Coat of arms of Réunion

The coat of arms of Réunion represents the island and overseas departement of Réunion. The coat of arms is created by Émile Merwart in 1925 on the occasion of a colonial exhibition that was to be held in Petite-Île.^[1]

Elements

• The upper left field of the shield shows the Roman numberal 'MMM' (3000) that indicates the approximate height of the Piton des Neiges, which is 3069 meters.
• The upper right field portrays the Saint-Alexis ship that arrived on the island in 1638.
• The three lilies (a symbol of the Bourbon dynasty) allude to the historical name of Réunion, Isle de Bourbon, a possession of the French monarchy.
• The bees on the lower right field symbolises the historical period of the island under the domination of the First French Empire. The bees are symbols used by Napoleon Bonaparte.
• The shield in the centre represents the French tricolour with the initial RF in the middle that stands for 'French Republic'.
• The official motto of the island Florebo quocumque ferar ("I will flourish wherever I will be brought") was originally the motto of the French East India Company.

See also

• Logo of Réunion
• Flag of Réunion

References

1. Argyll, Claude (1935). Escale aux Mascareignes: île de la Réunion, île Maurice. J. Crès. p. 295. Retrieved 6 August 2015.

External links

Media related to Coats of arms of Réunion at Wikimedia Commons