text:
Talk:Coat of arms

Better not a redirect
Though a coat of arms certainly has to do with heraldry, I think it deserves its own article. jheijmans — Preceding undated comment added 07:21, 7 June 2002 (UTC)

 * I did consider the option of renaming the Heraldry page to Coat of arms as this is all it currently covers. One definition (which I would concur with) is
 * The art or office of a herald; the art, practice, or science of recording genealogies, and blazoning arms or ensigns armorial; also, of marshaling cavalcades, processions, and public ceremonies.
 * Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. User:Rjstott — Preceding undated comment added 08:11, 7 June 2002 (UTC)

 * "Experts" NEVER use the term "Coat of Arms" when they could use Armorial Bearings! Skull 'n' Femurs 16:00, 30 November 2005 (UTC)

 * That is simply false. What I suspect you mean is that when they're feeling in a formal mood they tend to write "armorial bearings." But in everyday speech and writing, they use "coat of arms" or (even more frequently) "arms" as shorthand all the time:      etc., etc. Doops |  talk 18:45, 30 November 2005 (UTC)

 * User Doopshas validated my point, above, by trying to refute it. All the references cited are “magazine” or “brochure” style pages. The articles in Wikipedia form a more formal encyclopedia and should use a more formal style. "Experts" NEVER use the term "Coat of Arms" when they could use Armorial Bearings in a formal context, such as here in the Wikipedia. "Arms" may well be used, if referenced or defined - when first used - to replace of the continuous use of “Armorial Bearings”. "The origin of the Coat of Arms was a jacket or tabard worn by a mediaeval Knight over his armour in order to identify himself. Nowadays the expression "Coat of Arms" is generally applied to what is officially called an "Achievement", which consists of various parts: a shield, helmet, mantling, wreath, crest, motto and sometimes supporters and decorations." Now here, "generally applied" is not in a more formal context, such as a Wikipedia article. Talk [[Image: Masonic_Skull_n_Femurs_little.PNG]] Skull 'n' Femurs 10:24, 2 December 2005 (UTC)

 * Well, then, I misunderstood your point. Sorry. I thought you were trying to imply that the phrase "coat of arms" is somehow wrong. It isn't. We should reserve our opprobrium for things (like "crest of arms") which are actually out-and-out wrong.

 * I think, too, that you're overestimating the informality of "coat of arms." It's not tee-shirt-and-jeans informal; it's shirt-and-tie informal. If the wikipedia changed every instance of "arms" or "coat of arms" to "armorial bearings" it would be dressing up in white-tie-and-tails formal, which is overkill, even for the wikipedia. You're right, of course, that heralds use "arms" more often than "coat of arms" — "arms" is shorter! In for a penny, in for a pound. Doops | talk 10:31, 2 December 2005 (UTC)

 * By the way, it was silly that "armorial bearings" didn't appear in the page and didn't redirect here. I've fixed that now. Doops | talk 10:37, 2 December 2005 (UTC)

Umm...
What is with the "QUIT DELETING MY POSTS IM TRYING TO HELP" at the end of the article? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.5.245.141 (talk) 03:43, 13 May 2005 (UTC)

Crest of arms?
I suggested a while back that coat of arms is also sometimes referred to as crest of arms, but an editor refuted my claim (edit summary was: "crest of arms? there aint no such thing!"), but apparently Coat of arms is sometimes referred to as such. I intend to re-introduce this into the article – but I'll will wait pending input from others. What ya reckon? / Ezeu 19:35, 30 November 2005 (UTC)

 * S/he's right; there ain't such a thing. A crest is a very specific thing, and the word is very often misued to mean something it doesn't. Like so many others, the Elmbridge council could use a vocabulary lesson. Of course the wikipedia needs to cater to all, even the misinformed, not ignore misconceptions incompletely; which is why there are notices on crest and heraldry and this page to help people learn what "crest" actually means. Doops | talk 21:35, 30 November 2005 (UTC)
 * Thanks for the clarification. I have edited the article accordingly. / Ezeu 21:53, 30 November 2005 (UTC)

unsourced?
Is this a joke? The article is a tiny little stub right now. It includes absolutely no obscure information; everything in it is common knowledge. I can gladly add references for the sake of "further reading" or suchlike; but it's impossible to cite sources for my latest rewrite since the source is me! Doops | talk 18:17, 1 December 2005 (UTC)

Opening ¶
Hi. Here's the opening ¶ under the preferred version of User: Skull 'n' Femurs:

 * A coat of arms - properly called a Heraldic Achievement, or less formally Armorial Bearings or just Arms - is also often wrongly called a crest of arms. In European tradition it is a set of colourful symbols with origins in the designs used by mediaeval knights to make their armor and shield stand out in battle or tournaments and enable quick recognition.

The main problem with this is that it takes a question of terminology and makes it the centerpiece of the article. The article isn't about terminology (or at least it shouldn't be); it's about COATS OF ARMS. Therefore the first sentence should, like practically every other article, define it. The first ¶ should lay out the situation as clearly and legibly as possible. We have to remember the reader first and foremost.

Additionally, I do not see the need to work "achievement" into the first sentence. The 2nd ¶ already makes quite clear what a heraldic achievement is and when that phrase is and is not synonomous with "arms" and "coats of arms." Insofar as this is an issue, the article cannot help involving itself in terminology; and it is important that we helpe the reader to navigate that minefield. But again, simplicity and clarity should be our watchword.

Finally, let me repeat what I said earlier up this page — in your obsession, Skulls n' Femurs, with "armorial bearings" and "heraldic achievements" you're trying to become more 'correct than the experts'. That has two problems: as a matter of style, it makes the wikipedia look forbidding and uptight; as a matter of substance, it might leave the reader with the misapprehension that "arms" and "coat of arms" are somehow wrong, which they aren't. Doops | talk 23:22, 6 December 2005 (UTC)

Oversweepingly broad statement
In some heraldic traditions (such as the Scottish) it is basically true that coats of Arms are individual possessions which can be passed down through more than one generation in the line of heirs (usually the eldest sons), but it is NOT true in other traditions (such as the English, where many cousins of the same surname can have identical coats of arms). The article page should reflect this. AnonMoos 20:22, 1 January 2006 (UTC)

 * No. both England and Scotland require differencing of arms for younger sons. Scotland's system is complicated and comprehensive, specifying several generations' worth of of changes involving borders, color changes, changes of lines to wavy/embattled/engrailed/etc. England's system is much simpler: there are specific charges which younger sons add to their arms; after a few generations the pile up of cadency marks (as they are called) becomes unbearable and the person applies for a fresh set of arms for his cadet branch (usually based on / related to his ancestral arms). But cousins should never have identical arms in either place. Doops | talk 21:25, 1 January 2006 (UTC)

 * Unfortunately, that happens not to be the case. The English system has a set of cadency marks (for the FIRST son as well as for other sons), which can be used to distinguish the arms of sons (as individuals) from those of their father (particularly when the father is still alive), if desired; and these cadency marks have been used on some occasions to differentiate between different branches of a family.  But cadency marks are by no means obligatory, and patrilineal cousins quite frequently have the same set of arms.  Furthermore, in the Polish system, minor nobility families with dozens of different surnames can all have exactly the same coat of arms. AnonMoos 17:19, 2 January 2006 (UTC)

quarterly
As I (mis)understand the history, the "coat of arms" is so called because it was painted or embroidered on a cloth tunic worn over metal armor to keep the sun off; this "coat" had the same design as the shield. The word coat is also used for the components of an impaled or quartered shield, and the article ought to mention this somewhere. —Tamfang 07:30, 16 February 2006 (UTC)

flexible standards
Someone seriously wrote that the "coats of arms" of and  are more heraldic than that of the USA? —Tamfang 07:40, 16 February 2006 (UTC)

 * Do you suggest it is otherwise? Is there an American heraldic standard? Kittybrewster 22:27, 18 February 2006 (UTC)

 * I suggest that the US Great Seal has a blazonable shield with a supporter and the "coats of arms" of Italy and France resemble heraldry about as much as the jar of pens on my desk. —Tamfang 23:24, 18 February 2006 (UTC)

 * All three of them are about as heraldic as my pants, perhaps the Italian and Usonian more so than the French. — Nightst a  llion  (?) 09:42, 20 February 2006 (UTC)

 * Um, exactly where was this statement supposed to have been made? I looked at the last version of the article before your edit, and could find no comparison made between the arms of the US and those of France or Italy. What I saw was a statement that France and Italy had arms, even though they are no longer monarchies. --EncycloPetey 04:53, 21 February 2006 (UTC)

 * It said the ex-monarchies "retain" coats of arms, which is false of Italy and France (though true, more or less, of Hungary and Croatia); and that the USA Seal is "not an armorial achievement". The comparison is created by the juxtaposition.  —Tamfang 05:11, 21 February 2006 (UTC)

 * Since the two topics appeared in separate paragraphs, I expect that the statements were written at different times by different individuals, and were not intended to be juxtaposed. In any case, the new text dodges this problem. --EncycloPetey 09:34, 21 February 2006 (UTC)

External link removal?
The external link at the bottom links to a program for Win95. Surely that's very old and should be removed? →bjorn the great t|c 12:52, 21 April 2006 (UTC)

Helmets
Helmet - Kittybrewster 13:33, 17 November 2006 (UTC)
 * Umm...Kitty...you'll have to be a bit more clear on the purpose of this edit. The link that you've pointed to is very Britannocentric in its explanation of heraldic helmets, but I cannot determine why you put it here.-- E va   b  d  15:09, 17 November 2006 (UTC)
 * I'm not sure it's practical to list the format in each country but an example is not a bad thing. Perhaps it would be best to add 'for example in the UK the coronets were' Alci12 16:32, 17 November 2006 (UTC)
 * A query was raised by a French User as to the appropriate helm for a Baronet. I was surprised it was not covered by en.wiki - it is now. - Kittybrewster 20:39, 17 November 2006 (UTC)

