Its official name is The Republic of Cameroon, and it’s the 54th largest country in the world.

General Information

Cameroon is an African country, located in the western part of Central African Region. Its official name is The Republic of Cameroon, and it’s the 54th largest country in the world. Cameroon is bordered by Chad to the north-east, the Republic of Congo, Gabon, and Equatorial Guiana to the south, the Central African Republic to the east and Nigeria to the west. The main rivers of Cameroon are Nyong, Benue and Sanaga; and the highest elevation in the country is mount Cameroon, at 13,350 feet (4069 m).

The Capital – ‘Yaounde’

The capital of Cameroon is Yaounde. Yaounde was founded in 1888 and today has a population of 1.5 million people. However, the largest city in Cameroon is Douala, which is also the commercial capital. It’s where you’ll find the airport and Cameroon’s major port. Douala has a population of approximately 2 million people.

The population of Cameroon as at the year 2008 was 18.5 million people, with the ethnic make-up being –

Cameroon Highlanders 31%,

Equatorial Bantu 19%,

Kirdi 11%,

Fulani 10%,

North-Western Bantu 8%,

Eastern Nigritic 7%,

Other African 13%,

Non-African less than 1%.

The religions practised in Cameroon include 40% indigenous beliefs, 40% Christian, with the remaining 20% Muslim.

The Languages of Cameroon

Cameroon is home to a whopping 230 languages, which include –

55 Afro-Asiatic languages,

173 Niger-Congo languages, and

2 Nilo-Saharan languages.

The Niger-Congo languages are divided into –

32 Adamawa-Ubangui languages,

142 Benue-Congo languages (of which 130 are Bantu languages), and

1 West Atlantic language (Fulfulde).

The official languages of Cameroon are French and English. This was a result of the then-German colony of Cameroon being handed to the British and the French after world War 1 by the League of Nations. There is a push toward bilingualism, but in truth very few Cameroonians speak both English and French, and many don’t speak either language. Several bilingual schools have been established by the government in an effort to teach both languages. Cameroon is a member of La Francophonie and the Commonwealth of Nations.

Since the 1880s, Pidgin English, or Kamtok, has been the lingua franca of Cameroon; and there are several variations on Kamtok.

The People of Cameroon

Cameroon has a very diverse population, comprising around 250 ethnic groups, which then form five regional/cultural groups, as below -

Western Highlanders (also known as Grassfielders), which include the Bamoun, Bamileke, and other groups in the northwest;

Coastal Tropical Forest People, including the Doula Bassa, and other groups in the southwest;

Southern Tropical Forest People, including the Beulu, Beti, Pygmies, and Fang;

Muslims of the central highlands and northern semi-arid regions, including the Fulani;

And the Kirdi, the non-Muslim peoples of the central highlands and northern desert.

The most popular tourist destination in Cameroon is the Waza National Park – home to Giraffe, Elephants, Antelope and many other animals. The National Park is located in the north of Cameroon near the town of Maroua, between Nigeria and Chad.

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