Open main menu
Home
Random
Recent changes
Special pages
Community portal
Preferences
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Incubator escapee wiki
Search
User menu
Talk
Dark mode
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Editing
Cameroon
Warning:
You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you
log in
or
create an account
, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
Anti-spam check. Do
not
fill this in!
{{short description|Country in Central Africa}} {{about|the country|other uses}} {{featured article}} {{pp-move}} {{pp-pc}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}} {{Use British English|date=December 2024}} {{Infobox country | conventional_long_name = Republic of Cameroon | common_name = Cameroon | native_name = {{native name|fr|République du Cameroun}} | image_flag = Flag of Cameroon.svg | alt_flag = Vertical tricolor (green, red, yellow) with a five-pointed gold star in the center of the red | image_coat = Coat of arms of Cameroon.svg | symbol_type = Coat of arms | national_motto = <br />{{native phrase|fr|"Paix – Travail – Patrie"|italics=off}}<br />"Peace – Work – Fatherland" | national_anthem = <br />{{native phrase|fr|"Chant de Ralliement"|italics=off|nolink=yes}}<br />"[[ The Rallying Song]]"<br />{{center| }} | image_map = {{switcher|[[File:Cameroon (orthographic projection).svg|frameless]]|Show globe|[[File:Location Cameroon AU Africa.svg|upright=1.15|frameless]]|Show map of Africa|default=1}} | alt_map = Location of Cameroon on the globe. | image_map2 = | capital = [[Yaoundé]]<ref name="CIA">{{Cite CIA World Factbook|country=Cameroon|section=People and Society|date=16 May 2022 }}</ref> | coordinates = {{coord|3|52|N|11|31|E|type:city}} | largest_city = [[Douala]] | official_languages = [[English language|English]]{{*}}[[French language|French]] | regional_languages = | ethnic_groups_ref = <ref name="CIA"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aa.com.tr/fr/afrique/peuls-du-cameroun-pr%C3%A9server-lethos-suivre-lair-du-temps-/2888983/|title= Peuls du Cameroun: Préserver l'ethos, suivre l'air du temps |access-date=2024-07-10|via=Anadolu Agency-FR}}</ref> | ethnic_groups = {{vunblist | {{nowrap | 22.2% [[Bamileke people|Bamileke]]-[[Bamum people|Bamum]]}} | 16.4% [[Biu–Mandara languages|Biu-Mandara]] | 13.5% [[Baggara Arabs|Shuwa Arab]], [[Hausa people|Hausa]], & [[Kanuri people|Kanuri]] | 13.1% [[Beti-Pahuin peoples|Beti / Bassa-Mbam]] | 12.0% [[Fula people|Fulani]] | 9.9% [[Tikar|Grassfields (Tikar)]] | 9.8% [[Adamawa–Ubangi languages|Adamawa-Ubangi]] ([[Mbum languages|Mbum]]-[[Gbaya languages|Gbaya]]) | 4.6% {{ill|Sawa (peuple)|lt=Sawa / Côtier|fr}} | 4.3% Southwest Bantu | 2.3% [[African Pygmies|Pygmy peoples]] | 3.8% others/foreigners }} | ethnic_groups_year = 2022 | religion = {{ublist |item_style=white-space:nowrap; | 66.3% [[Christianity]] | 30.6% [[Islam in Cameroon|Islam]] | 1.3% [[Traditional African religions|traditional faiths]] | 1.1% [[Irreligion|no religion]] | 0.7% others }} | religion_year = 2022 | religion_ref = <ref name="CIA"/> | demonym = [[Cameroonians|Cameroonian]] | government_type = [[Unitary state|Unitary]] [[Dominant-party system|dominant-party]] [[Presidential system|presidential]] [[republic]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Democracy Index 2020|url=https://www.eiu.com/n/campaigns/democracy-index-2020/|access-date=2021-12-17|website=Economist Intelligence Unit|language=en-GB|archive-date=3 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303040250/https://www.eiu.com/n/campaigns/democracy-index-2020/|url-status=live}}</ref> under a [[dictatorship]]<ref>David Wallechinsky, "Tyrants: the World's 20 Worst Living Dictators", Regan Press, 2006, pp. 286–290</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=2011-06-19 |title=The world's enduring dictators: Paul Biya, Cameroon |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-worlds-enduring-dictators-paul-biya-cameroon-19-06-2011/ |access-date=2022-12-20 |publisher=CBS News |language=en-US |archive-date=20 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221220171836/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-worlds-enduring-dictators-paul-biya-cameroon-19-06-2011/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=2020-11-02 |title=For the sake of Cameroon, life-president Paul Biya must be forced out|last=Tampa|first=Vava |url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/02/for-the-sake-of-cameroon-life-president-paul-biya-must-be-forced-out |access-date=2022-12-20 |website=The Guardian}}</ref> | leader_title1 = [[President of Cameroon|President]] | leader_name1 = [[Paul Biya]] | leader_title2 = [[Prime Minister of Cameroon|Prime Minister]] | leader_name2 = [[Joseph Ngute]] | leader_title3 = [[Senate (Cameroon)|President of Senate]] | leader_name3 = [[Marcel Niat Njifenji]] | leader_title4 = [[List of presidents of the National Assembly of Cameroon|President of National Assembly]] | leader_name4 = [[Cavayé Yéguié Djibril]] | legislature = [[Parliament of Cameroon|Parliament]] | upper_house = [[Senate (Cameroon)|Senate]] | lower_house = [[National Assembly (Cameroon)|National Assembly]] | sovereignty_type = Formation | sovereignty_note = <!--from [[France]] and the [[United Kingdom]]--> | established_event1 = [[Kamerun|German Kamerun]] | established_date1 = 17 August 1884 | established_event2 = Partition | established_date2 = 20 July 1916 | established_event3 = Independence of [[French Cameroon]] from France | established_date3 = 1 January 1960 | established_event4 = Independence of [[Southern Cameroons]] from the United Kingdom, establishment of federal republic | established_date4 = 1 October 1961 | established_event5 = Unitary state | established_date5 = May 1972 | area_km2 = 475,442 | area_rank = 53rd <!-- Area rank should match [[List of countries and dependencies by area]] sourced from the UN--> | area_sq_mi = 183,569 <!--Do not remove per [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Dates and numbers]]--> | percent_water = 0.57 <ref name="CIA"/> | population_estimate = 30,966,105<ref>{{Cite CIA World Factbook|country=Cameroon|access-date=22 June 2023|year=2023}}</ref> | population_estimate_year = 2024 | population_estimate_rank = 52nd | population_density_km2 = 39.7 | population_density_sq_mi = 102,8 <!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]--> | GDP_PPP = {{increase}} $141.930 billion<ref name="IMFWEO.CM">{{cite web |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2023/October/weo-report?c=622,&s=NGDPD,PPPGDP,NGDPDPC,PPPPC,&sy=2020&ey=2028&ssm=0&scsm=1&scc=0&ssd=1&ssc=0&sic=0&sort=country&ds=.&br=1 |title=World Economic Outlook Database, April 2024 Edition. (Cameroon) |publisher=[[International Monetary Fund]] |date=April 2024 |access-date=April 20, 2024 |archive-date=18 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240518180456/https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2023/October/weo-report?c=622,&s=NGDPD,PPPGDP,NGDPDPC,PPPPC,&sy=2020&ey=2028&ssm=0&scsm=1&scc=0&ssd=1&ssc=0&sic=0&sort=country&ds=.&br=1 |url-status=live }}</ref> | GDP_PPP_year = 2024 | GDP_PPP_rank = 94th | GDP_PPP_per_capita = {{increase}} $4,840<ref name="IMFWEO.CM" /> | GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 155th | GDP_nominal = {{increase}} $53.210 billion<ref name="IMFWEO.CM" /> | GDP_nominal_rank = 91st | GDP_nominal_year = 2024 | GDP_nominal_per_capita = {{increase}} $1,810<ref name="IMFWEO.CM" /> | GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 158th | Gini = 42.2<!--number only--> | Gini_year = 2021 | Gini_change = decrease <!--increase/decrease/steady--> | Gini_ref = <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/gini-index-coefficient-distribution-of-family-income/country-comparison/ |title=Gini Index coefficient|publisher=[[The World Factbook]]|access-date=24 September 2024}}</ref> | HDI = 0.588 <!--number only--> | HDI_year = 2023<!-- Please use the year to which the data refers, not the publication year--> | HDI_change = increase<!--increase/decrease/steady--> | HDI_ref = <ref name="HDR2025">{{cite report |title=Human Development Report 2025 |url=https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2025reporten.pdf |publisher=[[United Nations Development Programme]] |date=2025 |access-date=9 May 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250509000000/https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2025reporten.pdf |archive-date=9 May 2025 |url-status=live }}</ref> | HDI_rank = 155th | currency = [[Central African CFA franc]] | currency_code = XAF | time_zone = [[West Africa Time|WAT]] | utc_offset = +1 | utc_offset_DST = | time_zone_DST = | date_format = dd/mm/yyyy <br /> yyyy/mm/dd | drives_on = Right | calling_code = [[Telephone numbers in Cameroon|+237]] | cctld = [[.cm]] | footnote_a = These are the titles as given in the ''Constitution of the Republic of Cameroon'', Article X ({{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060228030033/http://confinder.richmond.edu/admin/docs/Cameroon.