Republic of Cameroon République du Cameroun (French) | |
|---|---|
| Motto: "Paix – Travail – Patrie" (French) "Peace – Work – Fatherland" | |
| Anthem: "Chant de Ralliement" (French) "The Rallying Song" | |
.svg) | |
| Capital | Yaoundé[1] 3°52′N 11°31′E / 3.867°N 11.517°E |
| Largest city | Douala |
| Official languages | English • French |
| Ethnic groups |
|
| Religion (2022)[1] |
|
| Demonym(s) | Cameroonian |
| Government | Unitary dominant-party presidential republic[3] under a dictatorship[4][5][6] |
| Paul Biya | |
| Joseph Ngute | |
| Marcel Niat Njifenji | |
| Cavayé Yéguié Djibril | |
| Legislature | Parliament |
| Senate | |
| National Assembly | |
| Independence from France and the United Kingdom | |
• Independence from France | 1 January 1960 |
• Independence from the United Kingdom | 1 October 1961 |
| Area | |
• Total | 475,442 km2 (183,569 sq mi) (53rd) |
• Water (%) | 0.57 [1] |
| Population | |
• 2024 estimate | 30,966,105[7] (52nd) |
• Density | 39.7/km2 (102.8/sq mi) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2024 estimate |
• Total |  $141.930 billion[8] (94th) |
• Per capita | $4,840[8] (155th) |
| GDP (nominal) | 2024 estimate |
• Total | $53.210 billion[8] (91th) |
• Per capita | $1,810[8] (158th) |
| Gini (2021) |  42.2[9]medium inequality |
| HDI (2022) | 0.587[10] medium (151st) |
| Currency | Central African CFA franc (XAF) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (WAT) |
| Date format | dd/mm/yyyy yyyy/mm/dd |
| Drives on | right |
| Calling code | +237 |
| ISO 3166 code | CM |
| Internet TLD | .cm |
| |
Cameroon,[a] officially the Republic of Cameroon,[b] is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Its coastline lies on the Bight of Biafra, part of the Gulf of Guinea, and the Atlantic Ocean. Due to its strategic position at the crossroads between West Africa and Central Africa, it has been categorized as being in both camps. Cameroon's population of nearly 31 million people speak 250 native languages, in addition to the national tongues of English and French, or both. Early inhabitants of the territory included the Sao civilisation around Lake Chad and the Baka hunter-gatherers in the southeastern rainforest. Portuguese explorers reached the coast in the 15th century and named the area Rio dos Camarões (Shrimp River), which became Cameroon in English. Fulani soldiers founded the Adamawa Emirate in the north in the 19th century, and various ethnic groups of the west and northwest established powerful chiefdoms and fondoms.
Cameroon became a German colony in 1884 known as Kamerun. After World War I, it was divided between France and the United Kingdom as League of Nations mandates. France took 4/5 and the United Kingdom 1/5 of the territory and both ruled it under mandate until independence in 1960 and 1961 respectively.[11] The Union des Populations du Cameroun (UPC) political party advocated independence but was outlawed by France in the 1950s, leading to the national liberation insurgency fought between French and UPC militant forces until early 1971. In 1960, the French-administered part of Cameroon became independent, as the Republic of Cameroun, under President Ahmadou Ahidjo. The southern part of British Cameroons federated with it in 1961 to form the Federal Republic of Cameroon. The federation was abandoned in 1972. The country was renamed the United Republic of Cameroon in 1972 and back to the Republic of Cameroon in 1984 by a presidential decree by President Paul Biya. Biya, the incumbent president, has led the country since 1982 following Ahidjo's resignation; he previously held office as prime minister from 1975 onward. Cameroon is governed as a unitary presidential republic.
The official languages of Cameroon are French and English, the official languages of former French Cameroons and British Cameroons. Christianity is the majority religion in Cameroon, with significant minorities practising Islam and traditional faiths. It has experienced tensions from the English-speaking territories, where politicians have advocated for greater decentralisation and even complete separation or independence (as in the Southern Cameroons National Council). In 2017, tensions over the creation of an Ambazonian state in the English-speaking territories escalated into open warfare. Large numbers of Cameroonians live as subsistence farmers. The country is often referred to as "Africa in miniature" for its geological, linguistic, and cultural diversity. Its natural features include beaches, deserts, mountains, rainforests, and savannas. Cameroon's highest point, at almost 4,100 metres (13,500 ft), is Mount Cameroon in the Southwest Region.
Cameroon's most populous cities are Douala on the Wouri River, its economic capital and main seaport; Yaoundé, its political capital; and Garoua. Limbé in the southwest has a natural seaport. Cameroon is well known for its native music styles, particularly Makossa, Njang, and Bikutsi, and its successful national football team. It is a member state of the African Union, the United Nations, the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), the Commonwealth of Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement, and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
- ^ a b c d "Cameroon § People and Society". The World Factbook (2024 ed.). Central Intelligence Agency. 16 May 2022. (Archived 2022 edition.)
- ^ "Peuls du Cameroun: Préserver l'ethos, suivre l'air du temps". Retrieved 10 July 2024 – via Anadolu Agency-FR.
- ^ "Democracy Index 2020". Economist Intelligence Unit. Archived from the original on 3 March 2021. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
- ^ David Wallechinsky, "Tyrants: the World's 20 Worst Living Dictators", Regan Press, 2006, pp. 286–290
- ^ "The world's enduring dictators: Paul Biya, Cameroon". CBS News. 19 June 2011. Archived from the original on 20 December 2022. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
- ^ Tampa, Vava (2 November 2020). "For the sake of Cameroon, life-president Paul Biya must be forced out". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
- ^ "Cameroon". The World Factbook (2024 ed.). Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
- ^ a b c d "World Economic Outlook Database, April 2024 Edition. (Cameroon)". International Monetary Fund. April 2024. Archived from the original on 18 May 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ "Gini Index coefficient". The World Factbook. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
- ^ "HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT 2023-24" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. United Nations Development Programme. 13 March 2024. pp. 274–277. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 May 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ^ Dupraz, Yannick (September 2019). "French and British Colonial Legacies in Education: Evidence from the Partition of Cameroon". The Journal of Economic History. 79 (3): 628–668. doi:10.1017/S0022050719000299. ISSN 0022-0507.
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