The coat of arms of Niger

Niger

Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...

shows a four-part flag draping in the national colors orange, white, and green. In the middle, the state seal is arranged. On a white or gold shield the four golden symbols are shown. In the middle, there is a sun

Sun (heraldry)

A representation of the sun is used as a heraldic charge. The most usual form, often called sun in splendour or in his glory, consists of a round disc with the features of a human face, surrounded by twelve or sixteen rays, alternating wavy and straight.It is a common charge in the heraldry of...

, to the left there is a vertical spear

Spear

A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head.The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with bamboo spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fastened to the shaft, such as flint, obsidian, iron, steel or...

 with two crossed Tuareg sword

Sword

A sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration...

s, to the right are three pearl millet

Pearl millet

Pearl millet is the most widely grown type of millet. Grown in Africa and the Indian subcontinent since prehistoric times, it is generally accepted that pearl millet originated in Africa and was subsequently introduced into India. The center of diversity, and suggested area of domestication, for...

 heads and underneath is the frontal view of a zebu

Zebu

Zebu , sometimes known as humped cattle, indicus cattle, Cebu or Brahmin cattle are a type of domestic cattle originating in South Asia, particularly the Indian subcontinent. They are characterised by a fatty hump on their shoulders, drooping ears and a large dewlap...

 head. Under the coat of arms, there is a ribbon bearing the name of the country in French: Republique du Niger. While the constitution of Niger stipulates the color of the symbols upon the shield, there is no uniformity on the color of the shield. The 1999 Constitution reproduces the text of earlier constitutions, making a distinction between the Seal of State (Le Sceau de l'État) for which no shield colour is stipulated and the Coat of Arms of the Republic (Les Armoiries de la République) for which Sinople

Sinople

Sinople was a term for a kind of red earth used as a pigment in antiquity.It can refer to:*sinople, also sinoper, a term for "red", and later "green" in heraldry, see Sinople...

 is stipulated as the shield colour. Sinople is analogous to Vert

Vert

The colour green is commonly found in modern flags and coat of arms, and to a lesser extent also in the classical heraldry of the Late Middle Ages and the Early Modern period....

(Green) in heraldry, but official buildings and documents do not display green shields. Embassies and official documents use white, with gold emblems. The website of the President of Niger uses gold or yellow with dark gold or black emblems. The National Assembly of Niger

National Assembly of Niger

The unicameral National Assembly of Niger is the country's sole legislative body. The National Assembly may propose laws and is required to approve all legislation.-History:...

 meets below a large coat of arms with the shield coloured gold and the emblems in a darker gold.

Meaning of the colors and symbols

There have been several meanings proposed for the colours of the Nigerien nation, but there is no constitutional reference to these meanings. Commonly, these meanings are described as

• Orange: stands for the Sahara Desert on the northern border of the country.
• Green: stands for the grass plains in the south and west, which the Niger River
  Niger River
  The Niger River is the principal river of western Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in southeastern Guinea...
  
   flows through.
• White: stands for hope
  Hope
  Hope is the emotional state which promotes the belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one's life. It is the "feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best" or the act of "look[ing] forward to with desire and reasonable confidence" or...
  
  . For the Niger State it additionally symbolizes the Savanna
  Savanna
  A savanna, or savannah, is a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer consisting primarily of C4 grasses.Some...
  
  region.