Coats of Arms and Fair Use
If I want to include the coat of arms of a family in an article in wikipedia, do I need to get the permission of the family? Does fair use apply? Anyways, in the US is ownership of really old coats of arms even recognized? nadav 05:50, 16 March 2007 (UTC)

 * I would that that would fall in the guidelines of Fair Use if you are using the coat of arms to illustrate that family only.-- Eva  b  d  14:26, 16 March 2007 (UTC)

 * A particular representation of a coat of arms may be under copyright; but if you re-draw the coat yourself, or use your own photograph of a public display, you're in the clear. —Tamfang 06:01, 3 April 2007 (UTC)

 * Good point.-- Eva  b  d  13:54, 3 April 2007 (UTC)

Vandalism
For some reason, this page has been attracting a lot of IP vandalism. Maybe it's time for Semiprotection. nadav 08:22, 26 April 2007 (UTC)
 * I listed it on Requests for page protection, and it will be semiprotected for 5 days. nadav 12:16, 28 April 2007 (UTC)

When arms are in a circle, what is it?
Can anyone confirm what is the correct description of this i.e. used here for the Royal Greenwich Hospital, Thanks! Gustav von Humpelschmumpel 18:37, 27 May 2007 (UTC)

 * In rare cases a blazon will specify the precise shape of the shield; but usually that is left up to the heraldic artist's discretion. Most commonly, this flexibility allows for standard mediaeval-looking "heater" shields or more florid baroque forms (chosen according to context-appropriateness); but I see no reason why this circular depiction couldn't also be an extreme example of artistic license. On the other hand, it's also possible that this photo actually shows not an oddly-shaped escutcheon but rather a badge, which would be blazoned something like this: on a roundel argent, a crown or on a cross gules between four anchors of the second. Doops |  talk 18:52, 27 May 2007 (UTC)
 * That's what I thought- thanks! It's just that the heraldic badge doesn't say anything specifically about "round" badges. Gustav von Humpelschmumpel 21:07, 27 May 2007 (UTC)
 * The heraldic badge article is right now a pretty pathetic stub. Suffice it to say that badges consisting of stuff on a roundel are relatively common. (Incidentally, in my blazon above I forgot that another name for a roundel arguent is a plate which could have saved me a little typing.) Doops | talk 21:11, 27 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Do you think we should redirect to Badge and add the heraldic info there as the two things are clearly connected? Gustav von Humpelschmumpel 21:49, 27 May 2007 (UTC)
 * No. There ought to be a link, and perhaps a section on the badge article explaining the historical connection, but heraldic badges are personal insignia, whereas modern badges are typically linked to an office or rank. There is enough of a difference that the articles should remain separate. --EncycloPetey 23:42, 27 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Subject to the small cavil that some offices do indeed have heraldic badges associated with them, Encyclopetey is absolutely right -- the heraldic badge article may be weak now but it definitely has the scope to be an important article someday. Doops | talk 00:59, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

Outside of the Society for Creative Anachronism I've only seen one representation of badges on roundels: it's figure 822 in The Art of Heraldry (p.334), "The Stafford Badges as exemplified in 1720 to William Stafford Howard, Earl of Stafford" – and none of those has an ordinary throughout. Usually badges have no field. I think what we have here is simply a shield bent into a circle for convenience. The Royal Arms are sometimes put on a round shield to fit neatly within the Garter. (But I'll read up on badges tomorrow.) —Tamfang 08:10, 28 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Assuming the website knows what it is talking about (which of course it might not), here are the badges of some English and Welsh counties and boroughs; about half of them involve some sort of roundel. (But of course you're right to say, as I said above, that the image could just show arms bent into a circle.) Doops | talk 17:19, 28 May 2007 (UTC)
 * And some of those do use some or most elements of the arms of those places in a roundel. Gustav von Humpelschmumpel 15:51, 29 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Yeah, but that's silly in my view, and contrary to the whole point of a badge. Doops | talk 16:04, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

Edit by History2007
History2007 is misrepresenting sources, and adding irrelevant information to this article.
 * Item: History2007 says in this edit that "seals and coats of arms were designed to make a good impression and say something about their owners." and attributes this information to an article at the British Museum . The article being cited does not even talk about coats of arms.  First of all, the article is about medieval seals, and not about coats of arms.  It does not even mention coats of arms.  The article does say "Most seals say something about their owners." It does not say that they were "designed" to do this, but rather that modern workers can tell something about the owner from the seal.  It clarifies this with the following sentences: "A king, for instance was represented in a very specific way, as was a queen, a bishop or a noble lord and lady."  The word "impression" in the article refers to the pressing of a seal into wax, not about making an impression on the viewer.  So the source has been thoroughly misrepresented in three ways. —This is part of a comment by  EncycloPetey   which was interrupted by the following:
 * Agree, and even if it was properly sourced, it doesn't deserve its own level 2 header, and it definately doesn't deserve to be the opening header. -- I. Pankonin (t/c) 03:42, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

 * Item: The latter portion of the article reviews style by geographic region, including the UK, Japan, and regions of continantel Europe with differences in heraldic tradition and style. History2007 insists on adding an entire section devoted to the Vatican, half of the text of which is about one personal set of arms used by Pope John Paul II.  These arms should be discussed on a more specific article, not in a general article about Coats of arms.  The information added about "Vatican heraldry" is unreferenced, except for the single bit about the origin of Pope John Paul II's armory. —This is part of a comment by  EncycloPetey   which was interrupted by the following:
 * That wasn't actually referenced either. The source discussed aspects of Pope John Paul II's life, but did not discuss the coat of arms, or support that the coat of arms intentionally reflected those aspects of his life. Further, it said "popes use personal coats of arms once they are elected", implying that they do not use them before they are elected. Gimmetrow 07:55, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

 * Item: History2007 has added text saying that "According to respected historian Emily J. Hutchison, as early as 1405, John the Fearless began distributing emblems that corresponded directly to his ideology." That's great but it has nothing to do with coats of arms.  This fact does not belong in this article, which is about coats of arms.  It may be placed on an article about medieval tokens or emblems, but should not appear here. —This is part of a comment by  EncycloPetey   which was interrupted by the following:
 * I think this would be appropriate in heraldic badge. Agree that it's not appropriate here.  -- I. Pankonin (t/c) 03:42, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

 * Item: History2007 says: "Valentin Groebner argues that the images composed on coats of arms are in many cases designed to convey a feeling of power and strength, often in military terms." This is one person's opinion, and is at odds with the majority of heraldic scholarship.  It also claims "in many cases" without explaining that it is actually a minority of cases that do this.  Most arms, especially the oldest ones, are simple geometric designs.  Many later ones are canting arms, which pun on the owner's name.  Arms were not designed "to convey a feeling of power and strength" in the majority of cases.  The idea was held by Victorian-age heralds, but has been repeatedly debunked by later authors. —This is part of a comment by  EncycloPetey   which was interrupted by the following:
 * I think this can stay. This is useful information, and it would be more useful if the views that you mentioned were also represented.  -- I. Pankonin (t/c) 03:42, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

--EncycloPetey (talk) 22:37, 7 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Item: History2007 says that "Museums on medieval coat of arms also point out that as emblems they may be viewed as a pre-cursors to the corporate logos of modern society, used for group identity formation." and cites this source. The source, in fact, is not a museum but a travel guide.  Worse, it does not say what History2007 claims it does.  It does draw an analogy between the medieval arms and the corporate logo, saying that "They were an early version of what we might call today the "logo" or corporate identity".  It does not say that they were a precurosr, and does not say that they were used for group identity information.  It says they were used for personal identity, like a signature would be.
 * Agree with the comments about the source, but I think corporate coats of arms - which are not the same as logos - deserve a mention. The evolution of logos and coats of arms was completely separate, but since they're both symbolic, they have a lot in common.  The information about Mitsubishi is relevant, even though it's about a logo, because of its history as a mon.  -- I. Pankonin (t/c) 03:42, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

Reply
Good, now you are actually using some logic. So we can have a discussion. I do NOT agree with your logic, but this is a starting point for a debate.

The heart of the section I added was about the fact that "coats of arms are not just identification symbols, but intend to convey a message, often of respect, and at times intend to re-inforce an ideology". I can bring in 20 more references that support this fact. It is fact that coats of arms are communication tools as well as identification tools and since the 19th century they have ONLY been communication tools.

A good example was the reference I had from University of Warwick. Every English university has a coat of arms. It is not to identify them in battle, it is to "communicate an image". As for the Pope's coat of arms and its marian symbolism, it was ONLY to communicate a message and an ideology.

