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Seychelles

Republik Sesel / Republic of Seychelles

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image by Zoltan Horvath, 25 Oct 2024
Flag adopted 18 June 1996, coat of arms adopted 18 June 1996.

National flag and Coast Guard ensign
Colour Specifications
Coat of Arms

See also:

National Flag and Coast Guard Ensign

I have confirmed a dispatch I received from the South African Embassy in Victoria with the Seychelles Consul in Johannesburg concerning new national symbols for that country. It reads:

"The Seychelles parliament recently approved new national symbols for the Seychelles which will be launched on their National Day, June 18 [1996]. The new symbols include a national flag, a new national anthem, Armorial Bearings and a President's Standard.

The new flag is made up of five oblique bands of blue, yellow, red, white and green (from left to right) representing a dynamic young country moving into a new future.

The colour blue depicts the sky and the sea that surrounds the Seychelles. Yellow is for the sun which gives light and life, red symbolises the people and their determination to work for the future in unity and love, whilst the white band represents social justice and harmony. The green depicts the land and natural environment.

The President's standard is the proposed new national flag with the armorial bearings positioned equidistant from the top and the bottom edges of the red portion of the flag.

The new national anthem gives thanks to God for the harmony, love and peace reigning in the Seychelles. It is entitled "Koste Seselwa" meaning "come together all Seychellois".

I got a diagram of the proposed flag - think of the old Mozambique flag (rays coming from the top left hand corner) and turn it upside down - this flag has the bands originating in the bottom left fanning out to fill up the fly in the colours as mentioned.
Bruce Berry, 27 March 1996

image by Željko Heimer, 28 July 1996

The proportions are 1:2, and the width of the fields on the top and the fly end are equal. i.e., 1/3 of the width and height, respectively.
Željko Heimer, 28 July 1996

The new flag of the Seychelles was adopted for the new era of the multiparty system. The old (second) flag was based on the flag of the Progressive Party (or something like that) led by Albert Rene (President), which was the same but with blue in the top (and not red). The new flag includes the colours of all (or principal) parties of the country.
Jaume Ollé, 12 Sept 1996

This is the Seychelles third flag. The first was adopted on independence in 1976 and was a white saltire dividing a blue (left and right) and red (top and bottom) field. This flag was replaced by the green/white/red wavy flag after only a year when a coup deposed the President from independence, James Mancham and brought his former deputy F. Albert Renee to power. Renee tried to institute a Marxist-style one-party state, but with the collapse of communism eventually allowed free elections, which he won against Mancham. The new flag dates from this period - 1994, and is supposed to be a non-partisan flag representing all sides.
Roy Stilling, 26 April 1997

Blazon might be possibly: five piles in lower hoist, blue, yellow, red, white and green.
Željko Heimer, 13 January 2003

The present design was established by the "National Symbols Bill, 1996 (Bill No. 2 of 1996)" published in a Supplement to the Official Gazette of 8 January 1996, and effective 18 June 1996. (Section 3). The Schedule, Part I - referred to in Article Three - illustrates the National Flag, and this illustration confirms the construction details we give in that the blue and yellow rays each occupy one-third the length of the flag, the red ray occupies one-third the length and one-third the width, and the white and green rays one-third the width each.

The Schedule, Part 1 (Section 3) also gives "Colour Indications", and these are this same as those we quote. The same Colour Indications are also given for the President's Standard (Section 6, Part IV) which was established by the same Bill, however, Part II (Section 4) on the Armorial Bearings gives no indication of colour (and the copy I have is, unfortunately, black and white).
Christopher Southworth, 11 March 2004

Colour Specifications

National Symbols Act (Act 3 of 1996) defines the national flag and the President's Standard, gives illustrations and color specification: https://seylii.org/akn/sc/act/1996/3/eng@1996-06-18

Based on the Act the color values are as follows:
Blue: Magnenta 70%, Cyan 100%, Pantone Reference 294
Yellow: Magenta 20%, Yellow 100%, Pantone Reference 122
Red: Magenta 100%, Yellow 100%, Pantone Reference 1795
Green: Cyan 100%, Yellow 100%, Pantone Reference 356
Zoltan Horvath, 25 Sep 2024

The protocol manual for the London 2012 Olympics (Flags and Anthems Manual, London, 2012 [bib-lna.html]) provides recommendations for national flag designs. Each National Olympic Committee was sent an image of their flag, including the PMS shades, by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) for their approval. Once this was obtained, the LOCOG produced a 60 x 90 cm version of the flag for further approval. So, while these specifications may not be the official, government, version of each flag, they are certainly what the National Olympic Committee believed their flag to be.

