Cameroon
Name
| Official name | Republic of Cameroon — République du Cameroun |
|---|---|
| Former names | Kamerun (German, 1884–1916); French Cameroun and British Cameroons (1916–1961); Federal Republic of Cameroon (1961–1972); United Republic of Cameroon (1972–1984) |
| Demonym | Cameroonian |
| Meaning of the name | From Rio dos Camarões, "river of prawns" — the Portuguese name of 1472 for the Wouri estuary and its crayfish; Kamerun to the Germans, Cameroun to the French |
| Motto | "Paix – Travail – Patrie" — peace, work, fatherland |
Quick facts
| Capital | Yaoundé — the capital since 1922; about 4 million |
|---|---|
| Largest city | Douala — the economic capital and port; about 4.5 million |
| Other cities | Garoua, Bamenda, Maroua, Bafoussam, Ngaoundéré, Buea, Kribi |
| Official languages | French and English — the two colonial languages, with English the language of the Northwest and Southwest regions; some 250 national languages; Camfranglais the street speech of the cities |
| Currency | Central African CFA franc — ISO code XAF, F CFA; 655.957 to the euro; the Bank of Central African States (BEAC) in Yaoundé |
| Time zone | West Africa Time, UTC+1, all year |
| Calling code | +237 |
| Internet domain | .cm |
| ISO 3166 codes | CM · CMR · 120 |
| Vehicle registration code | CAM |
| Driving side | Right |
| Electricity | 220 V, 50 Hz; plug types C and E |
| Independence | 1 January 1960, from France — French Cameroun; the British Southern Cameroons joined on 1 October 1961 |
| National days | 20 May, National Day — the referendum of 1972 for the unitary state; 1 January, Independence Day; 11 February, Youth Day; 1 October, the reunification of 1961 |
| Constitution | 18 January 1996 — revising the constitution of 2 June 1972; amended 2008 to remove term limits |
| Population | 17,463,836 at the census of 2005 — the last held; about 30 million (UN and CIA World Factbook, 2025 est.) |
| Area | 475,440 km² (183,569 sq mi) — land 472,710 km², water 2,730 km²; a little larger than California |
Flag & national symbols
| National flag | A vertical tricolor of green, red and yellow with a yellow star at the center of the red — the pan-African colors: the forests of the south, unity, and the sun and savanna of the north; adopted 20 May 1975, replacing the two stars of the federation.Flag of Cameroon |
|---|---|
| Coat of arms | A shield in the flag's colors bearing the map of the country, the scales of justice and a red star, behind crossed fasces, over the motto — adopted 1986 |
| National anthem | "O Cameroun, Berceau de nos Ancêtres" — "O Cameroon, Cradle of Our Forefathers"; words by René Djam Afame, Samuel Minkio Bamba and Moïse Nyatte Nko'o, music by Samuel Minkio Bamba, written 1928; adopted 1957, official 1978 |
| National motto | "Peace – Work – Fatherland" |
| National colors | Green, red and yellow |
| National animal | The lion — the Indomitable Lions of the football team; heraldic and widely cited |
| National dish | Ndolé — bitterleaf stewed with groundnuts and fish or beef; widely cited |
| Symbol status | The flag, arms, anthem and motto are fixed by Article 1 of the Constitution; the animal and dish are widely cited, none designated |
Geography
| Location | Central Africa, on the Gulf of Guinea — at the hinge of West and Central Africa, from the Atlantic to Lake Chad |
|---|---|
| Land borders | 5,018 km (3,118 mi) with six countries |
| Border with Nigeria | 1,975 km (1,227 mi) — the Bakassi Peninsula transferred to Cameroon in 2008 after the International Court of Justice ruling of 2002 |
| Border with Chad | 1,116 km (693 mi) |
| Border with the Central African Republic | 901 km (560 mi) |
| Border with the Republic of the Congo | 494 km (307 mi) |
| Border with Gabon | 349 km (217 mi) |
| Border with Equatorial Guinea | 183 km (114 mi) |
| Coastline | 402 km (250 mi) on the Gulf of Guinea |
| Highest point | Mount Cameroon — Fako — 4,040 m (13,255 ft), an active volcano; the highest peak of West and Central Africa; eruptions in 1999, 2000 and 2012 |
| Lowest point | The Atlantic Ocean, 0 m |
| Mean elevation | 667 m (2,188 ft) |