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://confinder.richmond.edu/admin/docs/Cameroon.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |date=28 February 2006 |title=English}} and {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060228030033/http://www.prc.cm/instit/consti.htm |date=28 February 2006 |title=French}} versions). 18 January 1996. The French version of the song is sometimes called {{lang|fr|Chant de Ralliement}}, as in Swarovski Orchestra (2004). ''National Anthems of the World''. Koch International Classics; and the English version "O Cameroon, Cradle of Our Forefathers", as in [[#DeLancey|DeLancey and DeLancey]] 61. }} '''Cameroon''',{{efn|{{IPAc-en|audio=En-Cameroon-pronunciation.ogg|ˌ|k|æ|m|ə|ˈ|r|uː|n}} {{respell|CAM|ə|ROON}}; {{langx|fr|Cameroun}}}} officially the '''Republic of Cameroon''',{{efn|{{langx|fr|République du Cameroun|links=no}}}} is a country in [[Central Africa]]. It shares boundaries with [[Nigeria]] to the west and north, [[Chad]] to the northeast, the [[Central African Republic]] to the east, and [[Equatorial Guinea]], [[Gabon]], and the [[Republic of the Congo]] to the south. Its coastline lies on the [[Bight of Biafra]], part of the [[Gulf of Guinea]], and the [[Atlantic Ocean]]. Due to its strategic position at the crossroads between [[West Africa]] and Central Africa, it has been categorized as being in both camps. Cameroon's population of nearly 31 million people speak 250 native languages, in addition to the national tongues of English and French, or both. Early inhabitants of the territory included the [[Sao civilisation]] around [[Lake Chad]] and the [[Baka people (Cameroon and Gabon)|Baka]] hunter-gatherers in the southeastern rainforest. [[Portuguese discoveries|Portuguese explorers]] reached the coast in the 15th century and named the area ''Rio dos Camarões'' (''Shrimp River''), which became ''Cameroon'' in English. [[Fula people|Fulani]] soldiers founded the [[Adamawa Emirate]] in the north in the 19th century, and various ethnic groups of the west and northwest established powerful chiefdoms and [[Fon (title)|fondoms]]. Cameroon became a [[German Empire|German colony]] in 1884 known as [[Kamerun]]. After [[World War I]], it was divided between [[French Third Republic|France]] and the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom]] as [[League of Nations mandate]]s. France took four-fifths and the United Kingdom one-fifth of the territory and both ruled it under mandate until independence in 1960 and 1961 respectively.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Dupraz |first=Yannick |date=September 2019 |title=French and British Colonial Legacies in Education: Evidence from the Partition of Cameroon |url=http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/119359/1/WRAP-French-British-colonial-Cameroon-Dupraz-2019.pdf |journal=The Journal of Economic History |language=en |volume=79 |issue=3 |pages=628–668 |doi=10.1017/S0022050719000299 |issn=0022-0507}}</ref> The [[Union of the Peoples of Cameroon|Union des Populations du Cameroun]] (UPC) political party advocated independence but was outlawed by France in the 1950s, leading to the [[Bamileke War|national liberation insurgency]] fought between French and UPC militant forces until early 1971. In 1960, the French-administered part of Cameroon became independent, as the Republic of Cameroun, under President [[Ahmadou Ahidjo]]. The [[Southern Cameroons|southern part]] of [[British Cameroon]]s federated with it in 1961 to form the [[Federal republic|Federal Republic]] of Cameroon. The federation was abandoned in 1972. The country was renamed the [[Unitary state|United Republic]] of Cameroon in 1972 and back to the Republic of Cameroon in 1984 by a presidential decree by President [[Paul Biya]]. Biya, the incumbent president, has led the country since 1982 following Ahidjo's resignation; he previously held office as prime minister from 1975 onward. Cameroon is governed as a [[Unitary state|unitary]] [[Presidential system|presidential republic]]. The [[official language]]s of Cameroon are French and English, the official languages of former [[French Cameroon]]s and [[British Cameroon]]s. [[Christianity]] is the majority [[religion in Cameroon]], with significant minorities practising [[Islam in Cameroon|Islam]] and [[Traditional African religions|traditional faiths]]. It has experienced [[Anglophone problem|tensions]] from the English-speaking territories, where politicians have advocated for greater decentralisation and even complete separation or independence (as in the [[Southern Cameroons National Council]]). In 2017, tensions over the creation of an [[Ambazonia]]n state in the English-speaking territories escalated into [[Anglophone Crisis|open warfare]]. Large numbers of Cameroonians live as [[Subsistence agriculture|subsistence farmers]]. The country is often referred to as "Africa in miniature" for its geological, linguistic, and cultural diversity. Its natural features include [[beach]]es, [[desert]]s, [[mountain]]s, [[rainforest]]s, and [[savanna]]s. Cameroon's highest point, at almost {{convert|4100|m|ft}}, is [[Mount Cameroon]] in the [[Southwest Region (Cameroon)|Southwest Region]]. Cameroon's most populous cities are [[Douala]] on the [[Wouri River]], its economic capital and main seaport; [[Yaoundé]], its political capital; and [[Garoua]]. [[Limbé, Cameroon|Limbé]] in the southwest has a natural seaport. Cameroon is well known for its native music styles, particularly [[Makossa]], Njang, and [[Bikutsi]], and its successful [[Cameroon national football team|national football team]]. It is a member state of the [[African Union]], the [[United Nations]], the {{Lang|fr|[[Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie]]}} (OIF), the [[Commonwealth of Nations]], the [[Non-Aligned Movement]], and the [[Organisation of Islamic Cooperation]]. ==Etymology== Originally, Cameroon was the [[exonym]] given by the [[Portugal|Portuguese]] to the [[Wouri River]], which they called {{lang|pt|Rio dos Camarões}} meaning 'river of [[shrimps]]' or 'shrimp river', referring to the then abundant [[Cameroon ghost shrimp]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cameroon |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/Cameroon |access-date=2024-02-06 |work=[[Online Etymology Dictionary]] |language=en |archive-date=4 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104102318/https://www.etymonline.com/word/cameroon |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Camarões: o que os crustáceos têm a ver com o país? |trans-title=Cameroon: what do the crustaceans have to do with the country? |url=https://veja.abril.com.br/blog/sobre-palavras/camaroes-o-que-os-crustaceos-tem-a-ver-com-o-pais/ |first=Sérgio |last=Rodrigues |publisher=[[Veja (magazine)|Veja]] |access-date=21 November 2020 |archive-date=20 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230220050611/https://veja.abril.com.br/coluna/sobre-palavras/camaroes-o-que-os-crustaceos-tem-a-ver-com-o-pais |url-status=live }}</ref> Today the country's name in [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] remains {{lang|pt|Camarões}}.<ref name="h574">{{cite book |last=Ngefac |first=Aloysius |title=Aspects of Cameroon Englishes |publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing |date=2022-02-08 |isbn=978-1-5275-8029-9 |page=19 }}</ref> ==History== {{Main|History of Cameroon}} ===Early history=== [[File:Shumom-text.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Bamum script]] is a writing system developed by King Njoya in the late 19th century.]] Evidence from digs at [[Shum Laka]] in the [[Northwest Region (Cameroon)|Northwest Region]] shows human occupation in Cameroon dating back 30,000 years.<ref name=Lavachery2001>Lavachery, Philippe (2001) The Holocene Archaeological Sequence of Shum Laka Rock Shelter (Grasslands, Western Cameroon). ''African Archaeological Review'' 18(4):213-247.</ref><ref name=Cornelissen2003>Cornelissen, Els (2003) On Microlithic Quartz Industries at the End of the Pleistocene in Central Africa: The Evidence from Shum Laka (NW Cameroon). ''African Archaeological Review'' 20(1):1-24.</ref> The longest continuous inhabitants are groups such as the [[Baka people (Cameroon and Gabon)|Baka]] ([[Pygmy peoples|Pygmies]]).<ref>[[#DeLancey|DeLancey and DeLancey]] 2.</ref> From there, [[Bantu expansion|Bantu migrations]] into eastern, southern and central Africa are believed to have occurred about 2,000 years ago.<ref name="history"/> The [[Sao civilisation|Sao]] culture arose around [[Lake Chad]], {{circa|500 CE}}, and gave way to the Kanem and its successor state, the [[Kanem–Bornu Empire|Bornu Empire]]. Kingdoms, [[Fon (title)|fondoms]], and [[chiefdom]]s arose in the west.