For the Seychelles : PMS 294 blue, 122 yellow, 1795 red, 356 green. The vertical flag is simply the horizontal version turned 90 degrees clockwise.
Ian Sumner, 10 Oct 2012

Other sources for colors:

The Album des Pavillons 1990 [pay98] (Corr. No. 29.) gives approximate colors in Pantone and CMYK systems:
Blue: Pantone 294c, CMYK 100-70-0-0
Yellow: Pantone 122c, CMYK 0-20-100-0
Red: Pantone 1795c, CMYK 0-100-100-0
Green: Pantone 356c, CMYK 100-0-100-0

The Flag Manual - Beijing 2008 gives Pantone colors: PMS 294 (blue), PMS 122 (yellow), PMS 1795 (red), and PMS 356 (green).

The Album des Pavillons 2000 [pay00] (Corr. No. 5.) gives approximate colors in Pantone and CMYK systems:
Blue: Pantone 294c, CMYK 100-70-0-0
Yellow: Pantone 122c, CMYK 0-20-100-0
Red: Pantone 1795c, CMYK 0-100-100-0
Green: Pantone 356c, CMYK 100-0-100-0

Flags and Anthems Manual London 2012 [g9b12] gives Pantone colors: PMS 294 (blue), PMS 122 (yellow), PMS 1795 (red), and PMS 356 (green).

The Album des Pavillons 2023 already specifies the colors of the flags in three color systems:
Blue: Pantone 294c, CMYK 100-84-26-6, RGB 0-53-128
Red: Pantone 1795c, CMYK 7-97-84-1, RGB 216-31-42
Yellow: Pantone 122c, CMYK 1-16-77-21, RGB 253-212-79
Green: Pantone 356c, CMYK 89-29-100-18, RGB 0-114-41

Vexilla Mundi gives colors in Pantone system: PMS 294C (blue), PMS 1795C (red), PMS 122C (yellow), PMS White, and PMS 356C (green).

Wikipedia illustrates the flag, and construction details, and gives color values as follows:
Blue: Pantone 294, RAL 5010, CMYK 100-55-0-47, Hex #002F6C, RGB 0-61-136
Yellow: Pantone 122, RAL 1016, CMYK 0-14-66-1, Hex #FED141, RGB 252-217-85
Red: Pantone 1795, RAL 3028, CMYK 0-84-84-16, Hex #D92323, RGB 215-35-35
White: Pantone -, RAL 9016, CMYK 0-0-0-0, Hex #FFFFFF, RGB 255-255-255
Green: Pantone 356, RAL 6029, CMYK 100-0-53-52, Hex #007A33, RGB 0-123-58

Flag Color Codes gives the following color values:
Blue: Hex #002F6C, RGB 0-47-108, CMYK 100-74-0-45, Pantone 294, RAL 5002
Yellow: Hex #FED141, RGB 254-209-65, CMYK 0-9-80-0, Pantone 122, RAL 1018
Red: Hex #D22730, RGB 210-39-48, CMYK 0-96-82-1, Pantone 1795, RAL 3028
White: Hex #FFFFFF, RGB 255-255-255, CMYK 0-0-0-0, Pantone N/A, RAL N/A
Green: Hex #007A33, RGB 0-122-51, CMYK 91-0-100-26, Pantone 356, RAL 6029

Zoltan Horvath, 25 Sep 2024

Coat of Arms

image located by Zoltan Horvath, 25 Sep 2024
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seychelles

The present version of the arms was adopted on 18 June 1996, and shows a shield, in which a giant tortoise is located on green grounds. On the ground there is a coco de mer palm tree. Behind it there is a blue sea with two islands and a sail ship to be seen. The shield is ensigned by a silver helmet, on which a white-tailed tropic bird is located above blue and white waves. The shield is supported by two white sailfish. Beneath the shield the motto of Seychelles is stated: "Finis Coronat Opus" (a phrase traditionally attributed to Ovid) (Latin for "The End Crowns the Work").

Christopher Southworth, 12 Oct 2024

The coat of arms 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
Zoltan Horvath, 25 Sep 2024

Earlier (1976) Arms

image located by Zoltan Horvath, 25 Sep 2024

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

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).

Zoltan Horvath, 25 Sep 2024