| Major rivers | The Sanaga, the longest, 918 km, to the Atlantic; the Nyong; the Wouri at Douala; the Benue to the Niger; the Logone and Chari to Lake Chad; the Ntem and the Dja |
| Lakes | Lake Chad, shared, shrinking; the crater lakes of the west — Nyos, Monoun, Barombi Mbo; the Lagdo reservoir |
| Terrain | Coastal plain and mangrove; the rainforest of the south; the Adamawa plateau across the middle; the savanna of the north; the Sahel at Lake Chad; the volcanic line from Mount Cameroon to the Bamenda highlands |
| Climate | Equatorial on the coast and in the south, with two rainy seasons; tropical on the plateau; Sahelian in the Far North — Debundscha among the wettest places on earth, about 10,000 mm a year |
| Natural hazards | The volcano; the carbon dioxide of the crater lakes — Lake Nyos killed some 1,746 people on 21 August 1986; floods in the north; drought at Lake Chad |
| Natural resources | Oil and gas, bauxite, iron ore, cobalt, timber, hydropower, gold |
| Land use | Agricultural land about 21%; forest about 40% |
| National parks | Waza in the north; Korup, Lobéké, Campo Ma'an, Mount Cameroon, Bouba Ndjida, Bénoué, Faro |
| UNESCO World Heritage | 2 — the Dja Faunal Reserve (1987); the Sangha Trinational (2012), shared with Congo and the Central African Republic |
| Administrative divisions | 10 regions — Adamawa, Centre, East, Far North, Littoral, North, Northwest, South, Southwest, West — 58 divisions and 360 communes |
People
| Population | 17,463,836 (census of 2005); about 30 million (2025 est.) |
|---|---|
| Population density | About 63 per km² (165 per sq mi) |
| Population growth | About 2.7% a year |
| Median age | About 19 years |
| Life expectancy | About 63 years |
| Fertility rate | About 4.5 births per woman |
| Urban population | About 60% |
| Adult literacy | About 78% |
| Ethnic groups | Some 250 peoples — the Bamiléké and Bamum of the west, the Fang-Beti of the center and south, the Fulani of the north, the Douala and Bassa of the coast, the Kirdi of the Mandara Mountains, the Baka of the forest |
| Languages | French spoken by about 80%, English by about 20%; Fulfulde, Ewondo, Duala, Bamiléké languages, Bamum, Basaa and some 250 more; Cameroon Pidgin English |
| Religion | Christian about 70% — Roman Catholic about 38%, Protestant about 26%; Muslim about 20%, mostly in the north; traditional beliefs |
| The Anglophone regions | The Northwest and Southwest, the former British Southern Cameroons — about a fifth of the population |
| Human Development Index | 0.588 (2023 data, 2025 report) — medium; about 150th of 193 |
| Sport | Football above all — the Indomitable Lions: five Africa Cup of Nations titles (1984, 1988, 2000, 2002, 2017), the World Cup quarterfinal of 1990 with Roger Milla, the Olympic gold of 2000, Samuel Eto'o; eight World Cups, the most of any African nation |
| Diaspora | Some 400,000 abroad — in France, the United States, Nigeria, Gabon and Germany |
Government
| Form of government | Presidential republic under the Constitution of 1996 — a strong presidency; the president elected for seven years without term limits since 2008 |
|---|---|
| President | Paul Biya (Cameroon People's Democratic Movement), since 6 November 1982 — the oldest head of state in the world, born 13 February 1933; prime minister 1975–1982 |
| The 2025 election | Held 12 October 2025: Biya declared the winner by the Constitutional Council on 27 October with 53.66% — 2,474,179 votes — to 35.19% for Issa Tchiroma Bakary, a former minister who had claimed victory two days after the vote; 8,082,692 registered; the opposition leader Maurice Kamto barred from standing |
| After the election | Protests in Douala, Garoua and Yaoundé; at least five killed by the government's count, more by the opposition's; a three-day lockdown; Tchiroma left for Nigeria; the opposition figure Anicet Ekane died in custody; Biya sworn in on 6 November 2025 for an eighth term, to 2032 |
| Prime Minister | Joseph Dion Ngute (CPDM), since 4 January 2019 — from the Southwest |
