The Gambia is a post-colonial African state with a fairly rich history. Its territory was colonized in the 16th century, after which French, Dutch and English sailors began to build their trading posts on this land. In 1807, England declared Gambia the property of the British crown, after which its borders and administration underwent many changes. And only only on April 24, 1970, it becomes a truly independent republic, having received the right to choose its own flag and coat of arms of the Gambia.
Flag and coat of arms of the country
During the period of colonial dependence, the Gambia did not have its own state symbols of a single sample. As the latter, the colonial administration used the traditional Union Jack with the Gambian badge. It was represented in the form of a circle, inside which was an elephant walking between palm trees, and the letter G.
Many of the Gambian merchant ships at the time also used this flag frequently, but this was considered a serious offense as they were only required to sail under the British merchant flag.
The coat of arms of this country is also interesting. In its final form, it was adopted on November 18, 1964 and contains the national motto of the Gambia: "Progress - Peace - Prosperity", which translated from English means: "Progress - Peace - Prosperity". It consists of the following elements:
- azure shield;
- a golden ax and a hoe folded into an oblique cross;
- supporters (two lions in full face);
- Knight's helmet;
- Palm branch.
In general, they form the following image: in the center of the coat of arms there is a shield with a green border and a pattern of a hoe and an ax. On both sides, the shield is supported by lions, in whose paws are also the already indicated hoe and ax. All this is crowned with a knight's helmet, decorated with a plume of palm leaves. Also at the bottom of the coat of arms is a silver ribbon with the national motto.
It is officially believed that the hoe and ax are symbols of the importance of agricultural labor for the country. According to another version, they symbolize the two largest ethnic groups inhabiting the Gambia - Fulbe and Mandika.
Curiously, the President of the Gambia has his own personal flag. It is a miniature image of the official coat of arms of this country on a blue cloth.
