The Emblem of Guinea-Bissau was adopted shortly after independence from Portugal in 1973.

Design

Featured prominently is a black star, that is part of traditional Pan-African symbolism, and is often referred to as the Black star of Africa. A seashell at the bottom unites two symmetrical olive branches. The seashell is symbolism for the location of the country on the West coast of Africa. The red banner contains the national motto of Guinea-Bissau: that translates to English as "Unity, Struggle, Progress".

Historical coat of arms

In 1935, the Portuguese colonies were officially assigned coats of arms that followed a standard design pattern.