Coat of arms of Tristan da Cunha
Encyclopedia
The coat of arms
of Tristan da Cunha
was granted in 2002.
es in a blue-and-white mirror image design. The two supporters
are Tristan rock lobster
s, which are found in the waters surrounding the island. The crest features a naval crown and a Tristan da Cunha longboat
.
The motto is “Our faith is our strength”.
, and on the defaced Union Flag
used by the Administrator
.
, Tristan da Cunha used their coat of arms
.
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
of Tristan da Cunha
Tristan da Cunha
Tristan da Cunha is a remote volcanic group of islands in the south Atlantic Ocean and the main island of that group. It is the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world, lying from the nearest land, South Africa, and from South America...
was granted in 2002.
Features
The arms consist of a shield featuring four albatrossAlbatross
Albatrosses, of the biological family Diomedeidae, are large seabirds allied to the procellariids, storm-petrels and diving-petrels in the order Procellariiformes . They range widely in the Southern Ocean and the North Pacific...
es in a blue-and-white mirror image design. The two supporters
Supporters
In heraldry, supporters are figures usually placed on either side of the shield and depicted holding it up. These figures may be real or imaginary animals, human figures, and in rare cases plants or inanimate objects...
are Tristan rock lobster
Tristan rock lobster
The Tristan rock lobster, Jasus tristani, is a species of rock lobster endemic to the Tristan da Cunha archipelago and Vema Seamount, north-east of Tristan. It is very closely related to J. paulensis and these two may represent a single species. The Tristan rock lobster features on the coat of...
s, which are found in the waters surrounding the island. The crest features a naval crown and a Tristan da Cunha longboat
Longboat
In the days of sailing ships, a vessel would carry several ship's boats for various uses. One would be a longboat, an open boat to be rowed by eight or ten oarsmen, two per thwart...
.
The motto is “Our faith is our strength”.
Arms on the flag of Tristan da Cunha
The arms feature on the flag of Tristan da CunhaFlag of Tristan da Cunha
The flag of Tristan da Cunha was adopted on October 20, 2002, in a proclamation made by the Governor of Saint Helena under a Royal Warrant granted by Queen Elizabeth II...
, and on the defaced Union Flag
Union Flag
The Union Flag, also known as the Union Jack, is the flag of the United Kingdom. It retains an official or semi-official status in some Commonwealth Realms; for example, it is known as the Royal Union Flag in Canada. It is also used as an official flag in some of the smaller British overseas...
used by the Administrator
Administrator of Tristan da Cunha
The Administrator of Tristan da Cunha is the head of government and representative of the Governor of Saint Helena in Tristan da Cunha. The role of the Administrator is to chair the territory's Island council which consists of 8 elected members and 3 appointed members...
.
Previous arms usage
Prior to 2002, as a dependency of Saint HelenaSaint Helena
Saint Helena , named after St Helena of Constantinople, is an island of volcanic origin in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha which also includes Ascension Island and the islands of Tristan da Cunha...
, Tristan da Cunha used their coat of arms
Coat of arms of Saint Helena
The coat of arms of Saint Helena was authorised on January 30, 1984.The arms feature a shield, with the top third showing the national bird, the Saint Helena Plover Charadrius sanctaehelenae, known locally as the Wirebird - stylized, but with its unmistakable head pattern...
.