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Population
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Total population (millions): |
16.4
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| Source : World Bank - World Development Indicators |
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| Urban population:
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52%
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| Source : World Bank - World Development Indicators |
| Average annual population growth:
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1.9%
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| Source : World Bank - World Development Indicators |
| Surface area (km²) : |
475,440
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Population origin
| Origin of the population | % Of the population | | Fang | 19,5 | | Bamileke and Bamoun | 18,3 | | Douala, Lumdu and Bassa | 14,5 | | Peul | 9,4 | | Tikar | 7,2 | | Mandara | 5,5 | | Makas | 4,7 | | Chamba | 2,4 | | M'Boum | 1,3 | | Haoussa | 1,2 | | French | 0,1 | | Other * | 15,9 |
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| Main Cities |
Population |
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Douala |
1 494 700 |
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Yaoundé |
1 248 200 |
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Garoua |
356 900 |
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Bamenda |
316 100 |
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Maroua |
271 700 |
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Bafoussam |
242 000 |
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Local time
| It is |
%T:%M %A |
in Yaounde (GMT+1 ).
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Languages
Official languages: French and English.
There are 200 African dialects.
Business language: French.
Free translation tools
Babel Fish
Free French-English-French translation of texts and web pages
Grand dictionnaire terminologique
Free French-English-French dictionary with 3 billion terms
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Religion
Religious practises :
Tribal Religions 51%
Christians 33% (Sud)
Sunni Muslims 16% (North).
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Political context
Cameroon is a unitary Republic based on parliamentary democracy where President is given broad range of powers which he is able to carry out without consulting the parliament. Cameroon (official name: Republic of Cameroon) became an independent republic in 1960 after merging with southern part of British Cameroon.
President is the chief of the state and holds the executive powers. President is also the head of the armed forces. President is elected by popular vote for a seven-year term . He appoints the Prime Minister (who is the head of the government) and the Cabinet. President has the power to dissolve the National Assembly and declare by decree a state of emergency which shall confer upon him special powers.
The legislature is unicameral. The members of the parliament (called National Assembly) are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms - the President can either lengthen or shorten the term of the legislature elections. The constitution of the country calls for an upper chamber for the legislature (Senate) but it has not been yet ( as of 2006) formed. The main responsibility of theNational Assembly is to pass laws, but rarely has it changed any laws or blocked the passage of legislation. The political rights of the people of Cameroon are very much limited.
Judiciary is not independent in Cameroon and is highly subject to political influence. The main source of the law is the constitution of 1972 (approved by referendum, and revised in January 1996) which is based on French civil law system. The country accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction. The judicial languages in the country are French and English.
Cameroon is not ruled by law. In the North of the country, powerful traditional chiefs run their own private militias, courts and prisons, which are used against the regime's political opponents. Foreigners cannot expect a fair trial from the country's judicial system. A high degree of corruption exists in the country.
Major political parties
RDCP (Democratic Rally of the Cameroon People), SDF (Social Democratic Front), UDC (Cameroonian Democratic Union), UPC (Union of Cameroonian Populations), UNDP (National Union for Democracy and Progress)
Major political leaders
President: Paul BIYA (since November 1982, re-elected many times, latest in Oct 2004) – RDCP
Prime Minister: Ephraim INONI (since December 2004) - RDCP
Next political election dates
Presidential: October 2011
National Assembly: Year 2012
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| Climate: Sahelian in the North and tropical humid in the South with a lot of different climates depending on the regions. Frequent rain shower in the South (except in December - March and June - August) which are less frequent when going up north. January - February are a good period to visit. Take light clothes and something to protect from the rain in the rainy season. It is advised to wear a woolen sweater when going to the mountains.
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| Number of visitors
in Cameroon
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2004
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2005
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2006
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World rank |
| Number of visitors (1000) |
190 |
.. |
.. |
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| Source : World Tourisme Organization, data available in November 2005 |
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Tourist sites
-Beaches of Kribi, Limbé...
-Water falls in Lobe, Mvigligui, Edéa, Lagbo...
-Natural caves in Akok-Bekoe
-Nature reserves in Wasa, Dja, Bénoué
Sites in the city of Douala and in the region of the West
For more information about tourism
in Cameroon
, check out the following web site(s) :
Cameroon Tourism Board in Paris, France
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Food
Traditional dishes
For some people, the Cameroonian food is a mixture of French and Lebanese recipes.
Restaurants are usually quite expensive, even with exorbitant prices. Most Cameroonian dishes are prepared with fruits and salty ingredients. Cameroon produces avocados, pineapples, mangoes and a lot of citrus fruits.
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