Coats of arms quiz: recognize countries by their emblems
A national coat of arms packs the history of a country into a single picture. This quiz shows an emblem and asks which country it belongs to, a harder challenge than flags because many emblems share shields, crowns and animals.
Start the quiz: Coats of armsHow to learn them
- Look for the animals. Eagles appear on the emblems of Germany, Poland, Mexico and Serbia, and lions on those of the United Kingdom, Belgium and Sweden.
- Check the shape of the shield and what surrounds it: crowns, wreaths, ribbons with the national motto, or supporters holding the shield.
- Some flags carry the coat of arms in the middle, such as those of Mexico, Moldova, Andorra and the Dominican Republic, so those are easy to connect.
Fun facts about coats of arms
From medieval shields to today's national emblems.
- c. 1194Denmark
Three lions
The oldest known picture of Denmark's three lions is on a seal of King Canute VI. The number of hearts was only fixed at nine in 1819.
- c. 280 BCIndia
The Lion Capital of Sarnath
India's emblem comes from a pillar of the Maurya Empire. The original has four lions back to back, but only three are visible. The motto means “Truth alone triumphs”.
- 1402Serbia
The double-headed eagle
A symbol from the 11th century and the arms of the Nemanjić dynasty. Stefan Lazarević officially adopted it in 1402. The cross with four fire steels is probably Byzantine in origin.
- c. 1155–1160
One of the earliest coats of arms
On the tomb of Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou, an enamel plaque shows a blue shield with six golden lions: one of the earliest pictures of heraldry as we know it.
- 1968Mexico
An eagle on a cactus
The eagle eating a snake on a cactus comes from the legend of the founding of Tenochtitlan, around 1325. The current design dates from 1968.