<ref name=Njung/> [[Portuguese discoveries|Portuguese sailors]] reached the coast in 1472. They noted an abundance of the ghost shrimp ''[[Lepidophthalmus turneranus]]'' in the [[Wouri River]] and named it {{lang|pt|Rio dos Camarões}} (''Shrimp River''), which became ''Cameroon'' in English.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Pondi |first=J.E. |title=Cameroon and the Commonwealth of nations |journal=The Round Table |volume=86 |issue=344 |pages=563–570 |year=1997 |doi=10.1080/00358539708454389|issn = 0035-8533}}</ref> Over the following few centuries, European interests regularised trade with the coastal peoples, and Christian [[missionaries]] pushed inland.<ref name=Fanso/> In 1896, Sultan [[Ibrahim Njoya]] created the [[Bamum script]], or Shu Mom, for the [[Bamum language]].<ref>[[#DeLancey|DeLancey and DeLancey]] 59</ref><ref name="NMAA">{{cite web|url=http://africa.si.edu/exhibits/inscribing/bamum.html|title=Bamum|publisher=National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution|access-date=29 January 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120101155844/http://africa.si.edu/exhibits/inscribing/bamum.html|archive-date=1 January 2012}}</ref> It is taught in Cameroon today by the [[Bamum Scripts and Archives Project]].<ref name="NMAA"/> ===German rule=== {{main|Kamerun}} Germany began to establish roots in Cameroon in 1868 when the Woermann Company of Hamburg built a warehouse. It was built on the estuary of the Wouri River. Later, [[Gustav Nachtigal]] made a treaty with one of the local kings to annex the region for the German emperor.<ref name=historyworld>{{cite web|url=http://historyworld.net|title=historyworld|access-date=17 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190407073336/http://historyworld.net/|archive-date=7 April 2019}}</ref> The [[German Empire]] claimed the territory as the colony of [[Kamerun]] in 1884 and began a steady push inland; the natives resisted. Under the aegis of Germany, commercial companies were local administrations. These [[Concession (contract)|concession]]s used [[Unfree labour|forced labour]] to run profitable banana, rubber, palm oil, and cocoa plantations.<ref name=historyworld/> Even infrastructure projects relied on a regimen of forced labour. This economic policy was much criticised by the other colonial powers.<ref name="DeLancey 125">[[#DeLancey|DeLancey and DeLancey]] 125.</ref> ===French and British rule=== {{main|French Cameroon|British Cameroon}} [[File:UPC-LEADERS.jpg|thumb|right|Leaders of the pro-independence [[Union of the Peoples of Cameroon|UPC]]]] With the defeat of Germany in [[World War I]], Kamerun became a [[League of Nations mandate]] territory and was split into [[French Cameroon]] ({{langx|fr|Cameroun}}) and [[British Cameroon]] in 1919. France integrated the economy of Cameroon with that of France<ref name="DeLancey 5">[[#DeLancey|DeLancey and DeLancey]] 5.</ref> and improved the infrastructure with capital investments and skilled workers, modifying the colonial system of [[forced labour]].<ref name="DeLancey 125"/> Britain offered German owned plantations to the highest bidder with the intent of paying the proceeds into a [[World War I reparations]] account. But few investors were willing to buy at the London auctions. Eventually Britain sold the majority of German plantations in British Cameroon back to their original German owners and opened up African maritime ports for German trade. The British also encouraged German investment in the [[Tanganyika Territory]]. German companies built warehouses in [[Douala]] but were not allowed to purchase land.<ref>{{Cite book |author1=Susan Pedersen |title=The Guardians: The League of Nations and the Crisis of Empire |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780190226398 |pages=234 & 236 |year=2015 }}</ref> The British administered their territory from neighbouring [[Nigeria]]. Natives complained that this made them a neglected "colony of a colony". Nigerian migrant workers flocked to Southern Cameroons, ending forced labour altogether but angering the local natives, who felt swamped.<ref>[[#DeLancey|DeLancey and DeLancey]] 4.</ref> The League of Nations mandates were converted into [[United Nations Trusteeship Council|United Nations Trusteeships]] in 1946, and the question of independence became a pressing issue in French Cameroon.<ref name="DeLancey 5"/> France outlawed the pro-independence political party, the [[Union of the Peoples of Cameroon]] ({{langx|fr|Union des Populations du Cameroun}}, UPC), on 13 July 1955.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Terretta |first1=M. |title=Cameroonian Nationalists Go Global: From Forest Maquis to a Pan-African Accra |doi=10.1017/S0021853710000253 |journal=The Journal of African History |volume=51 |issue=2 |pages=189–212 |year=2010 |s2cid=154604590 }}</ref> This prompted a [[Bamileke War|long guerrilla war]] waged by the UPC and the assassination of several of the party's leaders, including [[Ruben Um Nyobè]], [[Félix-Roland Moumié]] and [[Ernest Ouandie]]. In the British Cameroons, the question was whether to reunify with French Cameroon or join Nigeria; the British ruled out the option of independence.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Takougang |first1=J. |title=Nationalism, democratisation and political opportunism in Cameroon |doi=10.1080/0258900032000142455 |journal=Journal of Contemporary African Studies |volume=21 |issue=3 |pages=427–445 |year=2003 |s2cid=153564848 }}</ref> ===Independence=== On 1 January 1960, French Cameroun gained independence from France under President [[Ahmadou Ahidjo]] as the Republic of Cameroon. ====Federal Republic of Cameroon==== [[File:Flag of Cameroon (1961–1975).svg|thumb|Flag of the Federal Republic of Cameroon]] On 1 October 1961, the formerly British [[Southern Cameroons]] gained independence from the United Kingdom by vote of the UN General Assembly and merged into the Republic of Cameroon to form the Federal Republic of Cameroon. The federal republic was composed of two federated states, [[East Cameroon]] and [[West Cameroon]], each with its own legislature, government, and prime minister. 1 October is now observed as [[Unification Day (Cameroon)|Unification Day]], a [[Public holidays in Cameroon|public holiday]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Diane Cook|title=Cameroon|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jn7TBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT95|date=2 September 2014|publisher=Mason Crest|isbn=978-1-4222-9434-5|page=95}}</ref> Ahidjo used the ongoing war with the UPC to concentrate power in the presidency, continuing with this even after the suppression of the UPC in 1971.<ref name="DeLancey 6">[[#DeLancey|DeLancey and DeLancey]] 6.</ref> ====United Republic of Cameroon and Republic of Cameroon==== [[File:Ahmadou Ahidjo.jpg|thumb|Former president [[Ahmadou Ahidjo]] ruled from 1960 until 1982]] Ahidjo's political party, the [[Cameroonian National Union|Cameroon National Union]] (CNU), became the sole legal political party on 1 September 1966, and on 20 May 1972, a [[1972 Cameroonian constitutional referendum|referendum]] was passed to abolish the [[Federation|federal system of government]] in favour of a United Republic of Cameroon, headed from [[Yaoundé]].<ref>[[#DeLancey|DeLancey and DeLancey]] 19.</ref> This day is now the country's [[National Day (Cameroon)|National Day]], a public holiday.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.prc.cm/en/multimedia/photo-albums/37-20-may-national-day |title=20 May National Day |website=Presidency of the Republic of Cameroon |access-date=3 May 2019 |archive-date=3 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190503164656/https://www.prc.cm/en/multimedia/photo-albums/37-20-may-national-day |url-status=live }}</ref> Ahidjo pursued an economic policy of [[planned liberalism]], prioritising [[cash crops]] and petroleum development. The government used oil money to create a national cash reserve, pay farmers, and finance major development projects; however, many initiatives failed when Ahidjo appointed unqualified allies to direct them.<ref>[[#DeLancey|DeLancey and DeLancey]] 7.</ref> The [[Flag of Cameroon|national flag]] was changed on 20 May 1975 with the two stars removed and replaced with a large central star as a symbol of national unity. Ahidjo stepped down on 4 November 1982 and left power to his constitutional successor, [[Paul Biya]]. However, Ahidjo remained in control of the CNU and tried to run the country from behind the scenes until Biya and his allies pressured him into resigning. Biya began his administration by moving toward a more democratic government, but a failed [[Cameroonian Palace Guard Revolt|coup d'état]] nudged him toward the leadership style of his predecessor.