Coat of arms of Rhodesia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The coat of arms of Rhodesia was first used for the self-governing British colony of Southern Rhodesia in 1923, known simply as Rhodesia after 1964.

The shield features a red lion rampant and two thistles, taken from the family arms of Cecil Rhodes, after whom the colony was named, and the Latin motto Sit Nomine Digna (May It Be Worthy of the Name) is a reference to Rhodes. The pick, in gold on a green field, represents mining, the economic mainstay of the colony. Also featured above the shield is the soapstone statuette of a bird found in the ruins of Great Zimbabwe.

The shield of the arms was used on a British Blue Ensign, like most other British colonies, originally on a white disc, but later without one. This design served as the Flag of Rhodesia until 1964, when the field of the flag was changed to light blue. In 1968, the full coat of arms was featured on a new national flag, placed in the centre, and when Rhodesia was declared a republic in 1970, was featured on the President's flag.

The arms remained unchanged by the renaming of the country as Zimbabwe Rhodesia in 1979, and were used by the government of Zimbabwe from April 18, 1980 to September 21, 1981, when the present coat of arms of Zimbabwe were introduced.