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The Belize Coat of Arms
[back to the Belize Flag] [Description]

Description of the Belize Coat of Arms:
.
Embellished in the center of the Belize flag is the coat of arms: a white,
filled in circle bordered by a green, circular, garland flowing in a
clockwise direction.
The coat of arms features:
1. A mahogany tree: the first European settlers in Belize became
mahogany traders and the mahogany trade was once the economical backbone of
the colony.
2. Two woodcutters, the one on the left holding an axe
and the one on the right holding a paddle (rivers were the mode of
transportation for getting cut logwood back to the settlement; the logwood
cutters found themselves paddling further up stream to find fresh logwood
areas).
3. A shield showing the tools of
the mahogany trade including a paddle, squaring axe, beating axe, saw and ship (Most of the Mahogany was
shipped to Great Britain where it was in much demand for creating fine furniture and
creating dyes in the textile industry).
4. A flowing scroll bearing the
Latin motto "sub umbra floreo", meaning "under the shade we
flourish", or/and implying "under the shade of
the mahogany tree we flourish".
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