"From Sea to Sea" is the official national motto of what country?

"A mari usque ad mare" (French: "D'un océan à l'autre", English: "From sea to sea") is the Canadian national motto. The phrase comes from the Latin Vulgate translation of Psalm 72:8 in the Bible:

"Et dominabitur a mari usque ad mare, et a flumine usque ad terminos terrae"

(King James Bible: "He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth").

The motto was first officially used in 1906 on the head of the mace of the new Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan. This phrase was suggested for a national motto by Joseph Pope, then-Under Secretary of State, when the Canadian coat of arms was redesigned in 1921. Pope was a member of the four-person committee appointed by the federal government to redesign the coat of arms (the other members were Thomas Mulvey, A.G. Doughty and Major-General W.G. Gwatkin). No motto had been included in the original design. Major-General W.G. Gwatkin proposed "In memoriam in spem" ("In memory, in hope") as a motto, but Pope's proposal garnered more support. The draft design was approved by Order in Council on April 21, 1921, and by the Royal Proclamation of King George V on November 21, 1921.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org

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16 Comments

Pat Wells

Sort of a no-brainer of an answer, since the other three are land-locked countries.

Pat Salloum

I didn't look at the other options...I am Canadian!

Perk

fdeisner, "From sea to shining sea" is a phrase from the song "America the Beautiful" by Kathrine Lee Bates and has nothing to do with this question.

Helga U. Williams

The thought that the authors use sometimes to create options just blows my mind!!! Oh, yeah, on this one, let's use some countries that have no oceans whatsoever.....🙄🤣

Player

My country, Canada,has 3 oceans - Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic. Happy Canada Day.

Joe Mangan

earlepg, Russia, from sea to sea to sea to sea to sea to sea.

Joe Mangan

Robin Fulcher, this: show us the evidence that this 'destiny' is or was manifest.

Elsy O. Stromberg

Nicholas Miernicki, I didn't know where the picture was taken although probably not San Marino.

Robin Fulcher

fdeisner, well, what about it?

earlepg

A few countries (not listed) can also say "sea to sea".

Trevor Kear

it is 3 seas Atlantic ,Pacific ,Arctic

John W Shreve

Pat Salloum, My mom was a Canadian and moved to San Francisco.

fdeisner

Although it is not a national motto what about the United States "manifest destiny" where the United States felt they had the right to expand all the way to the Pacific Ocean.