Yaoundé was founded in 1888 by German traders as a base for the ivory trade and an agricultural research station.
Yaoundé is a regional center for coffee, cacao, copra, sugar cane, and rubber.
Yaoundé is also the site of several universities, including the University of Yaoundé I, University of Yaounde II (on a campus outside of town) and the Catholic University for Central Africa (UCAC).