I think teh above fact is essential in understanding coats of arms today and deserves to be in the article. I can bring in many references, but you will, within minutes dismiss them, for you have clearly not read teh references I had. Therefore, before deleting the section again, please air your objection to the statements above first. Thanlk you. History2007 (talk) 00:17, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

 * You have replied, but you have not answered any of the objections I noted to your text. You have simply added back the unsupported and irrelevant information.  Of the sources you cite that I have followed up on, none contains the cited information or supports your POV.  You are still claiming content from the British Museum site that isn't there.  Claiming that a reference contains information does not make it true, and certainly not when the cited source does not even address the subject.  Adding 20 more citations of sources that don't actually say what you claim will not make any difference.  You also did not read my comments above if you think I have "no objection" to the section on the Vatican.  It is not I that hasn't read the references.  I have read them and quoted them above, but you seem to have missed that fact.  Please re-read my comments above and respond to them in the context of the sources you've "cited" instead of simply spouting personal beliefs.  --EncycloPetey (talk) 01:30, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

P.S. by the way, I assume you are no longer objecting to the sections I wrote on Japan and the Vatican. I guess you may have even learned someting from me in the past 3 days and everytime you see a Mitsubishi logo you will know the crest it came from. So at least some progres is being made History2007 (talk) 00:21, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

 * Actually, no, I haven't learned anything from your information. I already knew about the Mitsubishi logo from the collection of books I have on Japanese mon.  I already knew about John Paul II's arms and symbolism from reading other sources.  You are simply coming across as egotistical in making the above assumptions, which do not seem to be substantiated by any evidence. --EncycloPetey (talk) 01:33, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

PPS Further thought: Perhaps there shoud just be a section on the "modern use of coats of arms" e.g. at univeristies, etc. and that can then include references to the fact that they are now used as communication tools, etc. That may in fact resolve the debate. You can even find those references yourself if you like, for there are plenty out there. Thanks History2007 (talk) 00:49, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

I am busy for the erst of today probably, but will reply in a day or so. In the meantime, the key question is this: Is there a need here for a section on the "modern use" of coats of arms. Let us settle that issue first. So do you think this article needs to be about medieval times, or is there a place for discussing "modern usage". I think modern usage deserves a section. What do you think of that question first? History2007 (talk) 01:36, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

 * There isn't enough information yet for a whole section on that subject. So it does not deserve a whole section unto itself yet. --EncycloPetey (talk) 01:45, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

Let me rephrase my question: assuming there is additional information (which I can easily obtain) will it be relevant? Relevance is a key issue you have brought about, so it needs to be addressed. Are coats of arms as defined here ONLY medieval, and is there need for a new article on "Modern coats of arms"? I seems that two articles would be too many for they need to link together, e.g the Mitsubishi case. Hence my guess is that given new information it will be relevant, sice your reply relied on the lack of info. History2007 (talk) 06:11, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

First: a clear definition
I thought a ittle bit more about the issues. It is best to start at the top leve. First, siince you questioned my motives, I asked myself: “Why do I bother to edit this little article on coats of arms anyway?”

Fact 1: Whether this article exits or not makes no difference to my life. I edited it because I was trying to understand coats of arms because it seemed like fun. I do not manufacture coats of arms and make no penny from them. I was just trying to understand them. The Pope's coat of arms made me think of them in the first place. I realized they are communication tools. I had not thought of them before. I was a line of thought that yet remains open.

Fact 2: Wikipedia does NOT help a user understand coats of arms. I still do not know what they are as defined by the article and how they are different from the terms seal and emblem used in the article. Other logically oriented users may have similar questions.

The real test:

 * Using the guidelines in the article, can a user easily guess which of these symbols on the right are classified by the article as a coat of arms, an emblem or a seal? If so, what is the reasoning therein?

By the way, one of them is listed as neither a coat of arms, nor a seal, nor an emblem but as another term. Can you guess which one without looking at the gallery? Until that issue of a "definition for coat of arms" is resolved the rest of the details have to wait.

My first problem with the current article: How is the term coat of arms (as used) distinguished from seal and emblem? There is an implied answer within the article that a coat of arms has a distinct geometric shape. Namely a seal has a round/circular shape while a coat of arms has a triangular shape like a shield. The article implies that there is a specific European tradition in heraldry that requires specific elements. It seems to me that coat of arms of Switzerland breaks these rules and must be excluded from the gallery. So what are these rules? When does an emblem become a coat of arms?

I can think of a mapping of metric spaces that preserves specific properties to a representative within a congruence class (by the way the congruence class article needs help too, for it misses geometric and algebraic cases!). The Swiss coat of arms seems to have the absolute minimal requirements here. But then all the other emblems and seals in the gallery must be deleted. For instance the emblem of France is clearly NOT a coat of arms. Or is it? And ehat about Indonesia? Will someone clarify this? And visually speaking how is the emblem of Turkey making its way into the gallery? It seems so similar to the Swiss coat of arms, yet it is called an emblem? So how are they different? Is it the pointed edge? The article is not specific or factual here. As for Ethiopia, Japan and the United States, well they are clearly not coats of arms and have no place in the gallery. Hence the gallery needs serious deletions if we are to be logical.

Yet it seems that in fact the three terms “coat of arms”, “seal” and “emblem” have been used as a congruence class within the article. Hence either:

1. The article title needs to change to something new.

2. Many items from the gallery must be deleted.

3. It must be admitted that the terms seal, coat of arms ad emblem are used as a congruence class.

In my mind the only solutions are:

A. A clear answer to the above dilemma a thinking user will have.

B. Many deletions from the gallery.

C. Approach 3, by declaring a congruence class.

The article is in clear need of further explanation and restructuring. Please express your thoughts before we go further. Thank you. History2007 (talk) 06:11, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

 * The base definition of a coat of arms is identifying marks on a shield or a coat for use in battle. Over the centuries, a strict formula has evolved in Europe for representing these on a shield with a helm, crest, and mantle, and anything that uses that formula can also be called a coat of arms, even though it may not have ever been used in battle.  Strictly, the term coat of arms refers only to the shield.  The full representation is referred to as an armorial achievement.  The Japanese custom is included here, because it fits the base definition of a symbol for use of an individual in battle.

 * Often, national emblems are referred to as coats of arms because they're similar or serve a similar function. The French emblem is not a coat of arms.  Quote from the Wikipedia article: Technically speaking, it is an emblem rather than a coat of arms, since it does not respect heraldic rules—heraldry being seen as an aristocratic art, and therefore associated with the Ancien Régime.

 * If you're new to the subject, I recommend reading Boutell's Heraldry. The heraldry article is much better than this one if you just want a short review.  -- I. Pankonin (t/c) 06:52, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

 * Socialist heraldry might also help. -- I. Pankonin (t/c) 06:56, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

Thank you for the link. But if I have to read an external link, that means that the Wikipedia article has failed to inform me. Why don't we "fix the wiki-article" rather than having to go and read soemthing outside. In the end, Wikipedia is intended ot be complete. Right? Now, in your view, what is the rationale for universities using them? Again, thanks for the link History2007 (talk) 07:22, 8 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Yes, it needs to be improved. This article is rated as start-class, which is the lowest rating an article can have if it's not a stub.  I gave you that link so you could have more information for editing.

 * Universities have arms because heraldry is considered an aristocratic art, and universities were originally only attended by the priviledged class. It's more of a tradition than anything else.  -- I. Pankonin (t/c) 23:42, 8 January 2008 (UTC)

Thank you for the clarification. I will try to read up on these items. They are interesting. So universities use them as "symbols that communicate status" and I guess in time aristocrats have also used them as "status symbols" rather than just "identification marks" - dare I say the Prada or Giorgio Armani marks of the 18th century? I wondered if anyone had looked into the symbolism used in the archetypal context of Man and His Symbols. I did a search, but found almost nothing. I will look more.... My guess is that there is some underlying mechanism for communicating a message there in, and as discussed before, at times an "ideology", e.g. the university of Glasgow's coat of arms with the open book of knowledge at the top probably tries to emphasize the importance of reading, learning, etc. History2007 (talk) 05:50, 9 January 2008 (UTC)

Indonesia
The motto on the bottom of Indonesian coat of arms reads Bhinneka Tunggal Inka. It should reads Bhinneka Tunggal IKA (not inka). Wrong spelling. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 125.164.74.120 (talk) 03:38, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

Japan
Should discuss unusual phenomenon of rare Japanese armigers, such as the current Emperor. --99.139.239.108 (talk) 18:35, 6 July 2008 (UTC)

The Popes
I'm not happy with this language:
 * The Vatican has its own coat of arms, as the Coat of arms of the Holy See. Yet there is an at least 800-year-old tradition for personal Papal coat of arms that goes back to Pope Innocent IV.

This implies that the Papacy is (armorially) special when it isn't. Around eight centuries ago, every person in a position of authority started using a coat of arms. When the office is not hereditary, the arms of the office (if any) and of its occupant are distinct. Let's find other wording. —Tamfang (talk) 02:59, 9 October 2008 (UTC)

 * You could be bold and try and find another way of wording it yourself, as you seem to know a bit about papal heraldry. -- DWR talk  20:30, 11 October 2008 (UTC)

"Nordic countries" section ends ... then 'Denmark' is mentioned mentioned under the "other countries" section....?????
OK, I'd be able to understand if it were "Scandinavian" countries where the argument may come in that it is not a part of the peninsula, but certainly Denmark is a "Nordic" country, is it not? 4.255.55.29 (talk) 21:23, 3 January 2009 (UTC)

Whats the difference between the 3 (emblem, coat of arm, crest) for a nation
I seen there symbols being called these (its the one next to the flag). Is there any real difference between them? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.52.248.218 (talk) 18:47, 30 April 2009 (UTC)

 * An emblem can be any graphic symbol; the word has no specific meaning in heraldry. A coat of arms is what's painted on a shield (called a 'coat' because it was originally also painted on the cloth tunic that a Crusader wore to keep his metal armor from cooking him in the sun).  A crest is worn on top of a helm (compare Crested Jay).  —Tamfang (talk) 20:20, 3 May 2009 (UTC)

Blazon
How would you call the blazoned shield in a coat of arms? "Shield" or "escutcheon" refers to the shape and not the content, whereas "coat of arms" includes the motto, the crest, the helmet, etc. Would you use the term "blazon shield", or "shield blazon", or another suggestion? Liam D (talk) 18:50, 19 September 2009 (UTC)
 * I'm not sure what you are asking, but "shield" does not refer to particular shape; it refers to the region of the overall achievement that is represented as if it were a shield. Note also that "blazoned" means "described in the specialized heraldic terms of heralds". --EncycloPetey (talk) 19:04, 19 September 2009 (UTC)

 * I say coat of arms is what you want; the combination of shield, helm etc is the achievement. A quartered shield is commonly said to comprise two or more coats. —Tamfang (talk) 03:25, 21 September 2009 (UTC)
 * I agree with Tamfang: the full display is referred to as an achievement, but just the shield with its contents is referred to as a coat of arms, or I have seen it styled a shield of arms if you like. The escutcheon, it might be noted, is not just "the shape", but is the very shield itself.  Is there a question about this article's style or content? Wilhelm Meis (Quatsch!) 04:07, 21 September 2009 (UTC)

Germany
Hello? Where is the Holy Roman Empire? Where are the Germanic States? These are the places from which other countries adopted Heraldry! (i.e. Vatican, Japan, Eastern European States, much later USA) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 97.81.105.222 (talk) 04:06, 29 November 2009 (UTC)

 * How about German heraldry? What is it that you want to see here? — I don't buy that Japanese heraldry owes anything much to Germany. —Tamfang (talk) 05:42, 29 November 2009 (UTC)

thirteen stripes
A recent edit removed the word 'improper' from a description of the USA shield, remarking:

 * It is NOT heraldically improper at all. The blazon carefully avoids saying would be improper by using the term 'Paleways of 13 pieces' instead of the improper 'Paly of 13 pieces'.

Hm. If so, it's backing out of a frying-pan to burn its butt on the fire, because paleways properly describes the position of a charge, not a partition of the field. —Tamfang (talk) 19:12, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

 * The blazon does not say paleways of thirteen argent and gules but paleways of thirteen pieces argent and gules. While not the most common description, with the ambiguous "pieces" rather than palets, it is not incorrect by any means.  There are many blazons that use the terms pieces, segments, sections and so forth; all ambiguous, but all correct and acceptable.  Rather than give a blazon of argent six palets gules, the thirteen pieces keeps the symbolism of the thirteen founding states, which was deemed more important than going with a more traditional blazon.  Also, the thirteen pieces requires each piece be drawn of equal width, which ‘’argent six palets gules’’ would not necessarily require.  Those aesthetics and idea of each piece being equal may have been another contributing factor for the blazon this way.   [tk]   XANDERLIPTAK  06:15, 29 April 2010 (UTC)

 * Why it was thought desirable to keep the word 'thirteen' is not the question here. I'm plenty liberal enough for "paly of 13" (and had thought of the equal widths point myself) but not liberal enough to say it is proper to use a keyword whose well-established primary sense is incompatible unless it's disambiguated better than that, e.g. "divided paleways".  One who has never seen the device would not be unreasonable in supposing that the 'pieces' are stacked paleways. —Tamfang (talk) 05:23, 1 May 2010 (UTC)

 * There is a difference of paleways of thirteen pieces and thirteen pieces in pale. Stacking the bars horizontally upon each other would be "in pale" while vertical pallets would be "paleways".   [tk]   XANDERLIPTAK  23:52, 19 May 2010 (UTC)

 * If one way is in pale, then the other way is in fess.
 * Is there at least one earlier blazon in which "paleways" (alone) means "paly"? —Tamfang (talk) 18:55, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

It isn't so much that it is blazoned as "paleways" to mean paly, but that these ambiguous "pieces" are paleways. When using something generic like "pieces" you can use in pale or fessways for the same effect, or in fess and paleways for the same effect. The difference is more important and distinguishable when using an actual charge, like a sword or a lion. [tk]  XANDERLIPTAK  20:03, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

 * The structure of language attaches paleways here not to the pieces but, if anything, to the shield. If it were thirteen pieces paleways (or thirteen palewise pieces) I'd have less reason to call the language improper. —Tamfang (talk) 00:30, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

 * I am a bit confused now. The two things you describe are the same thing. The blazon opens with paleways of thirteen pieces, which implies "on a shield the field divided paleways of thirteen pieces".  Yes, it refers to the shield being divided paleways, then immediately it tells you how many paleways divisions to include, thirteen.  Nothing improper.  There is no other way to draw paleways of thirteen pieces, as gone over before.   [tk]   XANDERLIPTAK  03:51, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

 * There's also no other way to draw fnord of thirteen plergbs, but this isn't a proper blazon either.
 * In every other blazon I've seen that uses the word paleways on its own (not divided paleways), it means a posture, not a division. Therefore I reject the theory that paleways implies divided. If you concede for the sake of argument that I really mean that, you may become less confused. —Tamfang (talk) 15:37, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

 * “Pieces” means that it should be divided, as you can not have thirteen pieces clearly represented without dividing them someway. “Paleways” simply gives the direction on how to display those pieces, vertically.  You might want to say how is someone to know the lines need to be straight; because that is how every line is unless otherwise stated.  Lines of a pale, fess, chevron, canton, chief and so on are always straight without actually ever being described as straight.  So thirteen pieces shown vertically would naturally be drawn straight because there is no mention of how else the lines should be drawn, nebuly, wavy, embattled or so on.   [tk]   XANDERLIPTAK  18:28, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

 * So are you abandoning the claim that paleways (rather than pieces) implies divided? — That one might in principle eventually reconstruct the intended meaning does not save the blazon from being bad grammar, which is my whole point here. —Tamfang (talk) 21:51, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

If your whole argument was whether or not the sentence was proper English, then it was a misguided argument. It is blazon, not English. Blazon has its own set of style and rules independent from the English language, much of which is based on Early or Middle English, Old French and other small influences. When I said before how the blazon should be interpreted, it was not meant to imply that paleways describes the blazon, but that pieces must inherently be divided, and the paleways describes the way in which those divisions must be drawn, so it can be read as "divided paleways of thirteen pieces" or "divided into thirteen pieces paleways", whichever construct you prefer. They both mean the same, perhaps the latter is better so as not to confuse that paleways some how means something must be divided. [tk]  XANDERLIPTAK  19:55, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

 * Please note the passages above where I said things like (paraphrasing) "paleways never has that meaning in any other BLAZON that I've encountered." Of course blazon has its own rules; forgive my supposing that you'd understand that these, rather than those of ordinary language, were what I meant by "grammar", given the context (we were discussing a blazon, as you may recall).
 * I say the blazon is improper, you say it isn't, we've each used up all our ammunition on the subject. I think we're done here. —Tamfang (talk) 06:37, 28 May 2010 (UTC)

History
This article doesn't really address the origins of the coats of arms. I know that the history of coats of arms, flags, and similar symbols in Europe and the Middle East is all closely tied. From what I have read most of the traditions associated with flags derive from the Germanic tribes but I believe that coats of arms and related symbols predate even the Romans, though I don't know the specifics.

Can anybody fill in the details?

--Mcorazao (talk) 19:26, 12 April 2010 (UTC)

 * See Heraldry. To treat the history of coats of arms separately would be, well, inefficient. —Tamfang (talk) 06:48, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

Japanese design style

 * The Japanese designs are distinctly different from European formats and often use floral and abstract patterns.

That's a bit of a non sequitur; plenty of European arms are abstract or floral. —Tamfang (talk) 06:47, 1 May 2010 (UTC)
 * Agreed. Obamafan70 (talk) 15:52, 18 October 2010 (UTC)

United Arab Republic
The coat of arms that is mentioned in the article to be for Egypt is wrong. The coat of arms shown in the picture follows the United Arab Republic as written on them. United arab republic is something different than current Egypt.

Amjad Abdullah (talk) 17:09, 27 June 2010 (UTC)

 * No, one of the coat of arms is the United Arab Republic, which was composed mostly of Egypt, and the other is the Kingdom of Egypt. If you want to change it to something, United Arab Republican is not correct by any means because of the Kingdom arms.  Now, if you can change it to Arabian, Middle Easter or North African, but each have of those options has issue just as well.  Egypt, the region and not the Arab Republic of Egypt, seems to be its own geographic enclave, never quite African, never quite Arabian and never quite Middle Eastern.   [tk]   XANDERLIPTAK  02:38, 28 June 2010 (UTC)

 * It seems Egypt continued to use the UAR name by itself for 10 years after Syria exited the union. So the UAR arms were the arms of Egypt and Egypt alone for a decade.  So Egyptian would be most accurate after all.   [tk]   XANDERLIPTAK  21:29, 1 July 2010 (UTC)

 * Thanks for the info.

109.171.137.251 (talk) 11:04, 8 February 2012 (UTC)

They're all listed at Coat of arms of Egypt... AnonMoos (talk) 11:58, 21 September 2010 (UTC)

Pimbley's dictionary of heraldry
The public domain text I have just copied into the article, originates from and is copyright expired. The text copied into the article by me was copied from Pimbley's Dictionary of Heraldry pp. 3-5, put onto the web by Melissa Snell -- PBS (talk) 13:32, 27 July 2010 (UTC)

On the addition to Traditions and usage
Another editor reinstated this lengthy information. It was a new addition to the article, not something time tested. Also, the terms mostly come from one source, and are one author's opinion on how arms should be divided and classified, while other authors divide and classify arms differently. Some of these terms are repetitive, some definitions muddled and confusing. A few of the terms could be salvaged and expanded, but the whole list form and repetitious definitions should be removed.

