The Royal Coat of Arms of
Scotland was the official coat of arms of the monarchs of Scotland, and were
used as the official coat of arms of the Kingdom of Scotland until the Union of
the Crowns in 1603. Afterwards, the arms became an integral part of the Royal
Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom.
The Royal Coat of Arms of
Canada feature the Scottish arms in the second quarter of the shield, and use
the unicorn as the sinister supporter.
Both the flag and coat of arms
of Nova Scotia feature the Scottish arms.
The standard of the Duke of
Rothesay features an inescutcheon, with the arms of the heir apparent to the
King of Scotland (the Royal Coat of Arms of Scotland with a three point label).
The flag of Scotland features a
white saltire, a Crux decussata (X-shaped cross) representing the cross of the
Christian martyr Saint Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland, on a blue field. It
is known as the Saltire or the Saint Andrew's Cross. In heraldic language, it
may be blazoned Azure, a saltire argent.
The Saltire is one of the
oldest flags in the world, traditionally dating back to the 9th century, and is
the oldest national flag still in modern use, the oldest state flag being
Denmark's Dannebrog.
The Scottish Saltire and field
is one of the components of the Union Flag, the flag of United Kingdom. A
reversed version (blue saltire on a white field) is to be found in the naval
ensign of Russia (see Russian Navy) used before and after the Soviet Union
(Saint Andrew is also a patron saint of Russia).
Additionally, the blue Saltire
on white design is featured on the Coat of Arms of Nova Scotia, Canada and its
flag (Nova Scotia was originally a Scottish colony), but the blue used for Nova
Scotia is generally a light blue. Similarly, the Spanish island of Tenerife and
the remote Colombian islands of San Andr?s and Providencia also use the saltire
on their flags.