Cameroon

Republic of Cameroon
*République du Cameroun* (French)
Republic of Cameroon République du Cameroun (French)
	Flag 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") ;
Capital	Yaoundé; 3°52′N 11°31′E / 3.867°N 11.517°E
Largest city	Yaoundé (city proper) Douala (metropolitan area)
Official languages	French; English;
Recognised regional languages	Cameroonian Pidgin English, Fula, Ewondo, Chadian Arabic, Camfranglais
Ethnic groups	31% Cameroon Highlanders; 19% Equatorial Bantu; 11% Kirdi; 10% Fulani; 8% Northwestern Bantu; 7% Eastern Nigritic; 13% other African; <1% non-African;
Religion (2018)	70.7% Christianity; 24.4% Islam; 2.2% Traditional faiths; 2.2% None; 0.5% Others;
Demonym(s)	Cameroonian
Government	Unitary dominant-party semi-presidential constitutional republic
• President	Paul Biya
• Prime Minister	Joseph Ngute
Legislature	Parliament
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	National Assembly
Independence from France and the United Kingdom
• Declared	1 January 1960
• Union with the former; British Cameroons	1 October 1961
Area
• Total	475,442 km2 (183,569 sq mi) (53rd)
• Water (%)	0.57
Population
• 2020 estimate	26,545,864 (51st)
• 2005 census	17,463,836
• Density	39.7/km2 (102.8/sq mi) (167th)
GDP (PPP)	2018 estimate
• Total	$95.068 billion (93rd)
• Per capita	$3,820 (152nd)
GDP (nominal)	2018 estimate
• Total	$38.445 billion (98th)
• Per capita	$1,544 (152nd)
Gini (2014)	46.6; high
HDI (2019)	0.563; medium · 153rd
Currency	Central African CFA franc (XAF)
Time zone	UTC+1 (WAT)
Driving side	right
Calling code	+237
ISO 3166 code	CM
Internet TLD	.cm
	These are the titles as given in the Constitution of the Republic of Cameroon, Article X (English at the Wayback Machine (archived 28 February 2006) and French at the Wayback Machine (archived 28 February 2006) versions). 18 January 1996. The French version of the song is sometimes called Chant de Ralliement, as in Swarovski Orchestra (2004). National Anthems of the World. Koch International Classics; and the English version "O Cameroon, Cradle of Our Forefathers", as in DeLancey and DeLancey 61.;

Cameroon (officially called the Republic of Cameroon) is a country in Central 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.^[6] It is about the size of Papua New Guinea.^[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.

	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