Republic of Angola

Angola is located on the Atlantic Coast of Southern Africa between Namibia and the Republic of the Congo. It also is bordered by the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia to the east. The country consists of a sparsely watered and somewhat sterile coastal plain extending inland for a distance varying from 50 to 160 km. Slightly inland and parallel to the coast is a belt of hills and mountains and behind those a large plateau.

The Angolan coat of arms reflects the recent past of the new nation. There is heavy Marxist imagery found on the coat of arms, which is expanded from the national flag’s imagery.

At the centre the agricultural implements represent the revolution through which independence was gained from the Portuguese and the importance of agricultural workers. The star above both emblems is often found in many socialist images. The star is taken to represent progress. The rising sun is the traditional symbol of a new beginning. These emblems are all enclosed within a circle formed by a half cog-wheel that represents the industrial workers, and a half maize and cotton leaves that represents the agriculture. Since 1990, the text on the banner was changed to read República de Angola from República Popular de Angola and the cog-wheel was changed to silver from gold.

The open book at the bottom represents education. A banner reads “Republic of Angola” at the bottom, in Portuguese. Details of the insignia are laid down in Article 163 of the Constitution of Angola.