Today it is difficult to meet a person who does not know what a Kalashnikov assault rifle is. It is the most common weapon in the world and has even been listed in the Guinness Book of Records. Today, there are four countries with state symbols depicting a Kalashnikov assault rifle.
Mozambique and Zimbabwe
The image of the Kalashnikov assault rifle is present on the coat of arms of Mozambique, where it symbolizes protection and vigilance. It is complemented by such national symbols as the stalk of sugar cane and corn, symbolizing wealth; a book and a cogwheel, representing education and industrial labor; and a red star, symbolizing socialism. Together with the red sun, the above elements of the coat of arms are intended to emphasize the international solidarity of the people of Mozambique.
The Mozambique flag is the only flag in the world to be adorned with a modern Kalashnikov assault rifle.
The colors of the national flag of Mozambique consist of five shades: red represents resistance to colonialism, green represents the country's plant resources, and black represents the African continent. The golden-black color symbolizes the mineral wealth of the continent, while white represents the struggle for peace and freedom.
The coat of arms of Zimbabwe depicts a pair of forest antelopes, which stand on a high earthen mound, consisting of wheat and cotton stalks, as well as corn sprouts. At the bottom of the coat of arms is the country's national motto - "Unity, Freedom, Work" (Unity, Freedom, Labor). Also on the Zimbabwean coat of arms there is a green shield with fourteen waves at the top. Behind it is a Kalashnikov assault rifle and an agricultural hoe, while the ancient ruins of Greater Zimbabwe are depicted in the center of the shield. At the top of the shield is a red star with Hungwe, the Great Bird of Zimbabwe, which also appears on the country's national flag.
Burkina Faso and East Timor
The Kalashnikov assault rifle appeared on the coat of arms of Burkina Faso after the 1984 revolution and the renaming of the country. In addition to the machine gun, the coat of arms depicted a hoe and crowned it all with the motto "La Patrie ou la mort, nous vaincrons" ("Motherland or death, we will win"). This image on the emblem of the country was used until 1994.
Modern Kalashnikov assault rifles are used to arm fifty foreign armies.
The coat of arms of East Timor was created according to an existing project, which was approved after the country's unilateral declaration of independence in 1975. The Kalashnikov assault rifle is located in the center of the coat of arms - as on the state symbols of Zimbabwe and Mozambique. It is complemented by the motto "Unidade, Acção, Progresso", which means "Unity, Action, Progress" in Portuguese.
