Cameroon – country information

Country name	Cameroon
Official name	Republic of Cameroon
Capital	Yaoundé
Continent	Africa
Area	475,442 km2
Population	20,386,799 (2012)
Foundation of a state	1/1/1960
The highest mountains	Mt. Cameroon 4,070 m
Longest rivers	Sanaga 918 km
State system	a pluralist republic with a unicameral parliament
The biggest cities	Douala 1,150,000, Yaoundé (capital) 840,000
Official language	French, English
Ethnicity/National Composition	Fangs 20.5%, Bamileks and Bamums 19%, Duals, Luandas and Bas 15%, Fulbs 10%, Tikars 7.5%, others 28%
Religious affiliation	Roman Catholics 35%, Animists 26.5%, Muslims 22%, Protestants 17.5%
Currency	1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 cents
gross domestic product (GDP)	US$2,338 (2012)
Average life expectancy of the population	51.16 years (2006)
Structure of GDP	agriculture, forestry and fishing 23%, mining 14%, industry 14.5%, construction 5.5%, services 4.3%

Cameroon – Neighboring States

State	Capital	Area	Population
CAD	N’Djamena	1,284,000 km2	12,825,000
Gabon	Libreville	267,668 km2	1,672,000
Congo	Brazzaville	342,000 km2	4,448,000
Nigeria	Abuja	923,768 km2	173,615,000
Equatorial Guinea	Malabo	28,051 km2	736,296
Central African Republic	Bangui	622,984 km2	4,616,000

Country overview

According to Abbreviationfinder, Cameroon is located on the Gulf of Guinea on the border of West and Central Africa. It is bordered by Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Congo, Central African Republic, Chad and Nigeria.

Country data

Location: Central Africa

Time zone: CET (during summer time: CET – 1)

Total area: 475,440 km²

Land area: 472,710 km²

Water area: 2,730 km²

Length of the state border: 5,018 km

Bordering countries apply to:
Equatorial Guinea: 183 km
Gabon: 349 km
Congo: 494 km
Nigeria: 1,975 km
Chad: 1,116 km
Central African Republic: 901 km

Coastline: 402 km

Capital: Yaoundé

Regions: 10
Adamaoua, Center, East (Est), Far North (Extreme-Nord), Littoral, North (Nord), North-West (Nord-Ouest), West (Ouest), South (Sud), South-West ( Sud-Ouest)

Telephone code: 00 237 (Source: Allcitycodes)

Highest point: Fako 4,095 m

Population

Population: approx. 23.1 million residents (Countryaah, 2021)

Population growth: 2.6% per year

Population density (residents per km²): 49

Life expectancy: 56 (male), 59 (female)

Official language: English, French

Religions:

• 40% Christian
• 20% Muslim
• 40% other

Climate

Cameroon lies on the edge of the equatorial rainy climate. The dry seasons are clearly separated from the rainy periods.

In the north, the great rainy season lasts from the beginning of May to mid-October. The large plains in the interior of the country have a very high rainfall. The temperatures (day / night) fluctuate very strongly. It can get very chilly at night.

In the south of the country, the rainy season lasts from July to the end of October, followed by a very strong dry season (end of October – end of Fenruar).

The annual average temperature in the capital is 23 ° C.

Currency / finance

Currency unit: CFA franc (XAF)

ATMs: Only a few devices available in the largest cities.

International credit cards: These are only accepted occasionally (please clarify when booking the hotel).

Regulations: There is no limit to the amount of foreign currencies that can be imported. However, the import must be declared. The export is limited to the amount of the declared import.

The import and export of the local currency is at 20,000 XAF. However, exchanges in other currencies are not possible outside of the countries in the CFA franc zone.

Customs regulations

The following may be carried duty-free:

• 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or small amounts of tobacco
• 1 liter of alcoholic beverages
• small amounts of perfume

(Information applies to people aged 18 and over)

Tourists and people in transit can bring items of personal use with them duty-free.

The export of ivory and ancient works of art is prohibited!

Travel advice

We warn against traveling to the Extreme North region (including Lake Chad), the Bakassi peninsula and the surrounding area, as well as the border areas with Nigeria, Chad and the Central African Republic!

Due to the high risk of attack and kidnapping, we strongly advise against traveling to remote areas of Cameroon.

Since assaults on motorists (often with gun violence) and extortion by the police at roadside checks occur, we recommend that you exercise particular caution:

• DO NOT take strangers with you
• always have a certified COPY of your ID or passport with you
• do not wear money and jewelry visibly

In rural areas there is an even higher risk due to civil unrest and the high crime rate.

Behavioral advice

Airports, military facilities, traffic facilities and government buildings may not be photographed. Caution is also required when taking pictures of people.

With a small gift of money from the person concerned, it is better to get permission beforehand.

Filming is only allowed with official approval!

You should not use the bush taxis (often small minibuses), as they are usually in a very bad condition and the drivers drive very dangerous.

Economy

As a result of the oil discovery, Cameroon is now doing better economically.

The agricultural sector is mainly covered by small farmers.

Tourism only plays a subordinate role.

Industries: oil production, food production, textiles

Natural resources: bauxite, iron ore, petroleum, wood, hydropower

Land use:

• Land: 13%
• Grain cultivation: 2%
• Pasture area: 4%
• Forests: 78%
• other: 3%

Plants

In the north of Cameroon there are vast savannas and grasslands. These pass into the middle of the country into moist savannas with tropical forests.

The tropical rainforest is predominant in the south.

The mangrove forests growing in large swamps are located near the coastal areas.

Animals

In order to preserve the population of the living wild animals, Cameroon has set up several national parks in recent years.

These animals include monkeys, antelopes, buffalo, elephants, giraffes, lions, and various species of birds.