Last updated on February 15th, 2020
21. The Waza National Park in Cameroon is one of the most visited places in the country.
22. The Dja Faunal Reserve, founded in 1950, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 90% of the area of the reserve is left undisturbed. The area is named after The Dja River, which almost completely surrounds it.
23. Subsistence farming plays a vital role in the life of poor Cameroonians.
24. Paul Biya has been the president of Cameroon since November 6, 1982.
25. Construction of a $3.7 billion pipeline connecting the oil fields in neighboring Chad with the Cameroon coast is under way. The World Bank is also sponsoring this project.
26. The current President of the country is said to have won by unfair means in the most recent elections in 2011, which he won by taking 78% of the vote.
27. The country celebrates its national day on May 20th. On this day in 1972, Cameroonians voted for a unitary state as opposed to the existing federal state.
28. If you look attentively at a map of the country, it looks like an elongated triangle.
Cameroon on the map
29. In 1990, Cameroon became the first African country to enter the quarter-final of the FIFA World Cup.
30. Cameroon is known for its coffee, cotton, bananas, oilseeds and cocoa.
31. As per the Council on Foreign Relations of the US State Department, Cameroon has been ranked as the second most dangerous country in the world, mainly because of attacks and kidnappings orchestrated by the terrorist sect Boko Haram. The group’s name translates to “Western education is sinful.”
32. To stop the cross border incursion from Boko Haram, about 1,000 troops were stationed by the country’s government on its border with Nigeria in 2014. However, the deployment further emboldened the fundamentalist sect, and they escalated their attacks.
Cameroon facts for kids
33. In area, Cameroon is twice the size of Oregon.
34. It has a total land boundary of 5,018 km and a coastline of 402 km.
35. The country is blessed with some of the most fertile land in the world.
36. Foot ball (soccer) is the most popular sport in the country.
37. The country’s legal age for boys to marry is 18, while that for girls is 15 years.
38. Did you know that Lake Nyos emitted poisonous gases, which became the reason for the death of 1,746 villagers in Cameroon in 1986?
39. Sadly, Cameroonian footballer Patrick Ekeng died on the football field when he suffered a heart attack on May 6th, 2016 (aged 26).
Cameroon – country at a glance
| Independence | 1 January 1960 (from French-administered UN trusteeship) |
|---|---|
| Capital City | Yaoundé (3°52′N 11°31′E) |
| Largest City | Douala |
| Total area | 475,440 sq km |
| Population | 29,381,262 (2024 est.) |
| Demonym | Cameroonian |
| Literacy | total population: 77.1% (2024 est.) |
| Suffrage | 20 years of age; universal |
| Official Language | French and English |
| Government type | presidential republic |
| President | Paul Biya |
| Prime Minister | Joseph Ngute |
| National anthem | "O Cameroun, Berceau de nos Ancetres" (O Cameroon, Cradle of Our Forefathers) |
| National symbols | lion |
| National colors | green, red, yellow |
| Borders | Nigeria, Chad, the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo. |
| Currency | Central African CFA franc (XAF) |
| Religion | Christianity and Islam |
| Life expectancy at birth | 64.2 years (2024 est.) Life expectancy at birth indicates the number of years a newborn infant would live if prevailing patterns of mortality at the time of its birth were to stay the same throughout its life. |
| 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 |
| Mean elevation | 667 m |
| Lowest point | Atlantic Ocean 0 m |
| Highest point | Fako on Mont Cameroun 4,045 m |
| Natural resources | petroleum, bauxite, iron ore, timber, hydropower |
| Agricultural land | 20.6% |
| Birth rate` | 34.7 births/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
| Death rate | 7.4 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
| Sex ratio | 0.99 male(s)/female (2024 est.) |
| GDP - per capita (PPP) | $4,800 (2023 est.) |
| Industries | petroleum production and refining, aluminum production, food processing, light consumer goods, textiles, lumber, ship repair |
| Exports | $8.641 billion (2022 est.) crude petroleum, natural gas, wood, cocoa beans, gold (2022) |
| Imports | $9.759 billion (2022 est.) refined petroleum, wheat, garments, rice, plastic products (2022) |
| Time Zone | WAT (UTC+1) |
| Internet country code | .cm |
| Calling Code | +237 |
| Drives on the | Right |
| Table last updated | November 5, 2024 |