Cameroon Flag Colors, Meaning & History

Cameroon flag
Color Palette
ColorsHEX CodeRGBCMYK
Green#01795D1, 121, 9399, 0, 23, 53
Red#CE1126206, 17, 380, 92, 82, 19
Yellow#FCD116252, 209, 220, 17, 91, 1

The Cameroon flag is tricolored. It features three horizontal stripes of equal width. The colors are green, red, and yellow from the mast to the outer side of the flag. A yellow, five-pointed star is placed in the middle of the flag, on the red stripe.

Meaning of the Flag

The green color signifies the country’s rich green areas and future aspirations. The red color represents independence, and the yellow color represents the sun, the soil, and savannas in the country. The star in the center symbolizes the unity of the country after the British and French parts were unified.

History of the Flag of Cameroon

Cameroon was colonized by Germany in 1884. The first flag that Cameroon had was a black-white-red flag that was horizontally striped. An elephant head and a shield were placed in the middle of the flag. After WWI, Cameroon was divided between France and Great Britain. Its flag was blue with a Union Jack on the top left side and a white circle on the right side with British Cameroon written inside it. In 1960, France granted independence to Cameroon, and the green-red-yellow flag with the star was officially adopted, inspired by the Pan-African colors. When the British and French Cameroon united in 1961, two yellow stars were added to represent the new federation. The flag remained in use until 1975 when the two parts of Cameroon became one country, and therefore a star was removed, and only one star remained. The flag is still in use today.