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The Coat of Arms of Bosnia and Herzegovina was adopted in 1998, replacing an older design that had been used since 1991, when Bosnia gained independence.
The coat of arms follows the design of the national flag. The triangle shape is supposed to symbolize the three major ethnic groups of Bosnia, as well as the shape of the nation. The stars have replaced the fleur-de-lis that were found on the old coat of arms, to avoid singling out the Bosniak symbol only, and possibly to copy the flag of the European Union due to a desire of Bosnia and Herzegovina to join that body.