| Coat of arms of Latvia | |
|---|---|
 Greater version | |
| Versions | |
 Middle version | |
 Lesser version | |
| Armiger | Republic of Latvia |
| Adopted | June 15, 1921 |
| Crest | An arc of three mullets Or |
| Shield | Per fess and in base per pale: 1st Azure, a demi-sun issuing from base Or; 2nd Argent, a lion rampant contourné Gules; 3rd Gules, a gryphon segreant brandishing in the dexter claw a sword Argent. |
| Supporters | Dexter, a lion rampant Gules, and sinister, a griffin segreant Argent; both langued Or |
| Compartment | Two oak branches fructed Vert tied together by a ribbon Sanguine charged with a bar Argent |
TheCoat of arms of the Republic of Latvia was officially adopted by theConstitutional Assembly of Latvia on 15 June 1921, and entered official use starting on 19 August 1921. It was created using new national symbols, as well as elements of the coats of arms of Polish-Lithuanian and SwedishLivonia and of theDuchy of Courland and Semigallia. Thus, the coat of arms combines symbols of Latvian national statehood, as well as symbols of its historical regions.[1] The Latvian national coat of arms was designed by Latvian artistsVilhelms Krūmiņš andRihards Zariņš.[2][3][4]
Previously, after the proclamation of the independence of Latvia, an emblem was adopted by thePeople's Council of Latvia on 6 December 1918 as a 'national coat of arms'. The symbol, designed byBurkards Dzenis, consisted of a Sun (a symbol of self-determination, used in badges of theLatvian Riflemen) with 17 rays, symbolizing thecounties inhabited by Latvians. The bottom of the disk was covered by a ribbon in the colors of theLatvian flag. At the center of the solar disk a letter "L" and three stars were placed. This emblem was mostly used in slightly different monochrome variations as an officialseal (by the People's Council, the Constitutional Assembly and other government and military institutions, on the banknotes of theLatvian ruble, diplomatic passports etc.).[5]
The three golden stars above the shield represent the three historical regions of Latvia:Vidzeme (Swedish Livonia),Latgale (Latgalia orPolish Livonia) andKurzeme (Courland, also Zemgale orSemigallia as theDuchy of Courland and Semigalia) and their unity.[6]
The golden sun in a blue field represents freedom. The sun was also used as a symbol of distinction and national identity used by theImperial RussianArmy'sLatvian Riflemen units duringWorld War I.[6] During the war, the sun was fashioned with 17 rays that symbolised the 17 Latvian-inhabited districts.
The bottom part of escutcheon is divided into two fields:
The red lion and silver griffin are also used as supporters.[7]
Base of the coat of arms is decorated with the branches of an oak tree,Quercus robur, which is one of Latvia's national symbols, and tied by a red-white-red ribbon.
There is also a version with amantle, which is on display at the Plenary Chamber in theHouse of the Livonian Noble Corporation.
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The proper use of the Latvian coat of arms is firmly regulated. Three types of symbols are used: the large coat of arms, the small enhanced coat of arms and the small coat of arms.
After theSoviet occupation of Latvia in 1940, the coat of arms was used until 5 August 1940. During the existence of theLatvian Soviet Socialist Republic, theemblem of the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic was used. The Latvian coat of arms was restored once again on 15 February 1990.[8]
Until 1 January 2014 both versions of theLatvian lats used the small coat of arms on the obverse sides of 1s, 2s, 5s, 10s, 20s and 50s coins, the large coat of arms was used on the obverse sides of Ls 1 and Ls 2 coins and the reverse sides of all banknotes. After the introduction ofEuro, the small coat of arms is used on the national sides of €0.01, €0.02 and €0.05coins, the large coat of arms is used on the national sides of €0.10, €0.20 and €0.50 coins.
On 1 January 2015, the Cabinet of Ministers introduced the uniform visual identity for governmental institutions, which uses the coat of arms in the middle, and topped with a bar of the respective color of the institution.[9][10]
The colours used in the coat of arms are defined according to the official regulation as follows:[9]
| Black | Blue | Golden | Green | Red | Silver | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pantone | Black C | 286 C | 873 C / 131 C | 341 C | 186 C | 877 C / Cool Gray 4 C |
| CMYK | 0, 0, 0, 100 | 100, 66, 0, 2 | 0, 32, 100, 9 | 100, 0, 67, 29 | 0, 100, 81, 4 | 0, 0, 0, 27 |
| RGB | 0, 0, 0, 0 | 19, 73, 145 | 211, 142, 0 | 0, 124, 90 | 204, 32, 48 | 195, 196, 198 |
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