. Upon an inescutcheon gules a roundel argent charged with a map of Africa sable surmounted by a mullet Or. | Unité, Dignité, Travail (French: "Unity, Dignity, Work") |
Coat of arms of the Central African Republic | |
| Chad | Barry dancetty of eight Or and Azure | Unité, Travail, Progrès (French: "Unity, Work, Progress") |
Coat of arms of Chad | |
| Comoros | Unité, Solidarité, Développement (French: "Unity, Solidarity, Development") Also features the state's name in French and Arabic |
National seal of the Comoros | ||
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | Justice, Paix, Travail (French: "Justice, Peace, Work") |
Emblem of the Democratic Republic of the Congo | ||
| Djibouti | None | Emblem of Djibouti | ||
| Egypt | جمهورية مصر العربية Jumhūriyyat Miṣr al-ʿArabiyya (Arabic: "Arab Republic of Egypt") |
Coat of arms of Egypt | ||
| Equatorial Guinea | Argent, a Silk cotton tree proper | Unidad, Paz, Justicia (Spanish: "Unity, Peace, Justice") |
Coat of arms of Equatorial Guinea | |
| Eritrea | ኤርትራ—ሃገረ ኤርትራ Hagere ʾErtra (Tigrinya: "The State of Eritrea") The State of Eritrea دولة إرتريا Dawlat ʾIritriyā (Arabic: "The State of Eritrea") |
Emblem of Eritrea | ||
| Eswatini | Azure, a Swazi battle shield with decorations, all proper | Siyinqaba (Swazi: "We are the fortress") |
Coat of arms of Eswatini | |
| Ethiopia | None | Emblem of Ethiopia | ||
| Gabon | Or, a ship sable, masts of the same, with the flag of Gabon, tierced in fess vert, or and azure, sailing upon a sea azure; a chief vert charged with three bezants. | Union, Travail, Justice (French: Union, Work, Justice) |
Coat of arms of Gabon | |
| The Gambia | Azure, a Locar axe and a Mandinka Hoe in saltire Or, a Bordure parted per bordure Vert and Argent | Progress, Peace, Prosperity | Coat of arms of the Gambia | |
| Ghana | Azure on a cross vert fimbriated Or a lion passant guardant Or, in the first quarter a linguist's staff and ceremonial sword crossed in saltire Or, in the second quarter issuant from five bars wavy Argent and Azure a castle Argent upon a mount Or, in the third quarter affixed in a grassy plain a cocoa tree proper and in the fourth quarter upon a grassy plain a mine proper. | Freedom and Justice | Coat of arms of Ghana | |
| Guinea | Travail, Justice, Solidarité (French: "Work, Justice, Solidarity") |
Coat of arms of Guinea | ||
| Guinea-Bissau | Unidade, Luta, Progresso (Portuguese: "Unity, Struggle, Progress") |
Emblem of Guinea-Bissau | ||
| Ivory Coast | Vert, an elephant's head couped or, armed argent | République de Côte d'Ivoire (French: "Republic of Cote d'Ivoire") |
Coat of arms of Ivory Coast | |
| Kenya | Per fess sable and vert, on a fess gules fimbriated argent a cock grasping in the dexter claw an axe also argent. | Harambee (Swahili: "Let us all pull together") |
Coat of arms of Kenya | |
| Lesotho | Khotso, Pula, Nala (Sotho: "Peace, Rain, Prosperity") |
Coat of arms of Lesotho | ||
| Liberia | The Love of Liberty Brought Us Here Republic of Liberia |
Coat of arms of Liberia | ||
| Libya | حكومة الوحدة الوطنية - دولة ليبيا Hukūmat al-Wahda al-Watanīya - Dawlat Lībiyā "Government of National Unity - State of Libya" |
National emblem of Libya | ||
| Madagascar | Tanindrazana, Fahafahana, Fandrosoana (Malagasy: "Ancestral land, Liberty, Progress") |
Seal of Madagascar | ||
| Malawi | Per Fess Barry wavy Azure and Argent; A Fess Gules a lion passant Or; In base Sable a sun rising Or | Unity and Freedom | Coat of arms of Malawi | |
| Mali | Un Peuple, Un But, Une Foi (French: "One People, One Goal, One Faith") |
Coat of arms of Mali | ||
| Mauritania | "Islamic Republic of Mauritania" in Arabic and French | Seal of Mauritania | ||
| Mauritius | Quarterly azure and or: (1) A lymphad or; (2) 3 palm trees vert; (3) A key in pale the wards downwards gules; (4) From the base a pile, and in chief a mullet argent | Stella Clavisque Maris Indici (Latin: "Star and Key of the Indian Ocean") |
Coat of arms of Mauritius | |
| Morocco | Gules, in chief a demi-sun setting, with 15 rays or on a background azure, supported by a fess in bar enarched vert, fusily or and argent; the whole surcharged by an interlaced pentalpha vert on a background gules. | إِنْ تَنْصُرُوا اللهَ يَنْصُرُكُمْ (Arabic) ʾIn tanṣurūw Allāha yanṣurukum (transliteration) "If you glorify Allah, He will glorify you" |
Coat of arms of Morocco | |
| Mozambique | República de Moçambique | Emblem of Mozambique | ||
| Namibia | Tierced per bend sinister Azure, and Vert, a bend sinister Gules fimbriated Argent and in dexter chief a Sun with twelve straight rays Or charged with an annulet Azure | Unity, Liberty, Justice | Coat of arms of Namibia | |
