The coat of arms of Kiribati, officially known as the National Emblem of Kiribati, is the

heraldic symbol Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known branch ...

representing the Central Pacific island nation of

Kiribati Kiribati, officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an island country in the Micronesia subregion of Oceania in the central Pacific Ocean. Its permanent population is over 119,000 as of the 2020 census, and more than half live on Tarawa. The st ...

. The arms feature a golden-coloured

lesser frigatebird The lesser frigatebird (''Fregata ariel'') is a seabird of the frigatebird family Fregatidae. At around 75 cm (30 in) in length, it is the smallest species of frigatebird. It occurs over tropical and subtropical waters across the Indian ...

over a rising sun on a red background among white and blue stripes (symbol of the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...

) and the 3 pairs of stripes represent the three archipelagos of the nation ( Gilbert, Phoenix and

Line Islands The Line Islands, Teraina Islands or Equatorial Islands () are a chain of 11 atolls (with partly or fully enclosed lagoons, except Vostok and Jarvis) and coral islands (with a surrounding reef) in the central Pacific Ocean, south of the Hawa ...

). The 17 rays of the sun represent the 16 Gilbert Islands and

Banaba BanabaThe correct spelling and etymology in Gilbertese should be ''Bwanaba'' but the Constitution of Kiribati writes Banaba. Because of the spelling in English or French, the name was very often written Paanapa or Paanopa, as it was in 1901 A ...

(former Ocean Island). On the ribbon under the shield is the Gilbertese motto ''Te Mauri te Raoi ao te Tabomoa'' (Health, Peace, and Prosperity).

History

After being drawn by Sir

Arthur Grimble Sir Arthur Francis Grimble, (11 June 1888 – 13 December 1956) was a British Colonial Service administrator and writer. Biography Grimble was educated at Chigwell School and Magdalene College, Cambridge. He then went to France and Germany ...

in 1932, the coat of arms was granted by the

College of Arms The College of Arms, or Heralds' College, is a royal corporation consisting of professional Officer of Arms, officers of arms, with jurisdiction over England, Wales, Northern Ireland and some Commonwealth realms. The heralds are appointed by the ...

on 1 May 1937 to the

Gilbert and Ellice Islands The Gilbert and Ellice Islands (GEIC as a colony) in the Pacific Ocean was part of the British Empire from 1892 to 1976. It was a British protectorate, protectorate from 1892 to 12 January 1916, and then a crown colony, colony until 1 January 1 ...

, then British Colony, which paid £25 for it, and was adapted as the official coat of arms of Kiribati in 1979 with the new motto. The design was partially inspired by the flag of the

Company of Scotland The Company of Scotland Trading to Africa and the Indies, also called the Scottish Darien Company, was an overseas trading company created by an act of the Parliament of Scotland in 1695. The act granted the company a monopoly of Scottish trade ...

. The previous motto of the British Colony (1937–1979) was "Fear God, Honour the King" (both in Gilbertese, ''Maaka te Atua, Karinea te Uea''; or Tuvaluan, ''Mataku i te Atua, Fakamamalu ki te Tupu''). The same motif is seen on the flag of Kiribati.

Notes

References

Sources

* Minahan, James, 2010: ''The Complete Guide to National Symbols and Emblems'' (2 vols); Kiribati: p 79 (tex
Googlebooks
and p 282 (image
Googlebooks
ABC-CLIO LLC.
Heraldry of the World: Kiribati
*http://www.paclii.org/ki/legis/num_act/nia1989197.pdf National symbols of Kiribati

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