Cameroon

Central Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria

6 00 N, 12 00 E

Africa

slightly larger than California; about four times the size of Pennsylvania

402 km

varies with terrain, from tropical along coast to semiarid and hot in north

diverse, with coastal plain in southwest, dissected plateau in center, mountains in west, plains in north

petroleum, bauxite, iron ore, timber, hydropower

290 sq km (2012)

Lake Chad Basin

population concentrated in the west and north, with the interior of the country sparsely populated, as shown in this population distribution map

sometimes referred to as the hinge of Africa because of its central location on the continent and its position at the west-south juncture of the Gulf of Guinea; areas of thermal springs and indications of current or prior volcanic activity; Mount Cameroon, the highest mountain in Sub-Saharan west Africa, is an active volcano

Bamileke-Bamu 22.2%, Biu-Mandara 16.4%, Arab-Choa/Hausa/Kanuri 13.5%, Beti/Bassa, Mbam 13.1%, Grassfields 9.9%, Adamawa-Ubangi, 9.8%, Cotier/Ngoe/Oroko 4.6%, Southwestern Bantu 4.3%, Kako/Meka 2.3%, foreign/other ethnic group 3.8% (2022 est.)

Roman Catholic 33.1%, Muslim 30.6%, Protestant 27.1% other Christian 6.1%, animist 1.3%, other 0.7%, none 1.2% (2022 est.)

2.37% (2025 est.)

30.79 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

6.73 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

-0.32 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

population concentrated in the west and north, with the interior of the country sparsely populated, as shown in this population distribution map

4.509 million YAOUNDE (capital), 4.063 million Douala (2023)

20.1 years (2018 est.)

258 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

3.87 children born/woman (2025 est.)

1.91 (2025 est.)

0.14 physicians/1,000 population (2022)

2.6 beds/1,000 population (2016 est.)

11.4% (2016)

11% (2018 est.)

58.1% (2018 est.)

presidential republic

mixed system of English common law, French civil law, and customary law

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; non-party state to the ICCt

20 years of age; universal

ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, C, CEMAC, EITI (compliant country), FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LCBC, MIGA, MNJTF, MONUSCO, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHRC, UNIDO, UNMISS, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

1 January 1960 (from French-administered UN trusteeship)

State Unification Day (National Day), 20 May (1972)

lion

green, red, yellow

largest CEMAC economy with many natural resources; recent political instability and terrorism reducing economic output; systemic corruption; poor property rights enforcement; increasing poverty in northern regions

$51.327 billion (2024 est.)

cassava, plantains, oil palm fruit, maize, taro, tomatoes, sorghum, sugarcane, bananas, vegetables (2023)

petroleum production and refining, aluminum production, food processing, light consumer goods, textiles, lumber, ship repair

1.9% (2024 est.)

11.119 million (2024 est.)

11.3% (of GDP) (2021 est.)

Netherlands 21%, France 14%, UAE 13%, India 9%, China 8% (2023)

crude petroleum, natural gas, gold, cocoa beans, wood (2023)

China 43%, France 6%, India 6%, Belgium 4%, UAE 4% (2023)

garments, refined petroleum, plastic products, wheat, rice (2023)

government maintains tight control over broadcast media; state-owned Cameroon Radio Television (CRTV), with both TV and radio broadcasts, was the only officially recognized and fully licensed broadcaster until 2007, when the government issued licenses to 2 private TV broadcasters and 1 private radio broadcaster; about 70 privately owned, unlicensed radio stations operate under “administrative tolerance,” meaning the stations could be subject to closure at any time (2023)

.cm

TJ

37 (2025)

1 (2025)

estimated 40-50,000 active FAC, including the Gendarmerie (2025)

the FAC inventory is comprised of armaments from a variety of countries, including China, Israel, Russia/former Soviet Union, South Africa, the US, and some Western European countries, particularly France (2025)

18-23 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women (18-28 for medical services); no conscription; service obligation 4 years (2025)

750 (plus about 400 police) Central African Republic (MINUSCA) (2025)

the Cameroon Armed Forces (FAC) are responsible for defending the country's territorial integrity, providing humanitarian assistance, supporting regional peacekeeping operations, and contributing to internal security; key areas of focus are the threat from the terrorist groups Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa along its frontiers with Nigeria and Chad (Far North region) and, since 2016, an insurgency from armed Anglophone separatist groups in the North-West and South-West regions; in addition, the FAC often deploys ground units to the border region with the Central African Republic to counter intrusions from armed militias and bandits; the Navy’s missions include protecting Cameroon’s oil installations, combatting crime and piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, and patrolling the country’s lakes and rivers; the FAC's small Air Force supports both the ground and naval forces (2025)