<ref>[[#DeLancey|DeLancey and DeLancey]] 8.</ref> In 1987, [[Dja Faunal Reserve]], Cameroon's first [[World Heritage Site]], was inscribed on the list by [[UNESCO]].<ref name="b394">{{cite web | title=Dja Faunal Reserve | publisher=[[UNESCO]] | url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/407/ | language=rw | access-date=25 October 2024}}</ref> An [[Cameroonian economic crisis|economic crisis]] took effect in the mid-1980s to late 1990s as a result of international economic conditions, drought, falling [[petroleum]] prices, and years of corruption, mismanagement, and [[cronyism]]. Cameroon turned to foreign aid, cut government spending, and [[Privatization|privatised]] industries. With the reintroduction of multi-party politics in December 1990, the former British Southern Cameroons pressure groups called for greater autonomy, and the [[Southern Cameroons National Council]] advocated complete secession as the Republic of [[Ambazonia]].<ref name="DeLancey 9">[[#DeLancey|DeLancey and DeLancey]] 9.</ref> The 1992 Labour Code of Cameroon gives workers the freedom to belong to a trade union or not to belong to any trade union at all. It is the choice of a worker to join any trade union in their occupation since there is more than one trade union in each occupation.<ref>''[https://scholar.google.com/scholar?cluster=2268401385755685468&authuser=2 Ginna Violet Yella. "Freedom of Trade Union Membership: An Appraisal of the 1992 Labour Code of Cameroon" United International Journal for Research & Technology (UIJRT) 1.2 (2019): 18–25.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220605133204/https://scholar.google.com/scholar?cluster=2268401385755685468&authuser=2 |date=5 June 2022 }}''</ref> [[File:Paul Biya 2014.png|thumb|left|upright|[[Paul Biya]] has ruled the country since 1982]] In June 2006, talks concerning a territorial dispute over the [[Bakassi]] peninsula were resolved. The talks involved President Paul Biya of Cameroon, then President [[Olusegun Obasanjo]] of Nigeria, and then UN Secretary-General [[Kofi Annan]], and resulted in Cameroonian control of the oil-rich peninsula. The northern portion of the territory was formally handed over to the Cameroonian government in August 2006, and the remainder of the peninsula was left to Cameroon two years later, in 2008.<ref>[http://allafrica.com/stories/200606130612.html Cameroon: Presidents Obasanjo And Biya Shake Hands on Disputed Bakassi Peninsula] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170217063651/http://allafrica.com/stories/200606130612.html |date=17 February 2017 }}, ''Allafrica'', 13 June 2006</ref> The boundary change triggered a [[Bakassi conflict|local separatist insurgency]], as many Bakassians refused to accept Cameroonian rule. While most militants laid down their arms in November 2009,<ref>[https://jamestown.org/program/cameroon-rebels-threaten-security-in-oil-rich-gulf-of-guinea/ Cameroon Rebels Threaten Security in Oil-Rich Gulf of Guinea] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180829000328/https://jamestown.org/program/cameroon-rebels-threaten-security-in-oil-rich-gulf-of-guinea/ |date=29 August 2018 }}, Jamestown Foundation, 24 November 2010. Accessed 28 Aug. 2018.</ref> some carried on fighting for years.<ref>Ngwane, George. "Preventing renewed violence through peacebuilding in the Bakassi peninsula (Cameroon)."</ref> In February 2008, Cameroon experienced its worst violence in 15 years when a transport union strike in Douala escalated into [[2008 Cameroonian anti-government protests|violent protests]] in 31 municipal areas.<ref name=Nkemngu/><ref name=Matthews/> In May 2014, in the wake of the [[Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping]], presidents Paul Biya of Cameroon and [[Idriss Déby]] of [[Chad]] announced they were waging war on [[Boko Haram]], and deployed troops to the Nigerian border.<ref> {{cite news | title = Cameroon, Chad Deploy Troops to Fight Boko Haram – Nigeria | work = [[ReliefWeb]] | access-date = 10 June 2014 | url = http://reliefweb.int/report/nigeria/cameroon-chad-deploy-troops-fight-boko-haram | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140714173813/http://reliefweb.int/report/nigeria/cameroon-chad-deploy-troops-fight-boko-haram | archive-date = 14 July 2014 }} </ref> Boko Haram launched several attacks into Cameroon, killing 84 civilians in a [[December 2014 Cameroon clashes|December 2014 raid]], but suffering a heavy defeat in a [[January 2015 raid on Kolofata|raid in January 2015]]. Cameroon declared victory over Boko Haram on Cameroonian territory in September 2018.<ref>[https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/cameroon-boko-haram-1.4844513 Boko Haram has been repelled, Cameroon's leader declares] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190514110414/https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/cameroon-boko-haram-1.4844513 |date=14 May 2019 }}, CBC News, 30 September 2018. Accessed 18 June 2019.</ref> Since November 2016, protesters from the predominantly English-speaking [[Northwest Region (Cameroon)|Northwest]] and [[Southwest Region (Cameroon)|Southwest]] regions of the country have been campaigning for continued use of the English language in schools and courts. People were killed and hundreds were jailed as a result of these protests.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2016/12/15/world/cameroon-protesters-deaths/index.html|title=Rights groups call for probe into protesters' deaths in Cameroon|author=Radina Gigova|website=CNN|date=15 December 2016|access-date=29 July 2019|archive-date=27 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190227172641/https://www.cnn.com/2016/12/15/world/cameroon-protesters-deaths/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2017, Biya's government blocked the regions' access to the Internet for three months.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-41468149|title=Cameroon internet shut for separatists|date=2 October 2017|newspaper=BBC News|access-date=20 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180920084339/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-41468149|archive-date=20 September 2018}}</ref> In September, separatists started [[Anglophone Crisis|a guerilla war]] for the independence of the Anglophone region as the Federal Republic of [[Ambazonia]]. The government responded with a military offensive, and the insurgency spread across the Northwest and Southwest regions. {{As of|2019}}, fighting between separatist guerillas and government forces continues.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-44561929|title=Burning Cameroon: Images you're not meant to see|date=25 June 2018|newspaper=BBC News|access-date=20 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180919204526/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-44561929|archive-date=19 September 2018}}</ref> During 2020, numerous terrorist attacks—many of them carried out without claims of credit—and government reprisals have led to bloodshed throughout the country.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Ekonde|first1=Daniel|date=2020-11-18|title=The world's most neglected conflict|url=https://www.newframe.com/the-worlds-most-neglected-conflict/|access-date=2020-11-27|website=New Frame|archive-date=30 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130094247/https://www.newframe.com/the-worlds-most-neglected-conflict/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Since 2016, more than 450,000 people have fled their homes.<ref name="humanrights">{{cite news |last1=Tisdall |first1=Simon |title=In a world full of wars, why are so many of them ignored? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/09/world-full-of-wars-so-many-ignored-central-africa-sudan-boko-haram |work=The Guardian |date=9 June 2019 |access-date=9 June 2019 |archive-date=18 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240518180340/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/09/world-full-of-wars-so-many-ignored-central-africa-sudan-boko-haram |url-status=live }}</ref> The conflict indirectly led to an [[Chad Basin campaign (2018–2019)|upsurge]] in Boko Haram attacks, as the Cameroonian military largely withdrew from the north to focus on fighting the Ambazonian separatists.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20190312124436/https://natimesnews.com/2019/02/25/cameroon-national-times-there-has-been-growing-insecurity-in-the-three-northern-regions-of-cameroon-as-both-the-government-and-the-military-concentrate-their-strength-and-might-in-fighting-an-endles/ Insecurity Escalates In North Region As Gov't, Military Concentrate In Anglophone Regions]}}, The National Times, 25 February 2019.Accessed 25 February 2019.