| Parliament | The National Assembly — 180 members, the CPDM about 150 of them; the Senate — 100 members, 70 elected and 30 appointed by the president, the CPDM 94 |
| The parliamentary election | Due in 2025 and postponed: the Assembly's mandate extended first to 30 March 2026 and, on 19 March 2026, to 20 December 2026; Théodore Datouo elected its president on 17 March 2026 after Cavaye Yeguie Djibril's 34 years |
| Legal system | A mixed system — French civil law in the francophone regions, English common law in the anglophone, and customary law; the Constitutional Council since 2018 |
| Regions | 10, each under a governor appointed by the president; regional councils elected since 2020, with a special status for the two anglophone regions |
| The Anglophone conflict | Since 2017 — protests by lawyers and teachers in 2016 became an armed separatist insurgency after the declaration of "Ambazonia" on 1 October 2017; some 6,000 killed and more than 700,000 displaced by 2025; the conflict continues in 2026 |
| The Far North | Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province attacking from Nigeria since 2014; the Multinational Joint Task Force |
| United Nations | Member since 20 September 1960 |
| Regional memberships | The African Union; CEMAC, the Central African monetary community; the Economic Community of Central African States; the Commonwealth (1995) and the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie — one of few countries in both; the Lake Chad Basin Commission |
Economy
| GDP (nominal) | About US$55 billion (2025, IMF) — the largest economy of Central Africa |
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| GDP per capita | About US$1,800 (2025) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | About US$5,300 (2025) |
| GDP growth | About 3.5–4% a year (2023–25) |
| Economy by sector | Services about 52%, industry about 25%, agriculture about 17% — which employs about half of workers |
| Currency | Central African CFA franc (XAF), fixed to the euro |
| Oil and gas | Offshore oil since 1977, the largest export; the Chad–Cameroon pipeline of 1,070 km to Kribi since 2003; gas from the Kribi field; the Limbe refinery |
| Cocoa and coffee | Among the world's five largest cocoa producers; robusta and arabica coffee; cotton in the north; bananas, rubber and palm oil on the coast |
| Timber | The forests of the east and south — logs and sawn wood to China and Europe |
| Aluminum | The Alucam smelter at Edéa since 1957, on the Sanaga's hydropower |
| Ports and trade | Douala the port of Chad and the Central African Republic as well; the deep-sea port at Kribi opened 2018; China, France, Nigeria, India and Belgium the partners |
| Income classification | Lower-middle income (World Bank) |
Transport & infrastructure
| Main airports | Douala International; Yaoundé Nsimalen International; Garoua, Maroua and Bafoussam |
|---|---|
| Airline | Camair-Co, the national carrier since 2011 |
| Main ports | Douala on the Wouri, the largest in the region; Kribi, the deep-sea port; Limbe |
| Railways | About 1,000 km (620 mi), meter gauge — Camrail: Douala to Yaoundé and Ngaoundéré, the line to the north and to Chad's trade |
| Roads | About 120,000 km (75,000 mi), a small share paved; the Yaoundé–Douala expressway; the Douala–Bamenda and the Trans-African routes to Nigeria and Chad |
| Hydropower | The Sanaga dams — Edéa, Song Loulou and Nachtigal, opened 2024, the largest |
History in dates
| c. 500 BC | The Sao culture around Lake Chad |
|---|---|
| 1472 | Fernão do Pó names the Rio dos Camarões |
| 1806 | The Fulani jihad founds the Adamawa emirate in the north |
| 1884 | German Kamerun, 12 July |
| 1916 | The British and French take Kamerun; the partition; League of Nations mandates 1922 |
| 1955 | The UPC uprising against French rule begins |
| 1960 | Independence of French Cameroun, 1 January — Ahmadou Ahidjo president |
| 1961 | The Southern Cameroons vote to join; the Federal Republic, 1 October |
| 1972 | The unitary state — the referendum of 20 May |
| 1982 | Ahidjo resigns; Paul Biya president, 6 November |
| 1986 | The Lake Nyos disaster, 21 August |
