National Flag:
Three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), red, and yellow, with a yellow five-pointed star centered in the red band; the vertical tricolor recalls the flag of France; red symbolizes unity, yellow the sun, happiness, and the savannahs in the north, and green hope and the forests in the south; the star is referred to as the “star of unity”.
Note: uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia.
Capital: Yaoundé
Langauges: English (official), French (official), 24 major African language groups
Currency: CFA Franc
Main Industries:
Because of its modest oil resources and favorable agricultural conditions, Cameroon has one of the best-endowed primary commodity economies in sub-Saharan Africa. Besides petroleum production and refining, other industries include aluminum production, food processing, light consumer goods, textiles, lumber, ship repair.
Did You Know?
- The ‘bongo’, found in west-African countries, is very large and heavy striped forest antelope.
- Cameroon got its name from the Portuguese who landed on its shores in 1472. They saw so many prawns in the river and referred to the river as Rio dos Camaroes – the river of prawns. Cameroon has the most popular music in Africa – Makossa being the favorite.
- The Baka people, traditionally hunter-gatherers, live in the rain forests in the south of Cameroon.
- The former French Cameroon and part of British Cameroon merged in 1961 to form the present country. Cameroon has generally enjoyed stability, which has permitted the development of agriculture, roads, and railways, as well as a petroleum industry.
- Since 1 January 1999, the Central African CFA franc (XAF) has been pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 CFA francs per euro; Central African CFA franc (XAF) coins and banknotes are not accepted in countries using West African CFA francs (XOF), and vice versa, even though the two currencies trade at par.