</ref> More than 30,000 people in northern Cameroon fled to Chad after ethnic clashes over [[Water conflict|access to water]] between [[Musgum people|Musgum]] fishermen and ethnic [[Chadian Arabic|Arab Choa]] herders in December 2021.<ref>{{cite news |title=Thousands flee northern Cameroon after deadly intercommunal clashes |url=https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20211209-thousands-flee-northern-cameroon-after-deadly-intercommunal-clashes |work=France 24 |date=10 December 2021 |access-date=8 January 2022 |archive-date=8 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220108163838/https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20211209-thousands-flee-northern-cameroon-after-deadly-intercommunal-clashes |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Northern Cameroon bears brunt of inter-ethnic clashes, 22 dead, 30 injured |url=https://www.africanews.com/2021/12/14/northern-cameroon-bears-brunt-of-inter-ethnic-clashes-22-dead-30-injured/ |work=[[Africanews]] |date=14 December 2021 |access-date=8 January 2022 |archive-date=1 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220101223009/https://www.africanews.com/2021/12/14/northern-cameroon-bears-brunt-of-inter-ethnic-clashes-22-dead-30-injured/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ==Politics and government== {{Main|Politics of Cameroon}} [[File:YaoundeUnityPalace.png|thumb|Unity Palace – Cameroon Presidency]] The [[List of presidents of Cameroon|President of Cameroon]] is elected and creates policy, administers government agencies, commands the [[Cameroon Armed Forces|armed forces]], negotiates and ratifies treaties, and declares a state of emergency.<ref name="Neba 250">[[#Neba|Neba]] 250.</ref> The president appoints government officials at all levels, from the [[Prime Minister of Cameroon|prime minister]] (considered the official head of government), to the provincial governors and divisional officers.<ref name=msu>{{cite web|url=https://globaledge.msu.edu/countries/cameroon/government|access-date=12 April 2013|title=Cameroon: Government|publisher=Michigan State University: Broad College of Business|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130507153207/http://globaledge.msu.edu/countries/cameroon/government|archive-date=7 May 2013}}</ref> The president is selected by popular vote every seven years.<ref name="CIA"/> There have been 2 presidents since the independence of Cameroon. The [[National Assembly (Cameroon)|National Assembly]] makes legislation. The body consists of 180 members who are elected for five-year terms and meet three times per year.<ref name=msu/> Laws are passed on a majority vote.<ref name="CIA"/> The 1996 constitution establishes a second house of parliament, the 100-seat [[Senate (Cameroon)|Senate]]. The government recognises the authority of traditional chiefs, fons, and [[Lamido|lamibe]] to govern at the local level and to resolve disputes as long as such rulings do not conflict with national law.<ref name="State Dept"/><ref>[[#Neba|Neba]] 252.</ref> Cameroon's legal system is a mixture of [[Civil law (legal system)|civil law]], [[common law]], and [[customary law]].<ref name="CIA"/> Although nominally independent, the judiciary falls under the authority of the executive's [[Ministry of Justice of Cameroon|Ministry of Justice]].<ref name="State Dept"/> The president appoints judges at all levels.<ref name=msu/> The judiciary is officially divided into tribunals, the [[Court of Appeal of Cameroon|court of appeal]], and the [[Supreme Court of Cameroon|supreme court]]. The National Assembly elects the members of a nine-member [[High Court of Justice (Cameroon)|High Court of Justice]] that judges high-ranking members of government in the event they are charged with high treason or harming national security.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.etat.sciencespobordeaux.fr/_anglais/institutionnel/cameroon.html|access-date=12 April 2013|title=Cameroon: Institutional Situation|publisher=Montesquieu University of Bordeaux|author=Abdourhamane, Boubacar Issa|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100921001254/http://etat.sciencespobordeaux.fr/_anglais/institutionnel/cameroon.html|archive-date=21 September 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.commonwealthofnations.org/sectors-cameroon/government/|access-date=12 April 2013|title=Government in Cameroon|publisher=Commonwealth of Nations|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140328164623/http://www.commonwealthofnations.org/sectors-cameroon/government/|archive-date=28 March 2014}}</ref> ===Political culture=== [[File:Statue d'un chef coutumier à Bana.jpg|thumb|right|upright|A statue of a chief in [[Bana, Cameroon|Bana]], West Region]] Cameroon [[Corruption in Cameroon|is viewed as rife with corruption]] at all levels of government. In 1997, Cameroon established anti-corruption bureaus in 29 ministries, but only 25% became operational,<ref name="IRIN"/> and in 2012, [[Transparency International]] placed Cameroon at number 144 on a list of 176 countries ranked from least to most corrupt.<ref name=Corruption/> On 18 January 2006, Biya initiated an anti-corruption drive under the direction of the [[National Anti-Corruption Observatory]].<ref name="IRIN"/> There are several high corruption risk areas in Cameroon, for instance, customs, public health sector and public procurement.<ref>{{cite web|title=Business Corruption in Cameroon|url=http://www.business-anti-corruption.com/country-profiles/sub-saharan-africa/cameroon/business-corruption-in-cameroon.aspx|publisher=Business Anti-Corruption Portal|access-date=24 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140324190641/http://www.business-anti-corruption.com/country-profiles/sub-saharan-africa/cameroon/business-corruption-in-cameroon.aspx|archive-date=24 March 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> However, the corruption has gotten worse, regardless of the existing anti-corruption bureaus, as Transparency International ranked Cameroon 152 on a list of 180 countries in 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2018|title=2018 – CPI|website=Transparency.org|date=29 January 2019|access-date=26 July 2020|archive-date=13 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200513063746/https://www.transparency.org/cpi2018|url-status=live}}</ref> President Biya's [[Cameroon People's Democratic Movement]] (CPDM) was the only legal political party until December 1990. Numerous regional political groups have since formed. The primary opposition is the [[Social Democratic Front (Cameroon)|Social Democratic Front]] (SDF), based largely in the Anglophone region of the country and headed by [[John Fru Ndi]].<ref name = "lergai">[[#West|West]] 11.</ref> Biya and his party have maintained control of the presidency and the National Assembly in national elections, which rivals contend were unfair.<ref name="DeLancey 9"/> Human rights organisations allege that the government suppresses the freedoms of opposition groups by preventing demonstrations, disrupting meetings, and arresting opposition leaders and journalists.<ref name="Amnesty"/><ref name="Freedom House"/> In particular, English-speaking people are discriminated against; protests often escalate into violent clashes and killings.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2016/12/15/world/cameroon-protesters-deaths/ |title=Rights groups call for probe into protesters' deaths in Cameroon |author=Radina Gigova |date=15 December 2016 |publisher=CNN |access-date=17 March 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170318083433/http://edition.cnn.com/2016/12/15/world/cameroon-protesters-deaths/ |archive-date=18 March 2017 }}</ref> In 2017, President Biya shut down the Internet in the English-speaking region for 94 days, at the cost of hampering five million people, including [[Silicon Mountain]] startups.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2017/02/03/africa/internet-shutdown-cameroon/ |title=Cameroon goes offline after Anglophone revolt |author=Kieron Monks |date=3 February 2017 |publisher=CNN |access-date=17 March 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170318003526/http://edition.cnn.com/2017/02/03/africa/internet-shutdown-cameroon/ |archive-date=18 March 2017 }}</ref> [[Freedom House]] ranks Cameroon as "not free" in terms of political rights and civil liberties.<ref>Cameroon is rated at six in both categories on a scale of one to seven, with one being "most free" and seven being "least free". [[#House|Freedom House]].</ref> The last [[2020 Cameroonian parliamentary election|parliamentary elections]] were held on 9 February 2020.<ref name=Kandemeh/> ===Foreign relations=== {{Further|Foreign relations of Cameroon}} [[File:Paul Biya with Obamas 2014.jpg|thumb|President [[Paul Biya]] with U.S. President [[Barack Obama]] in 2014]] Cameroon is a member of both the [[Commonwealth of Nations]] and [[Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie|La Francophonie]]. Its [[Foreign relations of Cameroon|foreign policy]] closely follows that of its main ally, France (one of its former colonial rulers).