Cameroon Hotels and Auberges

Cameroon

OFFICIAL NAME:
Republic of Cameroon

Geography
Area: 475,000 sq. km. (184,000) sq. mi.), about the size of California.
Cities (2003 Census Bureau estimates): Capital--Yaounde (pop. 1,111,641). Other major cities--Douala (1.3 million), Garoua (424,312), Maroua (409,546), Bafoussam (319,457), Bamenda (321,490), Nkongsamba (166,262), and Ngaoundere (216,300).
Terrain: Northern plains, central and western highlands, southern and coastal tropical forests. Mt. Cameroon (13,353 ft.) in the southwest is the highest peak in West Africa and the sixth in Africa.
Climate: Northern plains, the Sahel region--semiarid and hot (7-month dry season); central and western highlands where Yaounde is located--cooler, shorter dry season; southern tropical forest--warm, 4-month dry season; coastal tropical forest, where Douala is located--warm, humid year-round.

People
Nationality: English noun and adjective--Cameroonian(s); French noun and adjective--Camerounais(e).
Population (2007 est.): 18,060,382.
Annual growth rate (2007 est.): 2.241%.
Ethnic groups: About 250.
Religions: Christian 53%, Muslim 22%, indigenous African 25%.
Languages: French and English (both official) and about 270 African languages and dialects, including pidgin, Fulfulde, and Ewondo.
Education: Compulsory between ages 6 and 14. Attendance--65%. Literacy--75%.
Health: Infant mortality rate (2007)--6.6%. Life expectancy (2007)--52.86 yrs.
Work force: Agriculture--70%. Industry and commerce--13%.

Government
Type: Republic; strong central government dominated by president.
Independence: January 1, 1960 (for areas formerly ruled by France) and October 1, 1961 (for territory formerly ruled by Britain).
Constitution: June 2, 1972, last amended in January 1996.
Branches: Executive--president (chief of state), 7-yr. term, renewable once; appointed prime minister (head of government). Legislative--unicameral National Assembly (180 members, 5-yr. terms; meets briefly three times a year--March, June, November); a new Senate is called for under constitutional changes made in early 1996. Judicial--falls under the executive's Ministry of Justice.
Administrative subdivisions: 10 provinces, 58 departments or divisions, 349 subprefectures or subdivisions.
Political parties: Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM) or its predecessor parties have ruled since independence. Major opposition parties: the Social Democratic Front (SDF), the National Union for Democracy and Progress (NUDP), and the Cameroon Democratic Union (CDU).