Coat of arms of Cameroon

Coat of arms of Cameroon
Versions
Old version
Details
Armiger	Republic of Cameroon
Adopted	1986
Escutcheon	Per pile gules, Vert, and Or; per pale a mullet Or and the scales of justice sable with pans argent superimposed on a map of Cameroon azure.
Supporters	Two fasces in saltire proper
Motto	Paix, Travail, Patrie (French: "Peace, Work, Fatherland")

The coat of arms of Cameroon consists of a shield with a banner above and below it. Behind the shield are two crossed fasces. The shield has the same color pattern as the flag of Cameroon, and in the center is a map of the nation. The scales of justice are superimposed on top of the map of the nation.

The banner at the bottom gives the name of the nation in French and English. The top banner contains the national motto: Paix, Travail, Patrie. The fasces are a symbol of the republic's authority, and the scales of justice represent justice.

The previous version of the state arms had text in French only, with "République du Cameroun – 1er Janvier 1960" on a scroll above the shield, and "Paix, Travail, Patrie" below the shield. The shield differed in that the green and yellow areas to left and right each had one large blue five-pointed star, while the central red area did not have a star on top (so that the blue map outline of Cameroon extended higher).

In 1914, the German government decided to assign coats of arms to its overseas colonies, including Cameroon. Arms were designed, but World War I broke out before the project was finalised, and the arms were never actually taken into use. Giving the colonies their own insignia in time of war could let them have a symbol to rally around in case of rebellion. The arms proposed for the Imperial Colony of Cameroon depicted an elephant's head and the German imperial eagle on a chief. The eagle and the imperial crown on the shield was the same for all the proposed colonial arms.

Coat of arms of British Cameroons (1922-1961)

Proposed coat of arms of German Cameroon (1914)

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