The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label= Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kal ...

was adopted on 25 January 1966. The centre shield is supported by two

zebra Zebras (, ) (subgenus ''Hippotigris'') are African equines with distinctive black-and-white striped coats. There are three living species: the Grévy's zebra (''Equus grevyi''), plains zebra (''E. quagga''), and the mountain zebra (''E. zebr ...

s. The shape of the shield is that of traditional shields found in

Southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the African continent, south of the Congo and Tanzania. The physical location is the large part of Africa to the south of the extensive Congo River basin. Southern Africa is home to a number o ...

. On the top portion of the shield are three

cogwheel A gear is a rotating circular machine part having cut teeth or, in the case of a cogwheel or gearwheel, inserted teeth (called ''cogs''), which mesh with another (compatible) toothed part to transmit (convert) torque and speed. The basic p ...

s that represent industry. The coat of arms is based on designs by Isabel Fawcus, whose husband

Peter Fawcus Sir Robert Peter Fawcus KBE CMG (30 September 1915 – 22 April 2003) was a British colonial administrator in Bechuanaland Protectorate. Educated at Cambridge University, Fawcus was Government Secretary for Bechuanaland from 1954 to 1959, Res ...

was the Commissioner of Bechuanaland in 1960–65, and Shiela England. The three waves symbolize water, and reminds the viewer of the

motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. M ...

of the nation: ''pula'', which translates to "rain", but also good luck, and is also the name of the nation's currency. This motto also highlights the importance of water to Botswana. The motto is inscribed on a blue ribbon placed at the bottom of the coat of arms. At the bottom of the shield is the head of a bull, which symbolises the importance of cattle herding in Botswana. The two zebras also symbolise the importance of wildlife, through tourism, in the national economy. Also, zebra have black and white stripes which represent equality of people of all colours in Botswana. The zebra on the right holds an ear of

sorghum ''Sorghum'' () is a genus of about 25 species of flowering plants in the grass family (Poaceae). Some of these species are grown as cereals for human consumption and some in pastures for animals. One species is grown for grain, while many other ...

, an important crop in the nation. The zebra on the left holds a tusk of

ivory Ivory is a hard, white material from the tusks (traditionally from elephants) and teeth of animals, that consists mainly of dentine, one of the physical structures of teeth and tusks. The chemical structure of the teeth and tusks of mammals i ...

, symbolic of the former

ivory trade The ivory trade is the commercial, often illegal trade in the ivory tusks of the hippopotamus, walrus, narwhal, mammoth, and most commonly, African and Asian elephants. Ivory has been traded for hundreds of years by people in Africa and Asia ...

in Botswana. There is also a view that the ivory tusk represents wildlife preservation. Botswana has one of the highest elephant populations in Africa.

Official description (blazon)

The ''Botswana Emblems Act'' describes the coat of arms of Botswana as follows:An Act to declare the Arms or Ensigns Armorial of Botswana, the National Flag of Botswana and the Standard of the President of Botswana; and to provide for matters incidental thereto.
/ref> ''Argent three barrulets wavy in fesse 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.''

Gallery

File:Coat of arms of Bechuanaland Protectorate.svg, Seal of the

Bechuanaland Protectorate The Bechuanaland Protectorate () was a protectorate established on 31 March 1885, by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (later the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) in Southern Africa. It became the Republic ...

File:BDF emblem.svg, Emblem of

Botswana Defence Force The Botswana Defence Force (BDF, tn, Sesole Sa Botswana) is the military of Botswana. The main component of the BDF is the Botswana Ground Force; there is also an air wing and a riverine patrol contingent attached to the ground forces, with 10 ...

References

* *''Guide to the Flags of the World'' by Mauro Talocci, revised and updated by Whitney Smith (), p. 165.

National symbols of Botswana

{{Heraldry-stub