<ref>[[#DeLancey|DeLancey and DeLancey]] 126</ref><ref>Ngoh 328.</ref> Cameroon relies heavily on France for its defence,<ref name="State Dept"/> although military spending is high in comparison to other sectors of government.<ref>[[#DeLancey|DeLancey and DeLancey]] 30.</ref> President Biya has engaged in a decades-long clash with the government of Nigeria over possession of the oil-rich [[Bakassi]] peninsula.<ref name="lergai" /> Cameroon and Nigeria share a 1,000-mile (1,600 km) border and have disputed the sovereignty of the Bakassi peninsula. In 1994 Cameroon petitioned the [[International Court of Justice]] to resolve the dispute. The two countries attempted to establish a cease-fire in 1996; however, fighting continued for years. In 2002, the ICJ ruled that the [[Anglo-German Agreement of 1913]] gave sovereignty to Cameroon. The ruling called for a withdrawal by both countries and denied the request by Cameroon for compensation due to Nigeria's long-term occupation.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/11/world/court-rules-for-cameroon-in-oil-dispute-with-nigeria.html|title=Court Rules for Cameroon In Oil Dispute With Nigeria|last=Banerjee|first=Marc Lacey With Neela|date=11 October 2002|work=The New York Times|access-date=4 February 2018|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180205130042/http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/11/world/court-rules-for-cameroon-in-oil-dispute-with-nigeria.html|archive-date=5 February 2018}}</ref> By 2004, Nigeria had failed to meet the deadline to hand over the peninsula. A UN-mediated summit in June 2006 facilitated an agreement for Nigeria to withdraw from the region and both leaders signed the [[Greentree Agreement]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.un.org/press/en/2008/sgsm11745.doc.htm|title=Agreement Transferring Authority over Bakassi Peninsula from Nigeria to Cameroon 'Triumph for the Rule of Law' Secretary-General Says in Message for Ceremony|website=www.un.org|language=en|access-date=4 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180131052103/http://www.un.org/press/en/2008/sgsm11745.doc.htm|archive-date=31 January 2018}}</ref> The withdrawal and handover of control was completed by August 2006.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13148483|title=Cameroon profile|date=1 November 2017|work=BBC News|access-date=4 February 2018|language=en-GB|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180209213130/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13148483|archive-date=9 February 2018}}</ref> In July 2019, UN ambassadors of 37 countries, including Cameroon, signed a joint letter to the UNHRC defending [[China]]'s [[Xinjiang re-education camps|treatment of Uyghurs]] in the [[Xinjiang]] region.<ref>{{cite news |title=Which Countries Are For or Against China's Xinjiang Policies? |url=https://thediplomat.com/2019/07/which-countries-are-for-or-against-chinas-xinjiang-policies/ |work=[[The Diplomat (magazine)|The Diplomat]] |date=15 July 2019 |access-date=16 July 2019 |archive-date=16 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190716160658/https://thediplomat.com/2019/07/which-countries-are-for-or-against-chinas-xinjiang-policies/ |url-status=live }}</ref> === Military === {{Main|Cameroonian Armed Forces}} [[File:Vehicules militaires pendant le défilé7.jpg|thumb|Military vehicles during a parade]] The Cameroon Armed Forces (French: ''Forces armées camerounaises'', FAC) consists of the country's army (''Armée de Terre''), the country's navy (''Marine Nationale de la République'' (MNR), including naval infantry), the Cameroonian Air Force (''Armée de l'Air du Cameroun'', AAC), and the [[Gendarmerie]].<ref name="CIA" /> The military is crucial in supporting Cameroon's [[Authoritarianism|authoritarian]] government since independence in 1960. The military has been involved in defeating rebellions, controlling protests for democratic reforms, combating [[Boko Haram insurgency|Boko Haram]] since 2014, and handling the Anglophone separatist movement that began in 2017.<ref name="g211">{{cite book | last=Harkness | first=Kristen A. | title=Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics | chapter=Cameroon: The Military and Autocratic Stability | publisher=Oxford University Press | date=2020-12-17 | isbn=978-0-19-022863-7 | doi=10.1093/acrefore/9780190228637.013.1800 | page=}}</ref> ===Human rights=== {{see also|Human rights in Cameroon}} Human rights organisations accuse police and military forces of mistreating and even torturing criminal suspects, ethnic minorities, [[LGBT rights in Cameroon|homosexuals]], and political activists.<ref name="Amnesty"/><ref name="Freedom House"/><ref name="Human Rights Report"/><ref name="EHRC"/> [[United Nations]] figures indicate that more than 21,000 people have fled to neighbouring countries, while 160,000 have been internally displaced by the violence, many reportedly hiding in forests.<ref name = "un">{{cite web |url=https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=23404&LangID=E |title=OHCHR – UN Human Rights Chief deeply alarmed by reports of serious rights breaches in Cameroon |publisher=Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights |access-date=2 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180803014220/https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=23404&LangID=E |archive-date=3 August 2018}}</ref> Prisons are overcrowded with little access to adequate food and medical facilities,<ref name = "Human Rights Report"/><ref name="EHRC"/> and prisons run by traditional rulers in the north are charged with holding political opponents at the behest of the government.<ref name="Freedom House"/> However, since the first decade of the 21st century, an increasing number of police and gendarmes have been prosecuted for improper conduct.<ref name="Human Rights Report"/> On 25 July 2018, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights [[Zeid Raad Al Hussein|Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein]] expressed deep concern about reports of violations and abuses in the English-speaking Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon. According to OCHA, more than 1.7 million people require humanitarian assistance in the northwest and southwest regions. OCHA also estimates that at least 628,000 people have been internally displaced by violence in the two regions, while more than 87,000 have fled to Nigeria.<ref>{{cite web |title=Cameroon |url=https://www.globalr2p.org/countries/cameroon/ |access-date=8 June 2023 |archive-date=8 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230608190445/https://www.globalr2p.org/countries/cameroon/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="un"/> [[LGBT rights in Cameroon|Same-sex sexual acts]] are banned by section 347-1 of the penal code with a penalty of from 6 months up to 5 years imprisonment.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ilga.org/statehomophobia/ILGA_State_Sponsored_Homophobia_2008.pdf|title=State-sponsored Homophobia: A world survey of laws prohibiting same-sex activity between consenting adults|last=Ottosson|first=Daniel|date=May 2008|publisher=International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA)|page=11|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090306021141/http://www.ilga.org/statehomophobia/ILGA_State_Sponsored_Homophobia_2008.pdf|archive-date=6 March 2009}}</ref> Since December 2020, [[Human Rights Watch]] claimed that Islamist armed group Boko Haram has stepped up attacks and killed at least 80 civilians in towns and villages in the Far North region of Cameroon.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/04/05/cameroon-boko-haram-attacks-escalate-far-north|title=Cameroon: Boko Haram Attacks Escalate in Far North|date=5 April 2021|access-date=5 April 2021|publisher=Human Rights Watch|archive-date=5 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210405134313/https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/04/05/cameroon-boko-haram-attacks-escalate-far-north|url-status=live}}</ref> ===Administrative divisions=== {{main|Regions of Cameroon|Departments of Cameroon}} [[File:Provinces of Cameroon EN.svg|thumb|upright|Cameroon is divided into 10 regions]] The [[Constitution of Cameroon|constitution]] divides Cameroon into 10 semi-autonomous regions, each under the administration of an elected [[Regional Council (Cameroon)|Regional Council]]. Each region is headed by a presidentially appointed governor.