Cameroon

3×5' nylon national flag of Cameroon.

Cameroon counts its political history in stars. Its first flag had none, its federal flag had two, and since 1975 it has had one, the "star of unity."

Design

Three equal vertical bands of green, red and yellow, with a yellow five-pointed star at the center of the red band.

History & Symbolism

The plain tricolor was adopted in 1957 and raised at independence from France in 1960. When French- and British-administered Cameroon joined as a federation in 1961, two stars were added to the green band. On 20 May 1975, after the federation became a unitary state, they were replaced by a single star in the center. Green stands for the forests of the south, yellow for the savanna and sun of the north, and red for the unity that joins them.

Flag Specifications

• Adopted: 1957; current form 20 May 1975
• Official proportions: 2:3
• Colors: green, red, yellow
• Emblem: the star of unity

Vexillographer's Note

West Africa is full of close relatives. Senegal uses the same three colors as green, yellow, red with a green star, and Guinea's runs red, yellow, green. On Cameroon, red is always in the center.

Humphrys Flag Company · Old City Philadelphia · Est. 1864