Flag of Cameroon
The Cameroon flag is a vertical tricolor of green, red and yellow with a yellow five-pointed star in the center of the red band. It uses the Pan-African colors, and the star moved to the center of the flag in 1975.
What the flag of Cameroon looks like
The national flag of Cameroon has three vertical bands of equal width: green at the hoist, red in the middle and yellow at the fly. The proportions are 2:3. In the middle of the red band is a single yellow five-pointed star, placed at the exact center of the flag.
The flag is not divided by any emblem or text. Its three colors, green, red and yellow, are the Pan-African colors, but the star and the order of the bands set it apart from other African flags. In the Cameroon flag emoji, the star is shown in the center of the red stripe.
Cameroon flag colors
Color codes measured from the official design. Use HEX for the web and CMYK for print.
HEX
#FCD116RGB
252, 209, 22CMYK
0, 17, 91, 1 HEX
#007A5ERGB
0, 122, 94CMYK
100, 0, 23, 52 HEX
#CE1126RGB
206, 17, 38CMYK
0, 92, 82, 19 Cameroon flag meaning and symbolism
The colors are commonly explained as follows. Green stands for the forests of the south and for hope. Red stands for the unity of the country and for the blood shed for independence. Yellow represents the sun and the savannas of the north, as well as happiness. Other sources give slightly different readings, as the colors have no single legal definition.
The yellow star is known as the star of unity. It was moved to the center of the flag in 1975, after the country was reorganized as a unitary state in 1972, and it represents the unity of the nation, which combines former French and British territories. The star is also described as a guiding light for the people. Since Cameroon shares the Pan-African colors with many neighbors, such as Senegal and Mali, the star is the main visual difference.
History of the Cameroon flag
The area was a German colony, Kamerun, from 1884 until the First World War. After 1919, the League of Nations divided it into French Cameroun and British Cameroons, and each part flew a flag of its administrating power. French Cameroun, which became independent in 1960, used a vertical green, red and yellow tricolor with one gold star on the green band, a design adopted in 1957.
In 1961 the southern part of British Cameroons voted to join Cameroon, and the country became the Federal Republic of Cameroon. A new flag with two stars on the green band was introduced, representing the two federated states. When the federation was replaced by the United Republic of Cameroon in 1972, the flag was changed on 20 May 1975, the same day as the National Day. The two stars were replaced by one star on the red band, which stands for the single unified state, and the design has not changed since.
Cameroon flag facts
| Country | Republic of Cameroon |
|---|---|
| Flag adopted | May 20, 1975 |
| Proportions | 2:3 |
| Colors | #FCD116, #007A5E, #CE1126 |
| Symbols | field, five-pointed star |
| Flag emoji | 🇨🇲 |
| Country code | CM, CMR (ISO 3166) |
| Capital | Yaoundé |
| Continent | Africa |
| Population | 28,372,687 |
| Area | 475,442 km² |
| Currency | Central African CFA franc |
| National anthem | O Cameroon, Cradle of Our Forefathers |
Cameroon flag: frequently asked questions
What does the Cameroon flag represent?
Green stands for the southern forests and hope, red for unity and the blood of independence, and yellow for the sun and the northern savannas. The central star symbolizes national unity.
What was the original Cameroon flag?
French Cameroun used a vertical green, red and yellow tricolor with one gold star on the green band from 1957. A two-star version followed in 1961, and the single star moved to the center in 1975.
Which colors are on the flag of Cameroon?
The flag has green, red and yellow vertical stripes, with a yellow star on the red stripe. These are the Pan-African colors.
What country is the Cameroon flag emoji?
It shows the flag of Cameroon, a country in Central and West Africa with its capital in Yaoundé.
Why is Cameroon called Little Africa?
Cameroon is sometimes called Africa in miniature because its territory covers coast, rainforest, mountains, savanna and desert edge, and it has more than 200 ethnic groups.
