National emblem
{{Short description|Seal reserved for use by a nation state or multi-national state}}
{{For|the march|National Emblem}}
File:Emblem of Italy.svg. The emblem, shaped as a Roman wreath, comprises a white five-pointed star, the {{lang|it|Stella d'Italia}} (English: "Star of Italy"), which is the oldest national symbol of Italy, since it dates back to the Graeco-Roman tradition.{{cite book|last=Rossi |first=Girolamo|title=Lo scudo crociato. Un simbolo medievale nella comunicazione politica del Novecento|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=uE_qAgAAQBAJ&q=stella+di+venere+stesicoro&pg=PA38 |year=2014|publisher=Armando Editore|language=it|isbn=978-88-96817-06-3|page=38}}]]
A national emblem is an emblem or seal that is reserved for use by a nation state or multi-national state as a symbol of that nation. Many nations have a seal or emblem in addition to a national flag.
Other national symbols, such as national birds, trees, flowers, etc., are listed at lists of national symbols.
Terms: emblem, coats of arms, seal
The design of an emblem is different to that of a coat of arms which should follow the rules of heraldry and so contain a shield (escutcheon) in the center. However, many unheraldic national emblems are colloquially called national coats of arms anyway, because they are used for the same purposes as national coats of arms.{{cite book|first=Carl-Alexander|last=von Volborth|author-link=Carl-Alexander von Volborth|title=Heraldry: Customs, Rules and Styles|location=Ware, Hertfordshire|date=1983|publisher=Omega Books Ltd.|isbn=0-907853-47-1|page=11}}
Some designs of national emblems can be used one-to-one for a national seal.Seal and emblem of the United States Department of the Army: not a national emblem/seal but an example for a emblem and a seal, see also: [https://web.archive.org/web/20080216190909/http://www.history.army.mil/reference/Heritage/Emblem.htm Department of the Army Emblem], U.S. Army Center of Military History
The same for some national coats of arms like the Great Seal of the United States which is actually a coat of arms (achievement) on a seal.
File:Coat of arms of Antigua and Barbuda.svg|Coats of arms have a shield or escutcheon in the center.
(Coat of arms of Antigua and Barbuda)
File:Coat of arms of Haiti.svg|The Emblem of Haiti looks like a coat of arms but has no shield.
File:Coat of arms of Mexico.svg|The Emblem of Mexico is officially called the "Coat of arms of Mexico" even though there is no heraldic shield.
File:National emblem of Indonesia Garuda Pancasila.svg|The National Emblem of Indonesia as it is called, even though it qualifies to be called a coat of arms (there are escutcheon, motto, and supporter).
File:Great Seal of the United States (obverse).svg|An example for a national coat of arms (achievement) on a seal.
(Great Seal of the United States)
File:Seal of the Government of National Unity (Libya).svg|The Emblem of Libya can be used 1:1 as a seal.