| 1990 | The Indomitable Lions reach the World Cup quarterfinal; multiparty politics legalized, December |
| 2008 | Term limits removed; Bakassi handed over by Nigeria, 14 August |
| 2017 | The Anglophone separatists declare "Ambazonia," 1 October |
| 2025 | Biya declared re-elected, 27 October; sworn in for an eighth term, 6 November |
| 2026 | The parliamentary election postponed to December |
Records & firsts
| Africa in miniature | Coast, rainforest, savanna, mountains and Sahel in one country |
|---|---|
| The oldest head of state in the world | Paul Biya, 93, in office since 1982 |
| The highest peak of West and Central Africa | Mount Cameroon, 4,040 m |
| Among the wettest places on earth | Debundscha, about 10 meters of rain a year |
| The deadliest lake | Nyos, 1986 — some 1,746 killed by carbon dioxide |
| Africa's first World Cup quarterfinalist | The Indomitable Lions, Italy 1990 |
| The most World Cups of any African nation | Eight, 1982 to 2022 |
| The Bamum script | King Njoya's alphabet of 1896 — one of Africa's own writing systems |
| In both clubs | A member of the Commonwealth and the Francophonie |
| About 250 languages | Among the most linguistically diverse countries on earth |
Frequently asked questions
What is the official name of Cameroon?
The Republic of Cameroon — République du Cameroun in French — since 1984; the United Republic of Cameroon from 1972 and the Federal Republic from 1961, when the French and British territories joined. The name comes from the Rio dos Camarões, the "river of prawns," which the Portuguese navigator Fernão do Pó called the Wouri estuary in 1472 for the crayfish he found there; the Germans made it Kamerun.
What is the capital of Cameroon?
Yaoundé, on the hills of the central plateau — the capital since 1922, with about 4 million people. Douala, on the Wouri estuary, is larger still, about 4.5 million, and the economic capital: the port, the airport and the industry. Garoua and Maroua lead the north, Bamenda and Buea the English-speaking west, Bafoussam the Bamiléké highlands.
How big is Cameroon, and how many people live there?
About 475,440 km² (183,569 sq mi) — a little larger than California — from the Gulf of Guinea to Lake Chad, with six neighbors. The last census, in 2005, counted 17.5 million people; the UN and the CIA World Factbook estimate about 30 million for 2025, growing at about 2.7 percent a year, with a median age of about 19. Cameroon is called Africa in miniature because it holds the continent's coast, rainforest, savanna, mountains and Sahel in one country, with some 250 languages.
What are the highest and lowest points of Cameroon?
Mount Cameroon — Fako, 4,040 m (13,255 ft) — an active volcano above the coast at Buea, the highest mountain in West and Central Africa, which last erupted in 2012; and the Atlantic Ocean. Its foot at Debundscha is among the wettest places on earth, with some 10 meters of rain a year. The Adamawa plateau divides the forested south from the savanna north, and the Mandara Mountains rise on the Nigerian border.
What currency does Cameroon use?
The Central African CFA franc (ISO code XAF), shared with the five other states of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community and fixed at 655.957 to the euro, issued by the Bank of Central African States in Yaoundé. Clocks keep West Africa Time, UTC+1, all year.
Who governs Cameroon?
President Paul Biya, in office since 6 November 1982 — at 93 the oldest head of state in the world and, after 43 years, among the longest-serving. He was declared re-elected for an eighth seven-year term on 27 October 2025 with 53.66 percent of the vote against 35.19 percent for Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who claimed victory himself; protests followed, at least five people were killed by the government's count, and Tchiroma left the country. Biya was sworn in on 6 November 2025. Joseph Dion Ngute has been prime minister since 4 January 2019. The parliamentary election due in 2025 has been postponed, the National Assembly's mandate extended to 20 December 2026.
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