Cameroon

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Republic of Cameroon

République du Cameroun  (French) Renndaandi Kamerun  (Fula)
Coat of arms of Cameroon
Coat of arms
Motto: 
"Paix – Travail – Patrie" (French)
"Peace – Work – Fatherland"
Anthem: 
Ô Cameroun, Berceau de nos Ancêtres  (French)
(English: "O Cameroon, Cradle of our Forefathers")
Location of Cameroon on the globe.
Location of Cameroon
CapitalYaoundé[1]
3°52′N 11°31′E / 3.867°N 11.517°E / 3.867; 11.517
Largest cityDouala[1]
Official languages
Recognised regional languages
  • Cameroonian Pidgin English
  • Fula
  • Ewondo
  • Camfranglais
Demonym(s)Cameroonian
GovernmentUnitary dominant-party semi-presidential constitutional republic
• President
Paul Biya
Joseph Ngute
LegislatureParliament
Senate
National Assembly
Independence from France
• Declared
1 January 1960
20 September 1960
• Union with the former
British Cameroons
1 October 1961
Area
• Total
475,442 km2 (183,569 sq mi) (53rd)
• Water (%)
0.57
Population
• 2016 estimate
23,439,189[2] (56th)
• 2005 census
17,463,836[3]
• Density
39.7/km2 (102.8/sq mi) (167th)
GDP (PPP)2018 estimate
• Total
$95.068 billion[4] (93rd)
• Per capita
$3,820[4] (152nd)
GDP (nominal)2018 estimate
• Total
$38.445 billion[4] (98th)
• Per capita
$1,544[4] (152nd)
Gini (2014)46.6[5]
high
HDI (2018)Increase 0.563[6]
medium · 150th
CurrencyCentral African CFA franc (XAF)
Time zoneUTC+1 (WAT)
Driving sideright
Calling code+237
ISO 3166 codeCM
Internet TLD.cm

Cameroon (officially called the 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. They speak nearly 250 languages in Cameroon. French and English are the official languages.

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.[7] It is about the size of Papua New Guinea.[1][8] 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.[9] 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. Most people speak French.

Related pages[change | change source]

References[change | change source]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Cameroon". World Factbook. CIA. Archived from the original on 30 October 2016. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  2. ↑ "World Population Prospects: The 2017 Revision". ESA.UN.org (custom data acquired via website). United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
  3. ↑ "Rapport de présentation des résultats définitifs" (PDF) (in French). Institut national de la statistique. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 August 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "World Economic Outlook Database, October 2018". IMF.org. International Monetary Fund. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  5. ↑ "GINI index (World Bank estimate)". databank.worldbank.org. World Bank. Archived from the original on 31 March 2018. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  6. ↑ "Human Development Report 2019" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 10 December 2019. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  7. ↑ Demographic Yearbook 1.
  8. ↑ "Rank Order – Area".
  9. ↑ Décret N° 2008/376 du 12 novembre 2008, President of the Republic website. Accessed 9 June 2009.

Other websites[change | change source]

  • Media related to Cameroon at Wikimedia Commons
  • Cameroon travel guide from Wikivoyage
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