Cameroon

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Republic of Cameroon
République du Cameroun
Flag Coat of Arms
Motto: "Paix – Travail – Patrie"  (French)
"Peace – Work – Fatherland"
Anthem: Ô Cameroun, Berceau de nos Ancêtres  (French)
O Cameroon, Cradle of our Forefathers 1
Location of Cameroon on a globe
Capital Yaoundé[1]
3°52′N 11°31′E / 3.867°N 11.517°E / 3.867; 11.517
Largest city Douala[1]
Official languages French
English
Demonym Cameroonian
Government Republic
 -  President Paul Biya[1]
 -  Prime Minister Philémon Yang
Independence from France
 -  Declared 1 January 1960 
 -  Annexation of former British Cameroon 1 October 1961 
Area
 -  Total 475,442 km2 (54th)
183,568 sq mi
 -  Water (%) 1.3
Population
 -  July 2009 estimate 19,100,000 (58th)
 -  2003 census 15,746,179
 -  Density 39.7/km2 (167th)
102,8/sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2011 estimate
 -  Total $46.429 billion[2]
 -  Per capita $2,218[2] (144th)
GDP (nominal) 2011 estimate
 -  Total $25.042 billion[2]
 -  Per capita $1,196[2]
Gini (2001) 44.6[3]
medium
HDI (2011) Increase 0.482[4]
low · 150th
Currency Central African CFA franc (XAF)
Time zone WAT (UTC+1)
 -  Summer (DST) not observed (UTC+1)
Drives on the right
Calling code 237
Internet TLD .cm
1. These are the titles as given in the Constitution of the Republic of Cameroon, Article X. The French version of the song is sometimes called "Chant de Ralliement", as in National Anthems of the World, and the English version "O Cameroon, Cradle of Our Forefathers", as in DeLancey and DeLancey 61.

Cameroon (officially called Republic of Cameroon) is a country in west Africa. Its capital is Yaoundé. The largest city in Cameroon is Douala. The population of Cameroon is about 20 million. Cameroon's president is Paul Biya, and the Prime Minister is Philémon Yang.

Geography[change | change source]

Volcanic plugs dot the landscape near Rhumsiki, Far North Region.

At 475,442 square kilometres (183,569 sq mi), Cameroon is the world's 53rd-largest country.[5] It is about the size of Papua New Guinea.[6][7] The country is in Central and West Africa on the Bight of Bonny, part of the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean. The country's neighbours are Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south.

Regions[change | change source]

The constitution divides Cameroon into 10 regions. On 12 November 2008 the President changed the divisions from provinces to regions.[8] Each region is headed by a presidentially appointed governor.

The regions are divided into 58 divisions. These are headed by presidentially appointed divisional officers.

Regions of Cameroon
Region French name Capital Population (1987) Area (km²) Population density (/km²)
1. Adamawa Adamaoua Ngaoundéré 495,185 63,691 8
2. Centre Centre Yaoundé 1,651,600 68,926 24
3. East Est Bertoua 517,198 109,011 5
4. Far North Extrême-Nord Maroua 1,855,695 34,246 54
5. Littoral Littoral Douala 1,352,833 20,239 67
6. North Nord Garoua 1,687,959 65,576 13
7. Northwest Nord-Ouest Bamenda 1,237,348 17,812 69
8. South Sud Ebolowa 373,798 47,110 8
9. Southwest Sud-Ouest Buea 838,042 24,571 34
10. West Ouest Bafoussam 1,339,791 13,872 97

Cities[change | change source]

Some of the largest cities in Cameroon are:

Ranking Name Population
1. Douala 2,000,000
2. Yaoundé 1,600,000
3. Garoua 450,000
4. Bafoussam 350,000
5. Maroua 327,000
6. Bamenda 299,600
7. Ngaoundéré 185,700

Languages[change | change source]

The official languages of Cameroon are French and English. It is part of both the British Commonwealth and La Francophonie.

Related pages[change | change source]

References[change | change source]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Cameroon". Infoplease. http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107382.html. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Cameroon". International Monetary Fund. http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2011/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2008&ey=2011&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=622&s=NGDPD%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPGDP%2CPPPPC%2CLP&grp=0&a=&pr.x=42&pr.y=13. Retrieved 2011-04-21.
  3. ↑ "Distribution of family income – Gini index". The World Factbook. CIA. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2172.html. Retrieved 2009-09-01.
  4. ↑ http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR_2011_EN_Table1.pdf
  5. ↑ Demographic Yearbook 1.
  6. ↑ "Cameroon". CIA World Factbook. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cm.html. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
  7. ↑ "Rank Order – Area".
  8. ↑ Décret N° 2008/376 du 12 novembre 2008, President of the Republic website. Accessed 9 June 2009.
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