<ref name="Neba 250"/> These leaders are charged with implementing the will of the president, reporting on the general mood and conditions of the regions, administering the civil service, keeping the peace, and overseeing the heads of the smaller administrative units. Governors have broad powers: they may order propaganda in their area and call in the army, [[Gendarmerie|gendarmes]], and police.<ref name="Neba 250"/> All local government officials are employees of the central government's Ministry of Territorial Administration, from which local governments also get most of their budgets.<ref name="history">{{cite web|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/26431.htm|title=Cameroon|publisher=US Department of State|date=25 August 2011|access-date=24 September 2011|archive-date=4 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190604183549/https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/26431.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> The regions are subdivided into 58 divisions (French {{lang|fr|départements}}). These are headed by presidentially appointed divisional officers ({{lang|fr|[[Prefect|préfets]]}}). The divisions are further split into sub-divisions ({{lang|fr|arrondissements}}), headed by assistant divisional officers ({{lang|fr|sous-prefets}}). The districts, administered by district heads ({{lang|fr|chefs de district}}), are the smallest administrative units.<ref name=unhchr>{{cite web|url=http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/0/33bb745d595710e3c125693d0035f74b?Opendocument|access-date=12 April 2013|title=Core document forming part of the reports of States Parties: Cameroon|publisher=UNHCHR|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151023091521/http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/0/33bb745d595710e3c125693d0035f74b?Opendocument|archive-date=23 October 2015}}</ref> The three northernmost regions are the [[Far North Region, Cameroon|Far North]] ({{lang|fr|Extrême Nord}}), [[North Region (Cameroon)|North]] ({{lang|fr|Nord}}), and [[Adamawa Region|Adamawa]] ({{lang|fr|Adamaoua}}). Directly south of them are the [[Centre Region (Cameroon)|Centre]] ({{lang|fr|Centre}}) and [[East Region (Cameroon)|East]] ({{lang|fr|Est}}). The [[South Region (Cameroon)|South Province]] ({{lang|fr|Sud}}) lies on the Gulf of Guinea and the southern border. Cameroon's western region is split into four smaller regions: the [[Littoral Region (Cameroon)|Littoral]] ({{lang|fr|Littoral}}) and [[Southwest Region (Cameroon)|South-West]] ({{lang|fr|Sud-Ouest}}) regions are on the coast, and the [[Northwest Region (Cameroon)|North-West]] ({{lang|fr|Nord-Ouest}}) and [[West Region (Cameroon)|West]] ({{lang|fr|Ouest}}) regions are in the western grassfields.<ref name=unhchr/> ==Geography== {{Main|Geography of Cameroon|Geology of Cameroon}} [[File:Rhumsiki Peak.jpg|thumb|[[Volcanic plugs]] dot the landscape near [[Rhumsiki]], Far North Region]] At {{convert|475442|km2|sqmi}}, Cameroon is the world's 53rd-largest country.<ref name="Demographic Yearbook"/> The country is located in [[Central Africa]], on the [[Bight of Bonny]], part of the [[Gulf of Guinea]] and the Atlantic Ocean.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.international.ucla.edu/africa/countries/|access-date=12 April 2013|title=Country Profiles|publisher=UCLA African Studies Center|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130303170914/http://www.international.ucla.edu/africa/countries/|archive-date=3 March 2013}}</ref> Cameroon lies between latitudes [[1st parallel north|1°]] and [[13th parallel north|13°N]], and longitudes [[8th meridian east|8°]] and [[17th meridian east|17°E]]. Cameroon controls 12 nautical miles of the Atlantic Ocean. Tourist literature describes Cameroon as "Africa in miniature" because it exhibits all major climates and vegetation of the continent: coast, desert, mountains, rainforest, and savanna.<ref>[[#DeLancey|DeLancey and DeLancey]] 16.</ref> The country's neighbours are [[Nigeria]] and the [[Atlantic Ocean]] to the west; [[Chad]] to the northeast; the [[Central African Republic]] to the east; and [[Equatorial Guinea]], [[Gabon]] and the [[Republic of the Congo]] to the south.<ref name="CIA"/> Cameroon is divided into five major geographic zones distinguished by dominant physical, climatic, and vegetative features. The coastal plain extends {{convert|15|to|150|km|mi|0}} inland from the Gulf of Guinea<ref name=Fomensky/> and has an average elevation of {{convert|90|m|ft|0}}.<ref>[[#Neba|Neba]] 14.</ref> Exceedingly hot and humid with a short [[dry season]], this belt is densely forested and includes some of the [[Debundscha|wettest places]] on earth, part of the [[Cross-Sanaga-Bioko coastal forests]].<ref>[[#Neba|Neba]] 28.</ref><ref name=Extremes/> The [[South Cameroon Plateau]] rises from the coastal plain to an average elevation of {{convert|650|m|ft|0}}.<ref name="Neba 16">[[#Neba|Neba]] 16.</ref> Equatorial rainforest dominates this region, although its alternation between [[wet season|wet]] and dry seasons makes it less humid than the coast. This area is part of the [[Atlantic Equatorial coastal forests]] [[ecoregion]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unido.org/fileadmin/user_media/Procurement/Ahmed/16001956/16001956ZPaa_TOR_final%20Report.pdf|publisher=UNIDO|title=ICAM of Kribi Campo|access-date=12 April 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130506165602/http://www.unido.org/fileadmin/user_media/Procurement/Ahmed/16001956/16001956ZPaa_TOR_final%20Report.pdf|archive-date=6 May 2013}}</ref> [[File:Elephants around tree in Waza, Cameroon.jpg|thumb|Elephants in [[Waza National Park]]]] An irregular chain of mountains, hills, and plateaus known as the [[Cameroon line|Cameroon range]] extends from [[Mount Cameroon]] on the coast—Cameroon's highest point at {{convert|4095|m|ft|0}}<ref name="Neba 17"/>—almost to [[Lake Chad]] at Cameroon's northern border at 13°05'N. This region has a mild climate, particularly on the [[Western High Plateau]], although rainfall is high. Its soils are among Cameroon's most fertile, especially around volcanic Mount Cameroon.<ref name="Neba 17">[[#Neba|Neba]] 17.</ref> Volcanism here has created [[volcanic crater lake|crater lake]]s. On 21 August 1986, one of these, [[Lake Nyos]], belched carbon dioxide and killed between 1,700 and 2,000 people.<ref>[[#DeLancey|DeLancey and DeLancey]] 161 report 1,700 killed; [[#Hudgens|Hudgens and Trillo]] 1054 say "at least 2,000"; West 10 says "more than 2,000".</ref> This area has been delineated by the [[World Wildlife Fund]] as the [[Cameroonian Highlands forests]] ecoregion.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/ecoregions/cameroon_highlands_forests.cfm|access-date=12 April 2013|publisher=WWF|title=Cameroon Highlands Forests|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130501144939/http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/ecoregions/cameroon_highlands_forests.cfm|archive-date=1 May 2013}}</ref> The southern plateau rises northward to the grassy, rugged [[Adamawa Plateau]]. This feature stretches from the western mountain area and forms a barrier between the country's north and south. Its average elevation is {{convert|1100|m|ft|0}},<ref name="Neba 16"/> and its average temperature ranges from {{convert|22|C|F|1}} to {{convert|25|C|F}} with high rainfall between April and October peaking in July and August.<ref name=Gwanfogbe/><ref>[[#Neba|Neba]] 29.</ref> The [[East Sudanian savanna|northern lowland region]] extends from the edge of the Adamawa to Lake Chad with an average elevation of {{convert|300|to|350|m|ft|0}}.<ref name="Neba 17"/> Its characteristic vegetation is savanna scrub and grass. This is an arid region with sparse rainfall and high median temperatures.<ref name=Green/> Cameroon has four patterns of drainage. In the south, the principal rivers are the [[Ntem River|Ntem]], [[Nyong River|Nyong]], [[Sanaga River|Sanaga]], and Wouri. These flow southwestward or westward directly into the Gulf of Guinea. The [[Dja River|Dja]] and [[Kadéï River|Kadéï]] drain southeastward into the [[Congo River]]. In northern Cameroon, the [[Benue River|Bénoué River]] runs north and west and empties into the [[Niger River|Niger]]. The [[Logon River|Logone]] flows northward into Lake Chad, which Cameroon shares with three neighbouring countries.<ref>{{cite web|title=Country Files: Cameroon|url=http://www.fao.org/docrep/005/T0360E/T0360E04.htm|publisher=UN Food and Agriculture Organization|access-date=3 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130611075925/http://www.fao.org/docrep/005/t0360e/T0360E04.htm|archive-date=11 June 2013}}</ref> ===Wildlife=== {{Main|Wildlife of Cameroon}} Cameroon's wildlife is composed of its [[flora]] and [[fauna]]. It is one of the wettest parts of Africa and records Africa's second-highest concentration of biodiversity.