Also, dates are quite relevant to a source. When you have two books, one stating the Earth is the centre of the solar system and the other stating it the Sun is, it is the date of the sources one will look at to determine which is the more recent and accepted theory. You can not give equal credence to the first theory as you do to the second theory which was built upon the first, as to the nth theory likewise built upon those before it. Many of the examples given tell tales that have long been discredited. There is no evidence that Washington’s arms influenced the design of the US arms. The actual legend about the Black Prince's feathers is that the prince took the helm of his rival, not his foe's coat of arms. The source is out-dated, it tells legends no longer beloved to be factual, and does not have a place then in this article. [tk]  XANDERLIPTAK  09:53, 2 September 2010 (UTC)

 * I agree with the deletion. The matter in question was all added in one edit. Its length is disproportionate to its value. It's a glossary of terms most of which I've never seen used – and those which are useful can be defined in context rather than in a lump like this. —Tamfang (talk) 05:20, 4 September 2010 (UTC)

Hawk of Quraysh and and Eagle of Saladin
See one source at Talk:Coat_of_arms_of_Libya. It's rather doubtful whether they actually go back to Saladin or the Quraysh in their modern visual form, but that's what they've been called in 20th-century Arab nationalist rhetoric and symbolism... AnonMoos (talk) 12:36, 24 September 2011 (UTC)

 * P.S. There are also Wikimedia Commons categories commons:Category:Eagle of Saladin and commons:Category:Hawk of Quraish... AnonMoos (talk) 12:46, 24 September 2011 (UTC)

Adding links
I have a nice program for making coats of arms. How do I add this? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Llamallamarubberducky (talk • contribs) 18:36, 4 May 2012 (UTC)

Possible typo?
The first sentence of the second paragraph reads: "The ancient Romans used similar insignias similar on their shields, ...". This would seem to be a duplication of the word "similar". I did not edit the page directly because this is not an area I am familiar with and I can't be sure that it wasn't intentional.

Turkey
Why Turkey in Arab World ? Wanxpy (talk) 16:17, 14 November 2013 (UTC)

Request for Comment
There is currently a RFC on Coat of arms of the Netherlands. All are welcome to comment.  Fry1989  eh? 17:23, 22 March 2014 (UTC)

Coat of Arms in comics!
The Despot King of The Wizard of Id has a coat of Arms-his head on the body of a bull! {Sept 16, 1994 Comic}

Languages
Somebody need to add the spanish version of this article on the Languages section. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Il giovane bello 73 (talk • contribs) 23:54, 15 July 2016 (UTC)

Grammatical Errors
The article was informative, ineteresting, and had good citations. I did however, fix some grammatical errors such as changing the word honour into honor. Also, the word color was misspelled as colour. About 2 other words were misspelled as well. Clydetheglide9 (talk) 13:42, 3 February 2017 (UTC)

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Caracas

Caracas, officially Santiago de León de Caracas (CCS), is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the northern part of the country, within the Caracas Valley of the Venezuelan coastal mountain range (Cordillera de la Costa). The valley is close to the Caribbean Sea, separated from the coast by a steep 2,200-meter-high (7,200 ft) mountain range, Cerro El Ávila; to the south there are more hills and mountains. The Metropolitan Region of Caracas has an estimated population of almost 5 million inhabitants.

The center of the city is Catedral, located near Bolívar Square, though some consider the center to be Plaza Venezuela, located in the Los Caobos area. Businesses in the city include service companies, banks, and malls. Caracas has a largely service-based economy, apart from some industrial activity in its metropolitan area. The Caracas Stock Exchange and Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) are headquartered in Caracas. Empresas Polar is the largest private company in Venezuela. Caracas is also Venezuela's cultural capital, with many restaurants, theaters, museums, and shopping centers. Caracas has some of the tallest skyscrapers in Latin America, such as the Parque Central Towers. The Museum of Contemporary Art of Caracas is one of the most important in South America.

History
Before the city was founded in 1567, the valley of Caracas was populated by indigenous peoples. Francisco Fajardo, the son of a Spanish captain and a Guaiqueri cacica, who came from Margarita, began establishing settlements in the area of La Guaira and the Caracas valley between 1555 and 1560. Fajardo attempted to establish a plantation in the valley in 1562 after these unsuccessful coastal towns, but it did not last long: it was destroyed by natives of the region led by Terepaima and Guaicaipuro. Fajardo's 1560 settlement was known as Hato de San Francisco, and another attempt in 1561 by Juan Rodríguez de Suárez was called Villa de San Francisco, and was also destroyed by the same native people. The eventual settlers of Caracas came from Coro, the German capital of their Klein-Venedig colony around the present-day coastal Colombia–Venezuela border; from the 1540s, the colony had been de facto controlled by Spaniards. Moving eastward from Coro, groups of Spanish settlers founded inland towns including Barquisimeto and Valencia before reaching the Caracas valley.

On 25 July 1567, Captain Diego de Losada laid the foundations of the city of Santiago de León de Caracas. De Losada had been commissioned to capture the valley, and was successful by splitting the natives into different groups to work with, then fighting and defeating each of them. The town was the closest to the coast of these new settlements, and the colonists retained a native workforce, which allowed a trade network to develop between Caracas, the interior, and Margarita; the towns further inland produced ample cotton products and beeswax, and Margarita was a rich source of pearls. The Caracas valley had a good environment for both agricultural and arable farming, which contributed to the system of commerce but meant that the town's population was initially sparse, as it was only large enough to support a few farms.

In 1577, Caracas became the capital of the Spanish Empire's Venezuela Province under the province's new governor, Juan de Pimentel (1576–1583). In the 1580s, Caraqueños started selling food to the Spanish soldiers in Cartagena, who often docked in the coastal city when collecting products from the empire in South America. Wheat was growing increasingly expensive in the Iberian Peninsula, and the Spanish profited from buying it from Caracas farmers. This cemented the city in the empire's trade circuit.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the coast of Venezuela was frequently raided by pirates. With the coastal mountains of the Central Range as a barrier, Caracas was relatively immune to such attacks, compared to other Caribbean coastal settlements, but in 1595 the Preston–Somers expedition landed and around 200 English Privateers, including George Somers and Amyas Preston, crossed the mountains through a little-used pass while the town's defenders were guarding the more frequently used one. Encountering little resistance, the invaders sacked and set fire to the town after a failed ransom negotiation. The city managed to rebuild, using wheat profits and "a lot of sacrifice". In the 1620s, farmers in Caracas discovered that Cacao beans could be sold, first selling them to native people of Mexico and quickly growing across the Caribbean. The city became important in the Viceroyalty of New Spain, as well as moving from largely native slave labor to African slaves, the first of the Spanish colonies to become part of the slave trade. The city was successful and operated on cacao and slave trade until the 1650s, when an alhorra blight, the Mexican Inquisition of many of their Portuguese traders, and increased cacao production in Guayaquil greatly affected the market. This and the destructive 1641 earthquake put the city into decline, and they likely began illegally trading with the Dutch Empire, which Caraqueños later proved sympathetic to; by the 1670s, Caracas had a trading route through Curaçao.

In 1728, the Guipuzcoan Company of Caracas was founded by the king, and the cacao business grew in importance. Caracas was made one of the three provinces of Nueva Granada, corresponding to Venezuela, in 1739. Over the next three decades the Viceroyalty was variously split, with Caracas province becoming the Venezuela province. Luis de Unzaga created the Captaincy General of Venezuela in the summer of 1777, with Caracas as the capital. Venezuela then attempted to become independent, first with the 1797 Gual and España conspiracy, based in Caracas, and then the successful 1811 Venezuelan Declaration of Independence. Caracas then came under worse luck: in 1812, an earthquake destroyed Caracas, a quarter of its population migrated in 1814, and the Venezuelan War of Independence continued until 24 June 1821, when Simón Bolívar defeated royalists in the Battle of Carabobo. Urban reforms only took place towards the end of the 19th century, under Antonio Guzmán Blanco: some landmarks were built, but the city remained distinctly colonial until the 1930s.

Caracas grew in size, population, and economic importance during Venezuela's oil boom in the early 20th century. In the 1950s, the metropolitan area of Gran Caracas was developed, and the city began an intensive modernization program, funding public buildings, which continued throughout the 1960s and early 1970s. Cultural landmarks, like the University City of Caracas, designed by modernist architect Carlos Raúl Villanueva and declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2000; the Caracas Museum of Contemporary Art; and the Teresa Carreño Cultural Complex were built, as well as the Caracas Metro and a developed downtown area. Urban development was rapid, leading to the growth of slums on the hillsides surrounding the new city. Much of the city development also fell into disrepair come the end of the 20th century, with the 1980s oil glut and political instability like the Caracazo, meaning maintenance can not be sustained. The economic and social problems persist throughout the capital and country, characterized as the Crisis in Venezuela. By 2017, Caracas was the most violent city in the world.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was adopted in 1591. Simón de Bolívar, an ancestor of Venezuelan liberator Simón Bolívar, had been named the first procurator general of the Venezuelan province in 1589. He served as the representative of Venezuela to the Spanish Crown, and vice versa. In 1591, de Bolívar introduced a petition to King Philip II for a coat of arms, which he granted by Royal Cedula on 4 September that year in San Lorenzo. The coat of arms represents the city's name with the red Santiago (St. James') cross. It originally depicted "a brown bear rampant on a field of silver, holding between its paws a golden shell with the red cross of Santiago; and its seal is a crown with five golden points". In the same act, the king declared Caracas as "The Most Noble and Very Loyal City of Santiago de León de Caracas".

The anthem of the city is the Marcha a Caracas, written by the composer Tiero Pezzuti de Matteis with the lyrics by José Enrique Sarabia and approved in 1984.

Geography
Caracas is contained entirely within a valley of the Venezuelan Central Range, and is separated from the Caribbean coast by a roughly 15 km expanse of El Ávila National Park. The valley is relatively small and quite irregular, and the altitude varies from between 870 and 1,043 m above sea level; the historic center lies at about 900 m above sea level. This, along with the rapid population growth, has profoundly influenced the urban development of the city. The most elevated point of the Capital District, wherein the city is located, is the Pico El Ávila, which rises to 2159 m.

The main body of water in Caracas is the Guaire River, which flows across the city and empties into the Tuy River, which is also fed by the El Valle and San Pedro rivers, in addition to numerous streams which descend from El Ávila. The La Mariposa and Camatagua reservoir reservoirs provide water to the city. The city is occasionally subject to earthquakes – notably in 1641 and 1967.

