The coat of arms of Sierra Leone (along with the flag), were developed by the College of Arms and granted in 1960.

Design

The shield on the arms depicts a lion beneath a zigzag border, representing the Lion Mountains, after which the country was named. It also shows three torches which are meant to symbolize peace and dignity. At the base are wavy bars depicting the sea. The supporters of the shield are lions, similar to those on the colonial badge. The three main colours from the shield – green, white and blue – were used to form the flag. The green represents agricultural and natural resources, the blue represents the Harbour of Freetown and the white represents unity and justice. At the bottom of the shield, the national motto can be seen.

Blazon

The coat of arms of Sierra Leone are described as: (a) for arms- (b) for the supporters- (c) with the motto "UNITY, FREEDOM, JUSTICE”.

Colonial arms

The arms of the Colony of Sierra Leone were granted by royal warrant of 30 July 1914: The "Union device as used at the time of the cession" was the flag of Great Britain.