Coat of arms of South Ossetia

South Ossetia is a region in the North Caucasus that is under the effective control of the self-declared Republic of South Ossetia but recognized by most of the international community as part of Georgia. The Government of Georgia has established an Administration of South Ossetia which it considers to be the legal government of South Ossetia.

Both entities have adopted emblems to represent themselves which are of a similar design. The emblems consist of a red disc featuring a Caucasian leopard with seven white mountains in the background.^[1][2] The blazon is "disc gules, a leopard passant or spotted sable on a ground or with a background of seven mountains argent." The mountains symbolize the Ossetian landscape, while the leopard is an iconic inhabitant of the Caucasus mountains.