Geologically, Caracas was formed in the Late Cretaceous period, with much of the rest of the Caribbean, and sits on what is mostly metamorphic rock. Deformation of the land in this period formed the region.

Climate
Under the Köppen climate classification, Caracas has a tropical savanna climate (Aw), but also exhibits traits of a subtropical highland climate (Cfb) due to its elevated location within the Venezuelan Coastal Range (Maritime Andes). Caracas precipitation varies between 900 and 1,300 mm (annual), in the city proper to 2000 mm in some parts of the Mountain range. While Caracas is within the tropics, due to its altitude temperatures are cooler compared to other locations with a typical tropical savanna climate. The annual average temperature is approximately 23.4 °C, with the average of the coldest month (January) 21.7 °C and the average of the warmest month (May) 24.5 °C, which gives a small annual thermal amplitude of 2.8 C-change.

In the months of December and January abundant fog may appear, in addition to a sudden nightly drop in temperature, until reaching 8 °C. This peculiar weather is known by the natives of Caracas as the Pacheco. In addition, nightly temperatures at any time of the year are much (7 to 11 °C) lower than daytime highs and usually do not remain above 24 C, resulting in very pleasant evening temperatures. Hailstorms appear in Caracas, although only on rare occasions. Electrical storms are much more frequent, especially between June and October, due to the city being in a closed valley and the orographic action of Cerro El Ávila.

Hydrography
The hydrographic network of the city of Caracas is made up of the Guaire river basin which is a sub-basin of the Tuy river. This basin crosses the valley where the city is located from West to East (Las Adjuntas – Petare). It covers about 655 square kilometers, about 45 km. long and about 15 km. wide, has a rectangular shape. The basin is formed by the Caracas Valley, which is relatively high, narrow and long, surrounded by the high and steep Cordillera de la Costa, which runs parallel to the Litoral.

Among the characteristics of the hydrographic network associated with the city of Caracas is the high degree of contamination that the entire network presents in its lower part due to the fact that the courses of rivers and tributaries of the Guaire River have been used as collectors of the water system. sewers and sewers since its creation in 1874 during the government of Antonio Guzmán Blanco until today. The level of contamination is such that it does not allow the maintenance of the life of the species that once populated the basin, and it has become extinct or has been restricted to the highest areas of the basin, mainly within the boundaries of the national park. Avila. Awareness for the recovery of the basin has recently begun, however, much remains to be done before results can be observed.

Among the main rivers and streams that make up the basin are in its northern slope: San Pedro River, Macarao River, Quebrada Caroata, Catuche River, Anauco River, Chacaito River, Tocome River, Caurimare River; on its southern slope we find that among the main tributaries are: El Valle river, Quebrada Baruta and Quebrada La Guairita. In the upper part of the basin there are two reservoirs with the purpose of supplying water to the western part of the city; These are the Macarao Dam and the La Mariposa Reservoir.

Urbanism
Caracas shares commonalities with many Latin American cities: densely populated and with limited space because it is surrounded by mountains. Because of this, the city has grown vertically. A very striking aspect is the number of people living in substandard housing built on the mountain slopes surrounding the city. This type of housing is called ranchos, built improvised, without any official planning, with deficiencies and inadequate materials, marking a difference between those who live in the valley proper, 45% of the population in 25% of the urban area lives in these settlements.

The city center, developed around a small historic center, represents less than a quarter of the total area of the city, which has spread along the valley and has also been connected in recent years with satellite cities in the states of Miranda and La Guaira, creating a major metropolitan area known as Gran Caracas. The city's rapid population growth has resulted in increasing traffic congestion. To this end, the subway transportation system (Metro de Caracas) has been progressively expanded and is currently linked to the Los Teques Metro and, in the future, to the Guarenas-Guatire Metro system. The "Ezequiel Zamora" Central Railway System also links the communities of Charallave and Cúa de los Valles del Tuy with the subway transportation of the capital city.

Some areas of the city have a grid layout, either inherited from the colony or developed during the urban projects of the 20th century. Other areas, built on the mountain slopes, do not follow this pattern, but adapt to the irregularities of the terrain. These elevated areas enjoy a temperate temperature throughout the year.

Demographics
According to the population census of 2011 the Caracas proper (Distrito Capital) is over 1.9 million inhabitants, while that of the Metropolitan District of Caracas is estimated at 2.9 million. The majority of the population is mixed-race, typically with varying degrees of European, Indigenous, African and occasional Asian ancestry. There is a noteworthy Afro-Venezuelan community. Additionally, the city has a large number of both European Venezuelans and Asian Venezuelans who descend from the massive influx of various immigrants Venezuela received from all across Eurasia during the 20th century; in particular are descendants of Spaniards, Portuguese, Italians, Serbs, Chinese, Colombians, Germans, Syrians and Lebanese people. In 2020, the poorest 55% of the Caracas population lived on about a third of its land, in poorly-planned slums that are generally dangerous to live in and access.

Caracas has exceeded the administrative limits of its perimeter due to accelerated population growth, so that its most suitable demographic study territory is the Metropolitan District or AMC. According to 2011 calculations by the National Institute of Statistics, the metropolitan city had a population for the 2011 census of 2,923,959 inhabitants. The Metropolitan District represents less than 1% of the national territory and is home to one-fifteenth of the total population of the country. In percentage numbers, 9.2% of the nation's total population lives in the five capital municipalities, out of the 335 municipalities that comprise the country.

The region is called Greater Caracas or Metropolitan Region of Caracas (RMC) satellite cities or adjacent bedrooms: the Altos Mirandinos, the Central Coast of La Guaira, Guarenas, Guatire and the Valles del Tuy. This agglomeration had an estimated population of 4.3 million inhabitants in 2011.

In the 20th century, an exodus of the peasantry to the capital and other cities intensified, motivated by a search for improvements in their quality of life. This led to depopulation of the rural areas of the country and the demographic saturation of the centers. This saturation caused the expansion of marginal areas on the outskirts of the city; however, the lowest unemployment rates in the entire country correspond precisely to the metropolitan area of Caracas. In 1936, the total population of Venezuela had been equal to the estimated population of Greater Caracas for the year 2000: almost 4 million inhabitants. From 1936 to 1990, Caracas multiplied its population, although far less than any other major city in the country, such as Valencia, which in the same period of time multiplied its population almost 25 times.

Between the 1940s and 1950s, after the Second World War, a growing wave of European immigrants began, mostly Spanish, Portuguese and Italians and in other magnitudes, communities of Germans (Colonia Tovar), French, English, Serbs and Jews were established. New developments in Caracas were populated mainly by these European immigrants, such as La Florida and Altamira. During the 1960s, President Rómulo Betancourt followed the same policy as the Marcos Pérez Jiménez government: promoting immigration, especially from Latin America and from other parts of the world. These policies were maintained until the late 1980s, with a notable influx of Argentines, Uruguayans, Chileans, Cubans, Peruvians, Ecuadorians, Chinese, and Arabs. Towards the beginning of the 1980s, immigration was marked by a strong exodus of Colombians.

The multiethnic, cultural and racial mix has marked the city throughout history. Its ethnic composition is very diverse.

Crime
Venezuela and its capital, Caracas, have been reported to both have among the highest per capita murder rates in the world. In 2010 Caracas had the highest murder rate in the world,

 * having more deaths than Baghdad during the Iraq War, and in 2012 there were 13,080 murders in Venezuela, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. By 2019, Caracas was the city with the sixth highest homicide rate in the world outside of a warzone, with a rate of around 76 murders per 100,000 people. In 2023 it was the nineteenth, with a rate of around 52 murders per 100,000 people. Most murders and other violent crimes go unsolved, with estimates of the number of unresolved crimes as high as 98%.  The U.S. Department of State and British Foreign and Commonwealth Office have issued travel warnings for Venezuela due to high rates of crime.
 * having more deaths than Baghdad during the Iraq War, and in 2012 there were 13,080 murders in Venezuela, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. By 2019, Caracas was the city with the sixth highest homicide rate in the world outside of a warzone, with a rate of around 76 murders per 100,000 people. In 2023 it was the nineteenth, with a rate of around 52 murders per 100,000 people. Most murders and other violent crimes go unsolved, with estimates of the number of unresolved crimes as high as 98%.  The U.S. Department of State and British Foreign and Commonwealth Office have issued travel warnings for Venezuela due to high rates of crime.
 * having more deaths than Baghdad during the Iraq War, and in 2012 there were 13,080 murders in Venezuela, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. By 2019, Caracas was the city with the sixth highest homicide rate in the world outside of a warzone, with a rate of around 76 murders per 100,000 people. In 2023 it was the nineteenth, with a rate of around 52 murders per 100,000 people. Most murders and other violent crimes go unsolved, with estimates of the number of unresolved crimes as high as 98%.  The U.S. Department of State and British Foreign and Commonwealth Office have issued travel warnings for Venezuela due to high rates of crime.

Economy
Businesses that are located in Caracas include service companies, banks, and malls, among others. It has a largely service-based economy, apart from some industrial activity in its metropolitan area. The Caracas Stock Exchange and Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) are headquartered here. PDVSA, a state-run organization, is the largest company in Venezuela, and negotiates all the international agreements for the distribution and export of petroleum. When it existed, the airline Viasa had its headquarters in the Torre Viasa.

Several international companies and embassies are located in El Rosal and Las Mercedes, in the Caracas area. The city also serves as a hub for communication and transportation infrastructure between the metropolitan area and the rest of the country. Important industries in Caracas include chemicals, textiles, leather, food, iron, and wood products. There are also rubber and cement factories. Its nominal GDP is US$70 billion and the GDP (PPP) per capita is US$24,000.

A 2009 United Nations survey reported that the cost of living in Caracas was 89% of that of the survey's baseline city, New York. However, this statistic is based upon a fixed currency-exchange-rate of 2003 and might not be completely realistic, due to the elevated inflation rates of the last several years.

