Cameroon

Officially known as the République du Cameroun in French, CAMEROON is a French-speaking country located in Western Africa. Cameroon is home to over 24 million residents in 2017. There are 6 bordering countries: Central African Republic, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Nigeria, and the Republic of the Congo. The capital is Yaoundé. Cameroon features a diverse climate, varying from a semiarid north to the tropical coastal and southern regions. The currency is the Central African Franc, and its ISO 4217 currency code is XAF. Some of the country’s exports for global trade ↗ include aluminum, bauxite, cassava (manioc), cocoa beans, coffee, cotton, crude oil and petroleum products, grain, iron ore, lumber, oilseeds, okra, rubber, and textiles. Principal crops grown in Cameroon include bananas, cocoa, coffee, cotton, oilseed, root starches, and various types of grain.

● ● ● ● ●  People and Places  ● ● ● ● ●  According to Encyclopædia Britannica, Cameroon’s population in the year 2020 is about 24,918,000 and is ranked 56th among populations of the whole world’s countries, dependencies, and territories. Highlighted and labeled on the map below, Cameroon’s major cities include Bafoussam, Bamenda, Bertoua, Douala, Ebolowa, Edea, Garoua, Kousséri, Kumba, Loum, Maroua, Meiganga, Mokolo, Ngaoundéré, Nkongsamba, Yagoua, and Yaoundé (national capital). While major cities are labeled on the major cities map, smaller communities with population data are displayed on this map with light orange dots. For example, Ekundukundu — located beside the border with Nigeria in southwestern Cameroon — had only 221 residents in the year 2005. Notable places and sites of interest all across the country include the Adamawa Plateau in central Cameroon near the towns of Belel and Martap; Chutes de la Lobé waterfalls in the southwest near Akom (on map) and Kribi (not on map); la Dent de Mindif (Mindif Tooth) rocky peak near the communities of Gadjia, Maroua, and Mindif; Espace Doual'art art gallery in Douala; Marché Central (Central Market) and Musée National (National Museum) in Yaoundé; Palais Royal (Royal Palace) in Foumban; and several beaches along the Atlantic coast. Two Cameroonian places of environmental importance are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Dja Faunal Reserve and Sangha Trinational conservation preserve.

As of 2023, over 250 languages belonging to 24 language groups are used for communication in Cameroon. English and French are Cameroon’s official languages. Other languages include but are definitely not limited to Aghem, Akoose, Ambele, Bafia, Bafut, Bakaka, Bakoko, Bamum, Bassa, Bulu, Chadian Arabic, Duala, Eton, Ewondo, Fe’fe’, Fulfulde, Ghomala, Kako, Kom, Mafa, Medumba, Meta’, Ngiemboon, Nso’, Oroko, Psikye, Toupouri, Usaghade, Wandala, Wushi, Yamba, Yemba, and Zulgo-Gemzek. People and ethnic groups of Cameroon include East Nigritic, the Equatorial Bantu, Fulani, Highlanders, Kirdi, and Northwest Bantu. About 57% of Cameroonian citizens are believers in Christianity, followed by animist and ethnic beliefs (23%), Islam (20%), and Bahá’í (0.42%).

● ● ● ● ●  Land and Water Features  ● ● ● ● ●  Cameroon’s topography is as varied as its climate. Southern Cameroon features a low coastal plain; central Cameroon is predominantly plateaus; northern Cameroon’s grasslands give way to marshes around Lake Chad, an important and struggling lake located at the tippy top of Cameroon; and western Cameroon is dominated by forested mountains. Cameroon’s highest point, Fako, stands with an elevation of 13,435 feet and 4,095 meters and is located on a volcano, Mount Cameroon. Some resources list the peak elevation as 13,451 feet and 4,100 meters. Nicknamed the “mountain of greatness,” Mt. Cameroon is geographically located in southwestern Cameroon and immediately northwest of Buéa, a city between Boa and Douala. Mount Oku (3,011 meters) is another major peak; it is found in the Bamenda Mountains near the town of Mbem by southeast Nigeria. Prominent peaks in the Mandara Mountains of extreme northern Cameroon include Rhumsiki Peak (1,224 meters) near the towns of Gawar and the namesake Rhumsiki, while Tourou Peak (1,442 meters) is geographically situated near the town of Mora.

Cameroon has over 400 kilometers and 250 miles of coastline along the Atlantic Ocean. Coastal areas near Nigeria in extreme western Cameroon contain dozens of islands — named and unnamed, habited and uninhabited. Akwabana, Douala Edea, Ewuru, Fiari, Inikoi, Masonjo, Mboza Bombe, Miandjou, and Moukouke are some of the named islands. Various rivers and tributaries throughout Cameroon include the Bek, Bénoué, Boumba, Dja, Faro, Lobé, Logone, Mbam, Ngoko, Ntem, Nyong, Sanaga, and Wouri. The Bakassi and Erong peninsulas are located in the islands’ vicinity. The picturesque Memve’ele Waterfalls are located immediately north of Equatorial Guinea and east of the town of Campo in southwestern Cameroon. Lake Chad is not the only lake within the borders of Cameroon. Other notable lakes include Bamendjing, Lagdo, Mbakaou, and Nyos. The following are national parks and reserves located mostly near the borderlands of Cameroon: Bénoué, Bouba Ndjida, and Waza in the north; Biosphère du Dja, Boumba-Bek, and Lobéké in the southeast; Méfou (Mfou) in south-central Cameroon; Campo-Ma’an in the southwest; and Korup and Takamanda in the west.

This post was updated with more information in December 2023. GeoFact of the Day’s map of Cameroon was designed in June 2020.