Last modified: 2024-05-04 by rob raeside
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image by Zoltan Horvath, 18 April 2024
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The current coat of arms was adopted at independence and differs only
in minor details from the colonial one
(e.g. the UJ was eliminated from the canton of the shield).
Differences in the shape of the scroll etc. are probably heraldic
license and not a new coat of arms. The supporters used to be both Black.
The dexter one (viewer's left) is now White/Hispanic -- I suppose
that was a change at independence.
T.F. Mills , 27 March 1999
From the Belize
Government Website:
"The Coat of Arms - The shield of the Coat of Arms is
divided into three sections by a vertical line and an inverted V.
The base section represents a ship in full sail on waves of the
sea. The two upper sections show tools of the timber industry in
Belize: a paddle and a squaring axe in the right section and a
saw and a beating axe in the left section.
Supporting the shield are two woodcutters, the one on the right
holding a beating axe over his shoulder in his right hand, and
the one on the left holding a paddle over his shoulder in his
left hand.
Above the shield rises a mahogany tree. Below the shield is the
motto scroll. A wreath of leaves encircles the Coat of Arms.
The Coat of Arms embodies an important aspect of the history of
Belize, as the mahogany industry formed the basis of our economy
in the 18th and 19th centuries.
NATIONAL MOTTO: "Sub Umbra Florero" - These latin words
mean, "Under the shade I flourish."
National Flower: The Black Orchid (Encyclia Cochleatum).
National Tree: The Mahogany Tree (Swietenia Macrophilla) - The
mahogany tree forms part of Belize's Coat of Arms. The motto
"Sub Umbra Florero" means: Under the shade (of the
mahogany tree) I flourish.
National Bird: The Keel Billed Toucan (Ramphastos Solfurantus).
National Animal: The Tapir or Mountain Cow (Tapirello
Bairdii)."
Jarig Bakker , 16 November 1999
Coat of Arms adopted on 21 September 1981.
Nozomi Kariyasu , 20 March 2000