Tourism
In 2013, the World Economic Forum evaluated countries in terms of how successful they were in advertising campaigns to attract foreign visitors. Out of the 140 countries evaluated, Venezuela came last. A major factor that has contributed to the lack of foreign visitors has been poor transport for tourists. Venezuela has limited railway systems and airlines. High crime rates and the negative attitude of the Venezuelan population towards tourism also contributed to the poor evaluation.

In an attempt to attract more foreign visitors, the Venezuelan Ministry of Tourism invested in multiple hotel infrastructures. The largest hotel investment has been in the Hotel Alba Caracas. The cost for the general maintenance of the north and south towers of the hotel is approximately 231.5 million Venezuelan bolivars. Although the Venezuelan Ministry of Tourism has taken the initiative to recognize the importance of the tourism industry, the Venezuelan government has not placed the tourism industry as an economic priority. In 2013, the budget for the Ministry of Tourism was only 173.8 million bolivars, while the Ministry of the Youth received approximately 724.6 million bolivars. The tourism industry in Venezuela contributes approximately 3.8 percent of the country GDP. The World Economic Forum predicts Venezuela's GDP to rise to 4.2 percent by 2022.

Government
On 8 March 2000, the year after a new constitution was introduced in Venezuela, it was decreed in Gaceta Official N° 36,906 that the Metropolitan District of Caracas would be created and that some of the powers of the Libertador, Chacao, Baruta, Sucre, and El Hatillo municipalities would be delegated to the Alcaldía Mayor, physically located in the large Libertador municipality, in the center of the city. The Metropolitan District of Caracas was suppressed on 20 December 2017 by the Constituent National Assembly of Venezuela.

Capital District
In the case of the Libertador Municipality of Caracas, the only member of the Capital District, the executive authority rests with the Head of Government of the Capital District, a position designated by the President of the Republic.

According to Article 3 of the Capital District Law, the legislative function is exercised directly by the Republic through the National Assembly of Venezuela.

Before the creation of the Metropolitan District, the Federal District (current Capital District) had a governor appointed by the President of the Republic, while the Caracas municipalities of the State of Miranda governed with their respective mayors in isolation, without any coordinating entity. In April 2009, the National Assembly reformed the Capital District Law, legalizing the constitution of a Head of Government or Governor for the Libertador municipality designated by the National Executive.

Using as an argument what is established in article 156 of the constitution:

Metropolitan District

The city of Caracas occupies the entirety of the Libertador municipality of the Capital District and part of the state of Miranda, specifically the municipalities of Baruta, Chacao, El Hatillo and Sucre, which until 2011 formed the Metropolitan District of Caracas, which enjoyed legal personality and autonomy within the limits of the Constitution and the law.

Until that year, the Metropolitan Mayor was the first civil, political and administrative authority of the city of Caracas, as well as the municipal mayors in each of the municipalities comprising it. The Metropolitan District of Caracas was organized in a system of municipal government at two levels: the metropolitan or district and the municipalities.

Media

 * Correo del Orinoco (2009)
 * El Nacional (Venezuela)
 * El Universal (Caracas)
 * Diario VEA
 * Diario 2001
 * Tal Cual
 * Diario Meridiano
 * TVes
 * Venevisión
 * Vale TV
 * Venezolana de Televisión
 * Televen
 * RCTV
 * ViVe
 * Globovisión
 * Avila TV
 * Telesur
 * Canal i
 * TV Familia
 * Catia TVe
 * Meridiano Televisión
 * Asamblea Nacional Televisión
 * Ve Plus TV

Culture
Caracas is Venezuela's cultural capital, with many restaurants, theaters, museums, and shopping centers. The city is home to many immigrants from Spain, Italy, Portugal, the Middle East, Germany, China, and other Latin American countries.

Music
The Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra is based in Caracas. Originally a youth orchestra, it is connected with the Fundación Musical Simón Bolívar (FMSB), known colloquially as El Sistema, Venezuela's social action music programme. The Guardian wrote that the orchestra represented "a message of social inclusion and the manifest power of music to bring communities together".

Sports
Professional sports teams in the city include the football clubs Caracas Fútbol Club, Deportivo Petare, Atlético Venezuela, SD Centro Italo Venezolano, Estrella Roja FC and Deportivo La Guaira. Deportivo Petare has reached the semi-finals of international tournaments, such as the Copa Libertadores, while the Caracas Fútbol Club has reached the quarterfinals. Baseball team Leones del Caracas plays at the Monumental Stadium with a capacity of 40,000 spectators, while the Tiburones de La Guaira plays at University Stadium, with a capacity of nearly 26,000 spectators.

The football stadiums in the city include the Olympic Stadium, home to Caracas Fútbol Club and Deportivo La Guaira, with a capacity of 30,000 spectators, and the Brígido Iriarte Stadium, home to Atlético Venezuela, with a capacity of 12,000 spectators. In basketball, the Cocodrilos de Caracas play their games in the Gimnasio José Beracasa in the El Paraíso neighborhood.

Caracas is the seat of the National Institute of Sports and of the Venezuelan Olympic Committee. The city hosted the 1983 Pan American Games.

Central University of Venezuela
The Central University of Venezuela (Universidad Central de Venezuela, UCV) is a public university founded in 1721: it is the oldest university in Venezuela. The university campus was designed by architect Carlos Raúl Villanueva and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.

Simón Bolívar University
The Simón Bolívar University (Universidad Simón Bolívar, USB) is a public institution in Caracas that focuses on science and technology.

Other universities

 * Bolivarian Military University of Venezuela (Main Campus)
 * Universidad Católica Andrés Bello
 * Universidad Nacional Experimental de la Gran Caracas
 * Universidad Metropolitana
 * Universidad Nacional Experimental de las Artes (UNEARTE)
 * Universidad Monteávila
 * Universidad Nueva Esparta
 * Universidad Santa Maria
 * Universidad Alejandro de Humboldt
 * Universidad Nacional Experimental de las Fuerzas Armadas
 * Universidad Nacional Experimental Simón Rodríguez
 * Universidad Bolivariana de Venezuela
 * Universidad José María Vargas
 * Universidad Pedagógica Experimental Libertador
 * Universidad Experimental Politécnica Antonio José de Sucre

International schools

 * British School of Caracas
 * Colegio Internacional de Caracas
 * Escuela Campo Alegre
 * International Christian School
 * Tomchei Tmimim
 * Lycée Français de Caracas – Colegio Francia

Transport

The Caracas Metro has been in operation since 27 March 1983, with four lines, 47 stations and about 10 more to be constructed. It covers a great part of the city and also has an integrated ticket system that combines the route of the Metro with those offered by the Metrobús, a bus service of the Caracas Metro. In 2010, the first segment of a new aerial cable car system opened, Metrocable which feeds into the larger metro system.

Buses are the main means of mass transportation. There are two bus systems: the traditional system and the Metrobús. Other transportation services include the IFE train to and from the Tuy Valley cities of Charallave and Cúa; the Simón Bolívar International Airport, the biggest and most important in the country; the metro additional services Caracas Aerial Tramway and Los Teques Metro (connecting Caracas with the suburban city of Los Teques); and the Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda Air Base used by military aviation and government airplanes.

Highways and main roads
The largest concentration of road networks in the country is in the Caracas region and its surroundings, with a large network of highways and avenues in the Metropolitan District and urban, suburban and interurban roads. The road network has become a great crossroads between the West, the East and the Center of the country. Not very advantageous role for a city saturated with population and vehicles of all kinds, both from the same city and from its immediate area of influence (La Guaira State, Valles del Tuy, Guarenas-Guatire, Altos Mirandinos) and from other areas of the country.

Currently, a link is being built that will connect the Central Regional highway (at km 31) with the Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho highway (Kempis sector), in order to serve as a spillway to the city of Caracas and neighboring Guarenas and Guatire, so that vehicles that go from east to west or center, and vice versa, do not have the need to enter Caracas. The route of this highway would be from the vicinity of the Charallave airport, passing through Santa Lucía and going up to the Kempis area (between Guatire and Caucagua).

Traffic in the Caracas Region is very congested, since it is the city with the largest number of cars in the country, causing traffic jams at any time in the city and being over-saturated at peak hours, where Caracas residents last up to 3 hours to get out of congestion.

Since 1986 a mysterious black substance referred to as La Mancha Negra (The Black Stain) has oozed from roads has caused many car accidents killing multiple people.

Caracas metro

It is one of the most important means of transportation in the city, since its 47 operating stations transport about 2 million people, according to official figures83 The Caracas Metro system covers the central area of the city from east to west, with lines that connect the southwest and with other surface systems of the Metro system (BusCaracas, MetroCable San Agustín) as well as the southeast (Cabletrén de Petare, Metrocable Mariche), Metrobús feeder routes in most of the stations, in addition to the expansion of lines existing stations (La Rinconada terminal station of line 3 and intermediate stations of the extension; interconnection of the Plaza Venezuela and Capuchinos stations – extension of line 2, better known as line 4, as well as the future interconnection with the Metro Guarenas Guatire system, which began with the Bello Monte station) and an appendix that extends to the city of Los Teques (capital of the Miranda state). The three stations that comprise this last line make up the Los Teques Metro System86. Both systems are operated by the company C. A. Metro de Caracas (Cametro)

The system inaugurated in 1983 has 71 km and with five lines, being one of the longest in Latin America and expansions of it are being built towards the towns of Guarenas and Guatire. The expansion plans also include the extension to the Baruta and Hatillo municipalities, as well as other metrocable systems in the city center.

