Arms of the British Antarctic Territory | |
Shield: | Per Fesse wavy barry wavy of six Argent and Azure and Argent on a Pile Gules a Torch enflamed proper |
Supporters: | On the dexter side a Lion Or and on the sinister side an Emperor Penguin proper |
Motto: | Research and Discovery |
Use: | Coat of arms of the Falkland Islands Dependencies |
The coat of arms of the British Antarctic Territory was first granted in 1952, when the territory was still a dependency of the Falkland Islands (along with South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands).[1]
The arms consist of a shield bearing a flaming torch on a wavy background representing the sea. The dexter supporter is a golden lion, representing the United Kingdom.[2] The sinister supporter is an Emperor penguin, representing the native wildlife in the territory. The lion stands on a compartment of grass, while the penguin stands on a compartment of ice. The crest is a representation of the RRS Discovery, the research ship used in 1901 by the caption Robert Falcon Scott on his first journey to the Antarctic.[3]
The coat of arms appears in the fly of the flag of the British Antarctic Territory.
The official blazon granted by the British College of Arms is as follows:[4]
Arms: Per Fesse wavy barry wavy of six Argent and Azure and Argent on a Pile Gules a Torch enflamed proper.
Supporters: On the dexter side a Lion Or and on the sinister side an Emperor Penguin proper.
Motto: Research and Discovery