Content on this page:
- Facts and figures - Around Cameroon - Links

See also:
- Cameroon Timeline
- Photos from Cameroon
- VR-panorma photo from Bafang, Cameroon (approx 1 Mb) Requires QuickTime
- Petit Pays & Les Sans Visas

Map: Cameroon, Africa

Map: Cameroon

View a map of Cameroon
(PDF-document)

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The Rough Guide to West Africa US order \| European order
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Bradt Travel Guide: Cameroon US order \| European order
Cameroon with Egbert (By Dervla Murphy) US order \| European order
Black Livingstone: A True Tale (By Pagan Kennedy) US order \| European order
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Cameroon

A starting point for your exploration of Cameroon: Country facts, links, news and photos.

Republic of Cameroon (facts and figures)

Capital: Yaoundé (Economical center: Douala)
Area: 475,440 sq km (view PDF-map)
Borders to: Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Nigeria
Est. population: approx. 15.4 million
Official language: French and English
Religions: Indigenous(40%), Christian(40%), Muslim(20%)

Literacy: 63.4% of adult population.
Est. infant mortality: 71 per 1,000 live births
Life expectancy: 56 (Women), 54 (Men)

Type: Unitary Republic
President: Paul Biya (since 1982)
Prime minister: Peter Mafany Musonge
GDP: $6,77 billion, $526 per capita
Agriculture is 29% of GDP and 75% of employment

Currency: CFA franc (100 CFA = 1 FF)

Natural resources and crops: Timber, petroleum, bauxite, iron, cacao, coffee, tobacco, cotton, bananas, rubber and more.

More facts and figures:

CIA World Fact Book: Cameroon

Around Cameroon

Introduction to Cameroonian subjects. The orange links will take you to related subjects on this site, while the blue links will take you to other websites.

Cultural diversity

With more than 130 ethnic groups, Cameroon is one of the most cultural diverse countries in Africa. Christianity and Islam are competing for Cameroonian souls, but indigenous beliefs and original traditions are still surviving. Ethnologue Cameroon has an overview of the many tribes. One of the big ethnic groups in Cameroon are the semi-bantu Bamiléké. The online African Art Museum has great samples of art from the Bamiléké, Bamum and other tribes from Cameroon and other African countries. Cameroon is also home of many "pygmy" tribes who were the orginal inhabitants of the area.

Music from Cameroon

Cameroon has fostered many great musical talents. The country is home to the popular "Makossa" and "Bikoutsi" styles. Famous musicians from Cameroon includes Manu Dibango, Les Tetes Brulees, Sam Fan Thomas and Francis Bebey who died in May 2001. The female singers Les Nubians and Sally Nyolo all come from Cameroon - and so does the acknowledged jazz musician Richard Bona. One of the most popular Makossa popstars in Cameroon is Petit Pays.

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Movies from Cameroon

The film Quartier Mozart (1992) gives you a good idea about the "natural magic" and daily life in Douala. Chocolat (1989) is a very recommendable film about a young woman's memories of her childhood in Cameroon. Mountains, gorillas, waterfalls and endless rainforest... Greystoke: Legend of Tarzan (1984) was partly shot on location in Cameroon.

Litterature from Cameroon

Writers from Cameroon includes Mongo Beti (Amazon-link), Kenjo Jumban and Francis Bebey (Amazon-link).

Wildlife and nature

In Cameroon you find everything from lion, giraffes, elephants, rhinos, buffalos, crocodiles, monkeys and an incredible amount of bird species. Cameroon has 6 national parks -most of them in the northern savanna areas. Le Parc de Korup (in the south-west) is considered to be the oldest rainforest in Africa and also hosts gorillas, chimpanzes, elephants and leopards. Visit the Elephants of Cameroon for information about saving the giants of Africa.

Political issues

Nationalism and liberalism is strong in the anglophone south-west corner of Cameroon. Bamenda is the center of the political opposition and forces are working for a "Federal Republic of the Southern Cameroons".

Lake Nyos disaster

On August 21st 1986 a deadly cloud of CO2 erupted from Lake Nyos in Cameroon and killed more than 1700 people. Read more details from the team of scientists who are working to prevent a new disaster. Visit the site: Degassing Nyos.

History of Cameroon

For an overview of Cameroon history go to the page: Cameroon Timeline on this site.