Tonga
Heraldry of the World The main resource for civic heraldry since 1996 with over 85.000 images |
The National Arms of Tonga | The National Flag | Location |
Administrative division
Tonga is a Kingdom in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over 700,000 square kilometres of ocean in the South Pacific. Tonga is divided into five divisions: 'Eua, Ha'apai, Niuas, Tongatapu, and Vava'u.
As far as I know, none of these uses arms.
National arms
The arms were designed in 1862 by Prince Uelongatoni Ngu Tupou and are identical to the Royal arms.
The tree stars in the first quarter represent the three main groups of islands in the kingdom. The kingdom itself is symbolised by the crown in the second quarter. The dove in the third quarter symbolises Christianity and the swords in the last quarter symbolise the three Royal dynasties. The white star and red cross in the centre of the shield are the national symbols. The motto : 'Koe otua mo Tonga ko hoku tofia' can be translated as 'From God and Tonga I descend'.
The arms on a coin |