National Arms of Réunion

Heraldry of the World
Civic heraldry of Réunion

THE NATIONAL ARMS OF LA RÉUNION

Official blazon

Origin/meaning

The arms were officially adopted in 1925.

The first quarter shows three mountains, symbolising the mountainous character of the island. The three letters M are the Roman number 3000 and are placed above the highest of the mountains, the Piton des Neiges volcano, which is 3069 m high.
The second quarter shows the ship that discovered the island for the French in 1638, the Saint-Alexis.
The third quarter shows the French Royal arms, which is also a canting symbol for the old name of the island, Île Bourbon, Bourbon being the name of the dynasty of the French Kings.
The fourth quarter shows 12 bees, symbolising the omportance for the development of the island during the Napoleonic Era. The heraldic symbol used by Napoleon was the bee.

The escutcheon shows the French flag and the letters RF for République Française. The motto Florebo quocumque ferar means "Wherever I may go, I will flourish" or "I will be fruitful".
This sentence was taken from the motto of t he ancient French Company of the East Indies, which was an institution in charge of colonizing and subjecting the island in the 17th century, see image below.