Coat of arms of Barbados: photo, meaning, description
Coat of arms of Barbados
The countries of the Caribbean, thanks to their convenient location, warm climate and rich vegetation, do not know the end of tourists. For travelers arriving here from distant countries of the globe, the islands seem like a piece of paradise. The coat of arms of Barbados and the main emblems of its neighbors remind of the rich flora of these amazing places and interesting representatives of the kingdom of fauna.
Description of the coat of arms of Barbados
The composition of the main symbol of this island state is based on the most famous traditions, according to which the mandatory elements are:
- shield and supporters;
- headdress (crown or knight's helmet);
- windbreak;
- scroll with the name of the country or its motto.
All these elements are present on the emblem, but interpreted in their own way, in the spirit of traditional ideas. For example, supporters do not appear in the usual images of lions or other heraldic animals. For the coat of arms of Barbados, two prominent representatives of the local fauna were selected: a brown pelican and a fish from the ray-finned genus - Corifena.
Pelicans are known on all continents, brown - in the New World. Interestingly, this bird species, in addition to the official emblem of the island state, was honored to take a place on the coat of arms of the American state of Louisiana. Predatory fish are also widespread not only in the Caribbean, but in almost all oceans..
Flora coat of arms
In addition to the outstanding representatives of the world of the Barbados fauna, plants are also present on the main symbol of the country, they have a place in the center, on a golden shield. The vegetation of the island is represented by a bearded ficus and an amazing flower - Caesalpinia.
The bearded ficus shocked the sailors from Europe, who were the first to set foot on the coast of the hitherto unknown island. The plant had aerial roots that intertwined with the branches, which made the trees look bearded, which in Spanish sounded like «barbudos». The Spanish name for these trees (in a slightly modified form) later spread to the entire island.
Caesalpinia is considered the national plant of the state, calling «Red pride of Barbados», its fiery red flowers, sometimes confused with an orchid, are also featured on the shield of the coat of arms.
The composition is crowned with a knight's helmet, decorated with feathers, and a golden-red burette. In addition, there is a crest in the form of a hand that holds two stalks of sugar cane, which is an important agricultural crop of Barbados..