| Niger | Vert, a sun rayonned or, accosted to dexter with a spear in pale charged with two Touareg swords in saltire, and to sinister with three ears of millet, one in pale and two in saltire, accompanied in point with a head of zebu, all or | Republique du Niger (French: "Republic of Niger") |
Coat of arms of Niger | |
| Nigeria | Sable a Pall wavy argent | Unity and Faith - Peace and Progress | Coat of arms of Nigeria | |
| Republic of the Congo | Or, a fess wavy Vert, a lion rampant Gules, armed and langued Vert, overall, maintaining a torch Sable flamed Gules. | Unité, Travail, Progrès
(French: "Unity, Work, Progress") |
Coat of arms of the Republic of the Congo | |
| Rwanda | Ubumwe, Umurimo, Gukunda Igihugu (Kinyarwanda: "Unity, Work, Patriotism") |
Seal of Rwanda | ||
| São Tomé and Príncipe | Or, a palm eradicated proper | Unidade, Disciplina, Trabalho (Portuguese: "Unity, discipline, work") |
Coat of arms of São Tomé and Príncipe | |
| Senegal | Per pale, the first Gules a lion rampant Or, the second Or, a baobab-tree proper and in base a fess wavy Vert | Un Peuple, Un But, Une Foi (French: "One People, One Goal, One Faith") |
Coat of arms of Senegal | |
| Seychelles | Azure, a Female Sea coconut palm (Lodoicea maldivica) issuant from the 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. | Finis Coronat Opus (Latin: The End Crowns the Work) |
Coat of arms of Seychelles | |
| Sierra Leone | Vert a lion passant Or armed and langued Gules standing on a base Argent, two bars wavy Azure, and a chief indented of four points Argent, three flaming torches Sable, its flames Gules | Unity, Freedom, Justice | Coat of arms of Sierra Leone | |
| Somalia | None | Coat of arms of Somalia | ||
| South Africa | Or, representations of two San human figures of red ochre, statant respectant, the hands of the innermost arms clasped, with upper arm, inner wrist, waist and knee bands Argent, and a narrow border of red ochre | ǃke e꞉ ǀxarra ǁke (ǀXam: "Unity In Diversity") (literally "Diverse People Unite") |
Coat of arms of South Africa | |
| South Sudan | Justice, Liberty, Prosperity | Coat of arms of South Sudan | ||
| Sudan | Al-Nasr Lana النصر لنا (Arabic: "Victory is Ours") |
Emblem of Sudan | ||
| Tanzania | On a native shield, per fess of four: Or, the top part of a Torch enflamed proper; Flag of Tanzania: Per bend sinister Vert and Azure, a bend sinister Sable, fimbriated Or; Gules, an Axe and Hatchet in saltire Or; Barry wavy Argent and Azure; over all a Spear over an Axe and Hatchet in saltire, all Or. | Uhuru na Umoja (Swahili: "Freedom and Unity") |
Coat of arms of Tanzania | |
| Togo | Travail, Liberté, Patrie (French: "Work, Liberty, Homeland") |
Coat of arms of Togo | ||
| Tunisia | نظام، حرية، عدالة (Arabic) Niẓām, Ḥurrīyah, 'Adālah (transliteration) "Order, Freedom, Justice" |
Coat of arms of Tunisia | ||
| Uganda | Sable, upon the fess point a sun in splendour and in base a Uganda drum Or, the skin and guy ropes Argent, a chief barry wavy of six Azure and Argent. Behind the shield two Uganda spears of estate in saltire proper. | For God and My Country | Coat of arms of Uganda | |
| Zambia | Sable six pallets wavy Argent | One Zambia, One Nation | Coat of arms of Zambia | |
| Zimbabwe | Vert, a representation of a portion of the Great Zimbabwe proper (Malvern 2021); on a chief argent seven palets wavy azure. | Unity, Freedom, Work | Coat of arms of Zimbabwe |
States with limited recognition
| Country | Coat of arms | Motto | Main article | Other claimants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic | Ḥurrīyyah, Dīmuqrāṭīyyah, Wiḥdah حرية ديمقراطية وحدة (Arabic: "Liberty, Democracy, Unity") |
Coat of arms of Western Sahara | Morocco | |
| Somaliland | In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful | National emblem of Somaliland | Somaliland |
Dependencies, autonomous regions, autonomous cities and other territories
| Country | Territory | Coat of arms | Motto | Main article | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | Mayotte | "Ra Hachiri"
(Shimaore: "We are vigilant") |
Coat of arms of Mayotte | ||
| Réunion | "Florebo quocumque ferar"
(Latin: "I will flourish wherever I am brought") |
Coat of arms of Réunion | |||
| United Kingdom | Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha | Saint Helena | Loyal and Unshakeable | Coat of arms of Saint Helena | |
| Ascension Island | (None) | Coat of arms of Ascension Island | |||
| Tristan da Cunha | Our Faith is Our Strength | Coat of arms of Tristan da Cunha | |||
| Tanzania | Zanzibar (autonomous region of Tanzania) | "Serikali ya Mapinduzi, Zanzibar" (English: Revolutionary Government, Zanzibar) | Coat of arms of Zanzibar | ||