Coat of arms

The Yukon coat of arms is a red, blue, gold and white shield surmounted by a malamute standing on a mound of snow.

Wavy vertical white and blue stripes represent the Yukon River and the gold-bearing creeks of the Klondike.

Red spire-like forms represent the territory's mountains and the gold circles within symbolize mineral resources.

At the top of the shield is a cross of St. George in recognition of the early English explorers and a "roundel in vair" as a symbol of the fur trade.

Yukon's coat of arms was commissioned by the federal Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and designed by well-known heraldry expert Alan Beddoes in the early 1950s. It was approved officially by Queen Elizabeth II in 1956.