It incorporated the lion and the baobab tree - both symbols were previously utilised on earlier Senegalese emblems.

[4] The colours and objects on the coat of arms carry cultural, political, and regional meanings.

President Léopold Sédar Senghor, under whose administration this coat was drawn was not a Muslim but a Roman Catholic.

A national symbol of Senegal,[7] it stands for strength[3] and represents the northern Senegalese ethnic group, which forms the majority of the population.

Both the lion and the baobab tree, which featured previously on earlier Senegalese emblems,[4] are now utilised on the country's two seals.