Cameroon

Location

• Central Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria
• sometimes referred to as the hinge of Africa because of its central location on the continent and its position at the west-south juncture of the Gulf of Guinea; areas of thermal springs and indications of current or prior volcanic activity; Mount Cameroon, the highest mountain in Sub-Saharan west Africa, is an active volcano

Population

Notable Population Centers

City	Population	Note
Douala	1,338,082
Yaoundé	1,299,369	Capital
Bamenda	420,445
Bafoussam	373,268
Maroua	314,122
Ngaoundéré	238,196
Kumba	225,046
Nkongsamba	162,309
Buea	140,533
Kousséri	139,024

Size

• 183,567 square miles
• 475,440 square kilometers
• slightly larger than California; about four times the size of Pennsylvania

History

Powerful chiefdoms ruled much of the area of present-day Cameroon before it became a German colony known as Kamerun in 1884. After World War I, the territory was divided between France and the UK as League of Nations mandates. French Cameroon became independent in 1960 as the Republic of Cameroon. The following year, the southern portion of neighboring British Cameroon voted to merge with the new country to form the Federal Republic of Cameroon. In 1972, a new constitution replaced the federation with a unitary state, the United Republic of Cameroon. The country has generally enjoyed stability, which has enabled the development of agriculture, roads, and railways, as well as a petroleum industry. Nonetheless, unrest and violence in the country's two western, English-speaking regions have persisted since 2016. Movement toward democratic reform is slow, and political power remains firmly in the hands of President Paul BIYA.

Climate

varies with terrain, from tropical along coast to semiarid and hot in north

Terrain

diverse, with coastal plain in southwest, dissected plateau in center, mountains in west, plains in north

Languages

24 major African language groups, English (official), French (official)major-language sample(s): The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information. (English)The World Factbook, une source indispensable d'informations de base. (French)

Religions

Roman Catholic 33.1%, Muslim 30.6%, Protestant 27.1% other Christian 6.1%, animist 1.3%, other 0.7%, none 1.2% (2022 est.)

Government

presidential republic

• Constitution: history: several previous; latest effective 18 January 1996amendment process: proposed by the president of the republic or by Parliament; amendment drafts require approval of at least one third of the membership in either house of Parliament; passage requires absolute majority vote of the Parliament membership; passage of drafts requested by the president for a second reading in Parliament requires two-thirds majority vote of its membership; the president can opt to submit drafts to a referendum, in which case passage requires a simple majority; constitutional articles on Cameroon’s unity and territorial integrity and its democratic principles cannot be amended
• Political Parties and Leaders: n/a
• Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal
• Legal System: mixed system of English common law, French civil law, and customary law
• Executive Branch: chief of state: President Paul BIYA (since 6 November 1982)head of government: Prime Minister Joseph NGUTE (since 4 January 2019)cabinet: Cabinet proposed by the prime minister, appointed by the presidentelection/appointment process: president directly elected by simple-majority popular vote for a 7-year term (no term limits); prime minister appointed by the presidentmost recent election date: 7 October 2018election results: 2018: Paul BIYA reelected president; percent of vote - Paul BIYA (CPDM) 71.3%, Maurice KAMTO (MRC) 14.2%, Cabral LIBII (Univers) 6.3%, other 8.2%2011: Paul BIYA reelected president; percent of vote - Paul BIYA (CPDM) 78.0%, John FRU NDI (SDF) 10.7%, Garga Haman ADJI 3.2%, other 8.1% (2018)expected date of next election: October 2025
• Judicial Branch: highest court(s): Supreme Court of Cameroon (consists of 9 titular and 6 surrogate judges and organized into judicial, administrative, and audit chambers); Constitutional Council (consists of 11 members)judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges appointed by the president with the advice of the Higher Judicial Council of Cameroon, a body chaired by the president and includes the minister of justice, selected magistrates, and representatives of the National Assembly; judge term NA; Constitutional Council members appointed by the president for renewable 6-year termssubordinate courts: Parliamentary Court of Justice (jurisdiction limited to cases involving the president and prime minister); appellate and first instance courts; circuit and magistrates' courts
• Legislative Branch: legislature name: Parlement - Parliamentlegislative structure: bicameral

Demographic Profile

n/a

Economy

• largest CEMAC economy with many natural resources; recent political instability and terrorism reducing economic output; systemic corruption; poor property rights enforcement; increasing poverty in northern regions
• Budget: revenues: $6.385 billion (2021 est.)expenditures: $7.624 billion (2021 est.)note: central government revenues and expenses (excluding grants/extrabudgetary units/social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
• Credit Rating: n/a
• Natural Resources: petroleum, bauxite, iron ore, timber, hydropower
• Industries: petroleum production and refining, aluminum production, food processing, light consumer goods, textiles, lumber, ship repair
• Agricultural Products: cassava, plantains, oil palm fruit, maize, taro, tomatoes, sorghum, sugarcane, bananas, vegetables (2023)note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
• Land Use: agricultural land: 20.6% (2022 est.)arable land: 13.1% (2022 est.)permanent crops: 3.3% (2022 est.)permanent pasture: 4.2% (2022 est.)forest: 42.8% (2022 est.)other: 36.6% (2022 est.)
• Labor Force by Occupation: n/a
• Imports
• Imported Commodities: garments, refined petroleum, plastic products, wheat, rice (2023)note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
• Import Partners: China 43%, France 6%, India 6%, Belgium 4%, UAE 4% (2023)note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
• Exports
• Exported Commodities: crude petroleum, natural gas, gold, cocoa beans, wood (2023)note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
• Export Partners: Netherlands 21%, France 14%, UAE 13%, India 9%, China 8% (2023)note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports