Coat of arms
Coat of arms of the Turks and Caicos Islands
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Lesser variant
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Adopted
| 28 September 1965
(
1965-09-28
)
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Crest
| On a Wreath Or and Azure, On a Mount Vert a Pelican between two Sisal Plants proper
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Shield
| Or in chief a Queen Conch Shell and a Spiny Lobster and in base a Turk's Head Cactus proper
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The
coat of arms of the Turks and Caicos Islands
consists of a gold-coloured
escutcheon
(shield)
charged
with a
conch
shell, lobster and a cactus,
supported
by two
flamingos
, and topped with a
pelican
in the
crest
. Adopted three years after the islands became a
Crown colony
, it has been the
coat of arms
of the
Turks and Caicos Islands
since 1965. The escutcheon is featured on the
flag of the territory
. The previous badge featured two mounds of salt in front of a ship, with doors added to the mounds after they were reportedly mistaken for
igloos
.
History
[
edit
]
The
Turks and Caicos Islands
were ruled by the British colonial government in the
Bahama Islands
starting in 1799.
[1]
Tensions between the two territories,
[2]
coupled with financial troubles, led to the Turks and Caicos being given their own charter in 1848, before being placed under the administration of the
Colony of Jamaica
26 years later.
[1]
During the 1870s, the territory was accorded its own badge to be utilised on its flag.
[2]
[3]
This consisted of two mounds of salt on land in the foreground, awaiting to be loaded onto a ship in the background. A door was erroneously added to one of the mounds, however, when the designer or an official at the
Admiralty
reportedly mistook the salt mounds for
igloos
.
[2]
[3]
[4]
This was not rectified up until a new coat of arms was instituted in the 1960s.
[3]
The Turks and Caicos Islands became a
Crown colony
in 1962, after
Jamaica
became independent that same year.
[1]
[5]
The islands were consequently reunited with the Bahamas from 1962 until 1973, when the latter territory became independent and the Turks and Caicos were granted
their own governor
.
[1]
[2]
A new coat of arms for the territory was adopted by
royal warrant
on 28 September 1965.
[6]
[7]
Design
[
edit
]
The coat of arms of the Turks and Caicos Islands are
blazoned
as follows:
[8]
Or in chief a Queen Conch Shell and a Spiny Lobster and in base a Turk's Head Cactus proper; and for the Crest: On a Wreath Or and Azure, On a Mount Vert a Pelican between two Sisal Plants proper; and for Supporters: On either side a Flamingo proper.
Symbolism
[
edit
]
The colours and objects on the coat of arms carry cultural, political, and regional meanings. The
queen conch
shell and
spiny lobster
[9]
allude to the islands' primary industry of fishing.
[6]
The
Turk's Head cactus
symbolises the territory's
biome
.
[6]
Taken altogether, the shell, lobster, and cactus represent the flora and fauna of the islands.
[10]
The
crest
at the top depicts a
white pelican
flanked by two
sisal
plants
[11]
? evoking the islands' past trade of
rope-making
[12]
? while the supporters grasping the shield on both sides are
flamingos
.
[9]
[13]
Uses
[
edit
]
The shield from the arms features on the
flag of the Turks and Caicos Islands
,
[6]
and on the standard of
the territory's governor
.
[14]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
Ferguson, James A.; Bounds, John H. (10 September 2020).
"Turks and Caicos Islands ? History"
.
Encyclopedia Britannica
. Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc
. Retrieved
6 June
2021
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Dash, Mike (14 December 2012).
"White Gold: How Salt Made and Unmade the Turks and Caicos Islands"
.
Smithsonian
. Smithsonian Institution
. Retrieved
6 June
2021
.
- ^
a
b
c
"National Symbols"
. Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands. Archived from
the original
on 8 October 2011
. Retrieved
6 June
2021
.
- ^
Ecott, Tim (30 October 2004).
"Off the map"
.
The Guardian
. London
. Retrieved
6 June
2021
.
- ^
"Turks and Caicos profile"
.
BBC News
. BBC News. 28 May 2018
. Retrieved
6 June
2021
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Dorling Kindersley Ltd. (6 January 2009).
Complete Flags of the World
. Penguin. p. 130.
ISBN
9780756654863
.
- ^
Weekes, Nick (10 June 2008).
"Research Note No. 2: Colonial Flag Badges: A Chronology"
(PDF)
. Flag Institute. p. A-6
. Retrieved
27 July
2021
.
- ^
"The West Indies and Caribbean Year Book 1976?77"
.
The Caribbean Year Book
. Caribook: 332. 1926.
ISSN
0083-8233
.
- ^
a
b
Belleville, Bill (16 December 1990).
"Dolphin Dreams ? Chuck Hesse the Philosopher Preaches Freedom for Captive Dolphins"
.
Orlando Sentinel
. Retrieved
6 June
2021
.
- ^
"Turks and Caicos Islands ? Details"
.
The World Factbook
. CIA. 11 May 2021
. Retrieved
6 June
2021
.
- ^
Barraclough, E. M. C.; Crampton, William G. (1978).
Flags of the World
. Frederick Warne & Co. p. 54.
ISBN
9780723220152
.
- ^
Minahan, James (2010).
The Complete Guide to National Symbols and Emblems
. Vol. 2. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 760.
ISBN
9780313345005
.
- ^
Mackendrick, Russ (22 January 1978).
"Numismatics"
.
The New York Times
. p. D39
. Retrieved
6 June
2021
.
- ^
"The Flag of the Turks and Caicos"
. Visit Turks and Caicos Islands
. Retrieved
6 June
2021
.
External links
[
edit
]
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Sovereign states
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Dependencies and
other territories
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