BusCaracas
BusCaracas is a mass transit system that connects some areas of the Libertador municipality of Caracas. It began operations in October 201290, taking as a model other means of transportation such as the Trolemérida, and Transbarca. The work was undertaken by the Government of Venezuela through the Ministry of Public Works and Housing (MOPVI), the company in charge of the construction was VIALPA, until its contract was cancelled and replaced by PILPERCA in 2010, and inaugurated on 3 October 2012. Also known as Line 7 of the Caracas subway has 11 stations with two connections to the subway system at La Hoyada and La bandera, lines 1 and 3 respectively.

Metrocable

The Caracas Metrocable is a cable car system integrated into the Caracas Metro, conceived in such a way that residents of Caracas neighborhoods usually located in mountainous areas can travel faster and safer to the city center. It works like a feeder route in the style of the metrobus.

In 2011, a new metrocable system was built in the Parroquia de San Agustín del Sur, where people can freely go and enjoy a view of a large part of Caracas.

Rail system
There is a national railway project, which aims to connect Caracas with the central area of the country. Currently, the Caracas-Cúa train service is operating, belonging to the Central Railway System of Venezuela "Ezequiel Zamora I". Inaugurated in 2006, it is the only railway section currently operating in Venezuela, according to the Instituto de Ferrocarriles del Estado (IFE). This commuter train line connects the city of Caracas with the towns of the Valles del Tuy (Charallave, Santa Lucía, Ocumare, Santa Teresa, Yare and Cúa) and runs for 41.4 kilometers.

The network begins its journey at the Libertador Simón Bolivar station in Caracas, located in La Rinconada and connected to line 3 of the Caracas metro. From the city it communicates with three other stations: Charallave Norte Francisco de Miranda and Charallave Sur Don Simón Rodríguez; both in the town of Charallave and ends at the Cúa General Ezequiel Zamora station (Cúa, Miranda).

Twin towns – sister cities
Caracas is twinned with:

 * 🇪🇸 A Coruña, Spain
 * 🇪🇸 Adeje, Spain
 * 🇺🇸 Honolulu, United States
 * 🇪🇸 Madrid, Spain
 * 🇪🇸 Melilla, Spain
 * 🇺🇸 New Orleans, United States
 * 🇵🇦 Panama City, Panama
 * 🇦🇷 Rosario, Argentina
 * 🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
 * 🇪🇸 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
 * 🇩🇴 Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
 * 🇮🇷 Tehran, Iran
 * 🇪🇸 Vigo, Spain

Union of Ibero-American Capital Cities
Caracas is part of the Union of Ibero-American Capital Cities from 12 October 1982.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Caracas


text:
Gedeon Burkhard

Gedeon Burkhard (born 3 July 1969) is a German film and television actor. Although he has appeared in numerous films and TV series in both Europe and the US, he is probably best recognised for his role as Alexander Brandtner in the Austrian/German television series Kommissar Rex (1998–2001), or as Corporal Wilhelm Wicki in the 2009 film Inglourious Basterds. He is also well recognised for his role as Chris Ritter in the long-running series Alarm für Cobra 11.

Life and career
Gedeon Burkhard was born in Munich, West Germany, the son of Wolfgang Burkhard and German actress Elisabeth von Molo (then Burkhard) who is the granddaughter of Alexander Moissi, a famous Albanian actor of the 20th century. Gedeon was educated at a boarding school in England and began his acting career in 1979 in the German TV film Tante Maria.

During the 1990s, he lived in the United States, working in several productions, but without much recognition. Burkhard married Birgit Cunningham, then divorced three months later. After that, he lived in Vienna for Kommisar Rex for more than five years, then moved to Berlin. Burkhard was working in Cologne on the TV series Alarm für Cobra 11 as the detective Chris Ritter until November 2007. His character Chris Ritter had a heroic death. He then returned to Berlin to be close to his daughter and to work on projects. He said "For the moment I will dedicate myself again fully to my artistic vagabond life in Berlin". Burkhard appeared in the Quentin Tarantino movie Inglourious Basterds. In February 2009, he was shooting the film Massel, made for German television. In 2011, he was in Rome, shooting the Italian miniseries Caccia al Re – La narcotici.

In 2011, he competed in Ballando con le Stelle, the Italian version of "Dancing with the Stars", accompanied by professional Italian dancer Samanta Togni, in which he danced with his "daughter" Laura Glavan.

In 2016, Burkhard played Gustav Froehlich, a German actor and UFA star, in the international movie The Devil's Mistress by Czech director Filip Renč. The biographical film is about the life of actress Lída Baarová and her relationship with Joseph Goebbels. The film was released in January 2016 in Prague.

Selected filmography

 * Und ab geht die Post (1981, TV movie) (segment "Des isch die Poscht")
 * Tante Maria (1981, TV movie) as Andreas Büdenbender
 * Blut und Ehre: Jugend unter Hitler (a.k.a. Blood and Honor: Youth Under Hitler (USA)) (1982, TV series) as Hartmut Keller
 * Nordlichter: Geschichten zwischen Watt und Wellen (1983, TV series)
 * Der Passagier – Welcome to Germany (a.k.a. The Passenger – Welcome to Germany, a.k.a.  Welcome to Germany (USA)) (1988) as Janko
 * Der Fahnder (1988, TV series) as Hendrik Roloff
 * Forsthaus Falkenau (1989, TV series) as Konrad 'Konni' Frank
 * Zwei Frauen (a.k.a. Silence Like Glass (USA)) (1989) as Bud
 * Sekt oder Selters (1990, TV series)
 * Šípková Ruženka (a.k.a. Sleeping Beauty (Europe: English title)) (1990) as Princ Viliam / Johan
 * The New Adventures of Black Beauty (1990-1992, TV series) as Manfred
 * The Necklace (TV series) (a.k.a. The Necklace (Europe: English title)) (1992, TV series) as Julius
 * Kleine Haie (a.k.a. Acting It Out, a.k.a.  Little Sharks) (1992) as Ali
 * Abgeschminkt! (a.k.a. Making Up! (USA)) (1993) as René
 * Mein Mann ist mein Hobby (1993, TV movie) as Franz Ferdinand
 * Sommerliebe (1994 film) (1994, TV movie) as Matthias
 * Verliebt, verlobt, verheiratet (1994, TV series)
 * Affären (1994) as Thomas Prinz
 * La piovra -  (1994, TV miniseries) as Daniele Rannisi, the pirate reporter
 * Der König (1994, TV series) as Markus Bassermann
 * Ein Fall für zwei (1995, TV series) as Michael Marten
 * Kommissar Rex (a.k.a. Inspector Rex (Austria), a.k.a.  Rex: A Cop's Best Friend (UK)) (1995-2001, TV series) as Alexander Brandtner / Stefan Lanz
 * Wem gehört Tobias? (a.k.a. In the Wrong Hands (USA)) (1996, TV movie) as Thomas Urban
 * SOKO 5113 (1996, TV series) as Philip Steger
 * Polizeiruf 110 (1996, TV series) as Louis
 * Magenta (1996) as Roy
 * 2 Männer, 2 Frauen – 4 Probleme!? (a.k.a. Four for Venice, a.k.a.  Two Women, Two Men (USA)) (1998 as Luis
 * The Brylcreem Boys (1998) as Krach
 * Gefährliche Lust – Ein Mann in Versuchung (a.k.a. Scent of Seduction) (1998, TV movie) as Leon Heflin
 * Superfire (film) (2002, TV movie) as Reggie
 * Zwei Affären und eine Hochzeit (2002, TV movie) as Jan Richter
 * We'll Meet Again (2002, TV movie) as Dr. Peter Gaynes
 * Yu (2003) as Tom
 * Cleaning Up (2003 film) (a.k.a. Cleaning Up) (2003, TV movie) as Reinhard Burger
 * The Wishing Tree (miniseries) (2004, TV miniseries) as Steve Kammer
 * Der Vater meines Sohnes (2004, TV movie) as Ricardo Potero
 * Utta Danella – Eine Liebe in Venedig (2005, TV series) as Francesco di Selari
 * Der Todestunnel (2005, TV movie) as Andrea Sala
 * Leipzig Homicide (2005, TV series) as Ralph Kessler
 * Goldene Zeiten (2006) as Mischa Hahn
 * Der letzte Zug (2006) as Henry Neumann
 * Alarm für Cobra 11 (2007-2008, TV series) as Chris Ritter / Mark Jäger
 * Melodies of Spring (2007) as Florian (lead)
 * Inglourious Basterds (2009, USA movie) as Cpl. Wilhelm Wicki
 * Oh, What a Mess (2009, TV movie) as Patrick Silberschatz
 * La Narcotici (2009, TV series) as Chief Daniele Piazza (lead)
 * Inga Lindström – Millionäre küsst man nicht (2010-2013, TV series) as Jasper Svensson / Tomas Lindberg
 * Wunderkinder (2011 film) (2011, German movie) as Boris Brodsky (lead)
 * Bridges (2011, German animated short film-noir) as Captain Saul Bridges (lead)
 * Ludwig II (2012) as Graf Maximilian von Holnstein
 * Kokowääh 2 (2013) as Luc
 * Ohne Gnade (2013, German movie) as Ronzo
 * Tränen der Sextner Dolomiten (2014) as Pfarrer Oberrainer
 * Unknown Heart (2014) as Andrew Shaw
 * Gefällt mir (2014) as Peter Jungbluth
 * Shades of Truth (2015, by Liana Marabini (Condor Pictures), as Father Roberto
 * Lída Baarová (Devil's Mistress) (2016, Czech film) as Gustav Fröhlich
 * The Key (2016) as Tim
 * Plan B (2016 film) (2016) as Schulz
 * Titanium White (2016) as Agent Buckley
 * Schneeflöckchen (2017) as Winter
 * Rhein-Lahn Krimi: Jammertal (2017) as Peter Löber
 * Ronny & Klaid (2018) as Bouncer
 * Sauerkrautkoma (2018) as Karl-Heinz Fleischmann

title: Gedeon Burkhard