The National Emblems
of Trinidad and Tobago

Our national emblems found on the national Coat of Arms are in the form of a shield which is regarded as a sign of protection. The colours red, black and white on it are our national colours.

NATIONAL BIRDS

Our National Birds are the Scarlet Ibis and the Cocrico (Tobago Pheasant). The Scarlet Ibis is the larger bird representing Trinidad and the Cocrico, the smaller, represents Tobago.

THREE SHIPS

The three ships on the shield represent Christopher Columbus' fleet of the Santa Maria, Nina and Pinta when he discovered the island in 1498.

HUMMING BIRDS

The humming birds have been included for sentimental reasons. It's said that more species of humming bird are found in T&T T than any other country in the world, and that early inhabitants of Trinidad called Trinidad Iere or Caire, which means the Land of the Humming Bird.

THREE MOUNTAIN PEAKS

Three peaks remind us that Columbus named Trinidad after the Trinity when he spotted the three mountain peaks called three sisters or Trinity Hills.

WATER

The water surrounding the peaks represent the cradle of our heritage - the trough which forms the islands of Trinidad and Tobago.

HELMET

The gold helmet crowned with wreaths represents sovereign power.The coconut tree with the ship's wheel is taken from the old Coat of Arms of Tobago, known as the Great Seals of Tobago.

MOTTO

Our Motto, "Together we aspire, together we achieve", is the hope of a people for a better life to be achieved through cooperation and working together to build a better nation.

NATIONAL FLOWER

The National Flower, the Chaconia, is sometimes called Wild Poinsettia. It is known as the Pride of Trinidad.

The National Coat of Arms can be seen on the obverse side of any Trinidad and Tobago coin.