A coat of arms is the name given to an heraldic device. Many coats of arms go back in some families for a number of generations.

Kings and princes were the first to have heraldic coats of arms.

1. The supporters on either side of the coat of arms are the Ugandan Kob representing the wildlife of Uganda and the Crested Crane, the emblem for Uganda.

2. The drum represents Uganda's culture. It was once the belief that drums could scare away evil spirits. A drum chain can be used to transmit messages over a distance of 100 miles in less than one hour.3. The spears and shield are representative of Uganda's traditional form of weapons and symbolise the nation's defence and security.

4. The blue stripes at the top of the shield symbolise the waters of all the great lakes and rivers in Uganda. The blue stripes entering the bottom of the shield represent the source of the Nile river.

5. The green stands for the abundance of green vegetation in Uganda and the coffee and cotton plants shown on the background represent Uganda's main export crops.

6. The black colour of the shield stands for the African inheritance of the people of Uganda and the yellow sun for the abundance of sunshine in the country.

Programme Ideas

1. Find out about your district, borough council or city coat of arms and what it stands for. Are your Scout District or County area badges linked in some way?

2. Make an individual or Patrol coat of arms. Hang them in your Troop HQ. This should reflect your name, interests, and so on.

3. Discover the coat of arms of each of countries bordering Uganda. Do they have any similarities?