Emblem of Angola
| Emblem of Angola | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Details | |
| Armiger | Republic of Angola |
| Adopted | 2 November 1990 |
| Escutcheon | A blue circle features a star, a crossed machete and hoe, a rising sun, and an open book |
| Motto |
Republica de Angola "Republic of Angola" |
| Other elements | An emblem are all enclosed within a circle formed by a half gear-wheel and a half maize and cotton leaves. And at the bottom, a banner with the name of the country in Portuguese |
The emblem of Angola reflects the recent past of the new nation. There is heavy Marxist imagery found on the device (as can be seen when comparing with other examples of so-called "socialist heraldry"), expanded from what is found on the national flag.
In the center is a machete and hoe, representing the revolution through which the nation gained independence and the importance of agricultural workers. Above both emblems is a star that is often found in many socialist images. The star is taken to represent progress. The rising sun is the traditional symbol of a new beginning. These emblems are all enclosed within a circle formed by a half cog-wheel that represents the industrial workers, and a half maize and cotton leaves that represents the agriculture.
At the bottom is an open book that is to represent education. A banner reads "Republic of Angola" at the bottom, in Portuguese.
Details of the insignia are laid down in Article 163 of the Constitution of Angola.
When Angola was a Portuguese colony and later a Portuguese province (and thus legally a part of Portugal proper), Angola has used coats of arms to represent the nation. These consisted of a shield parted per pale by the Portuguese arms without its usual bordure and the arms for Angola itself, which was a golden elephant and a golden zebra in a purpure field, with wavy bends in the base standing for Angola's location overseas from metropolitan Portugal.
Historical coats of arms
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Coat of arms of Portuguese West Africa between May 8, 1935 - June 11, 1951.
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Coat of arms of Portuguese West Africa from June 11, 1951 to November 11, 1975.
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Lesser coat of arms between May 8, 1935 - November 11, 1975.
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Emblem of the People's Republic of Angola (1975-1992)