<ref name="Africa">{{cite web|url=http://www.wcs.org/where-we-work/africa/cameroon.aspx|title = Cameroon|access-date=14 February 2013|publisher= Wildlife Conservation Society}}</ref><ref name="Regional">{{cite web|url=http://www.worldwildlife.org/bsp/publications/africa/125/125/CentralAfrica.htm|title = Beyond Boundaries:Regional Overview of Transboundary Natural Resource Management in Central Africa|year=2001|work=Table 1 World Wildlife Organization|access-date=14 February 2013|publisher= World Wildlife Organization|last1= Wilkie|first1= D. S.|first2= E. |last2=Hakizumwami|first3= N.|last3= Gami|first4= B. |last4=Difara}}</ref> In Cameroon [[forest cover]] is around 43% of the total land area, equivalent to 20,340,480 hectares (ha) of forest in 2020, down from 22,500,000 hectares (ha) in 1990. In 2020, naturally regenerating forests covered 20,279,380 hectares (ha), and planted forests covered 61,100 hectares (ha). Around 15% of the forest area was found within protected areas, for the year 2015, 100% of the forest area was reported to be under [[State ownership|public ownership]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/a6e225da-4a31-4e06-818d-ca3aeadfd635/content |title=Terms and Definitions FRA 2025 Forest Resources Assessment, Working Paper 194 |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |year=2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020, Cameroon |url=https://fra-data.fao.org/assessments/fra/2020/CMR/home/overview |website=Food Agriculture Organization of the United Nations}}</ref> To preserve its wildlife, Cameroon has more than 20 protected reserves comprising national parks, zoos, forest reserves, and sanctuaries. The protected areas were first created in the northern region under the colonial administration in 1932; the first two reserves established were [[Mozogo Gokoro Reserve]] and the [[Bénoué National Park|Bénoué Reserve]], which was followed by the [[Waza National Park|Waza Reserve]] on 24 March 1934. The coverage of reserves was initially about 4 percent of the country's area, rising to 12 percent; the administration proposes to cover 30 percent of the land area.<ref name="Cartesia">{{cite web|url=http://www.cartesia.org/geodoc/icc2005/pdf/oral/TEMA10/Session%206/TCHINDJANG%20MESMIN%202.pdf|title = Mapping of Protected Areas Evolution in Cameroon from the Beginning to 2000: Lesson to Learn and Perspectives.|first1=Mesmin|last1= Tchindjang |first2=Clair|last2= Réné Banga |first3=Appolinaire|last3= Nankam |first4=Jean |last4=Sylvestre Makak |year=2001|work=Table 1 World Wildlife Organization|access-date=14 February 2013|publisher= World Wildlife Organization}}</ref> Its rich wildlife consists of 8,260 recorded plant species including 156 [[endemic species]], 409 species of [[mammals]] of which 14 are endemic, 690 species of [[birds]] which includes 8 endemic species, 250 species of [[reptiles]], and 200 species of [[amphibians]].<ref name="Africa"/><ref name="Regional"/> The habitats of these species include the southern region comprising tropical lowland, coastline on the [[Gulf of Guinea]]. [[Mangrove]] forests, {{convert|270000|ha|acre|sp=us}} in size, are along the coast line. [[Montane forests]] and [[savannahs|savannas]] are in the northern region of the country. Important protected areas for these species are the [[Mbam Djerem National Park]], Benoue National Park, [[Korup National Park]], [[Takamanda National Park]], and the [[Kagwene Gorilla Sanctuary]].<ref name="Africa"/> Cameroon is an important breeding area for marine and freshwater species such as [[crustacean]]s, [[mollusks]], [[fish]], and birds.<ref name="Regional"/> ==Economy and infrastructure== {{Main|Economy of Cameroon}} Cameroon's per capita GDP ([[Purchasing power parity]]) was estimated at US$3,700 in 2017. Major export markets include the Netherlands, France, China, Belgium, Italy, Algeria, and Malaysia.<ref name="CIA"/> Cameroon has its GDP growing at an average of 4% per year. During the 2004–2008 period, public debt was reduced from over 60% of GDP to 10% and official reserves quadrupled to over US$3 billion.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mfw4a.org/cameroon/cameroon-financial-sector-profile.html|title=Cameroon Financial Sector Profile|publisher=MFW4A|access-date=24 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513110637/http://www.mfw4a.org/cameroon/cameroon-financial-sector-profile.html|archive-date=13 May 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> Cameroon is part of the [[Bank of Central African States]] (of which it is the dominant economy),<ref name="Musa Biya plan"/> the [[Customs and Economic Union of Central Africa]] (UDEAC) and the [[Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa]] (OHADA).<ref name="ohada.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.ohada.com/index.php|title=The business law portal in Africa|publisher=OHADA|access-date=22 March 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326033744/http://www.ohada.com/index.php|archive-date=26 March 2009}}</ref> Its currency is the [[CFA franc]].<ref name="CIA"/> Unemployment was estimated at 3.38% in 2019,<ref>{{cite web|title=Cameroon Unemployment rate – data, chart|url=https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/Cameroon/unemployment_rate/|website=TheGlobalEconomy.com|access-date=2020-05-19|archive-date=6 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806185110/https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/Cameroon/unemployment_rate/|url-status=live}}</ref> and 23.8% of the population was living below the international [[poverty threshold]] of US$1.90 a day in 2014.<ref>{{cite web|title=Poverty headcount ratio at $1.90 a day (2011 PPP) (% of the population) – Cameroon {{!}} Data|url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.DDAY?locations=CM|website=data.worldbank.org|access-date=2020-05-18|archive-date=6 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806173719/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.DDAY?locations=CM|url-status=live}}</ref> Since the late 1980s, Cameroon has been following programmes advocated by the [[World Bank]] and [[International Monetary Fund]] (IMF) to reduce poverty, privatise industries, and increase economic growth.<ref name="State Dept"/> The government has taken measures to encourage [[Tourism in Cameroon|tourism]] in the country.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://nl.nabc.nl/Portals/0/docs/Country%20information%20pdf/CAMEROON%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf | title=Cameroon Business Mission Fact Sheet 2010–2011 | publisher=Netherlands-African Business Council | year=2011 | access-date=3 March 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131013032607/http://nl.nabc.nl/Portals/0/docs/Country%20information%20pdf/CAMEROON%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf | archive-date=13 October 2013}}</ref> An estimated 70% of the population farms, and agriculture comprised an estimated 16.7% of GDP in 2017.<ref name="CIA"/> Most agriculture is done at the subsistence scale by local farmers using simple tools. They sell their surplus produce, and some maintain separate fields for commercial use. Urban centres are particularly reliant on peasant agriculture for their foodstuffs. Soils and climate on the coast encourage extensive commercial cultivation of bananas, cocoa, oil palms, rubber, and tea. Inland on the South Cameroon Plateau, cash crops include coffee, sugar, and tobacco. Coffee is a major cash crop in the western highlands, and in the north, natural conditions favour crops such as cotton, groundnuts, and rice. Production of [[Fair trade#Textiles|Fairtrade cotton]] was initiated in Cameroon in 2004.<ref>Fairtrade International, University of Greenwich and Institute of Development Studies, [https://files.fairtrade.net/publications/2011_FairtradeCotton_ImpactMaliSenegaCameroonIndia_Summary.pdf Fairtrade Cotton: Assessing Impact in Mali, Senegal, Cameroon and India] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831045046/https://files.fairtrade.net/publications/2011_FairtradeCotton_ImpactMaliSenegaCameroonIndia_Summary.pdf |date=31 August 2021 }}, published May 2011, accessed 31 August 2021</ref> [[File:Taureaux et vaches hollandais à wallya Cameroun.jpg|thumb|Dutch bulls and cows at Wallya community during the rainy season in Cameroon]] Livestock are raised throughout the country.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fao.org/ag/AGP/AGPC/doc/Counprof/cameroon/figure10.htm|access-date=12 April 2013|title=Cameroon livestock production map|publisher=FAO|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130605182824/http://www.fao.org/ag/AGP/AGPC/doc/Counprof/cameroon/figure10.htm|archive-date=5 June 2013}}</ref> Fishing employs 5,000 people and provides over 100,000 tons of seafood each year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fao.org/docrep/X0229E/x0229e05.htm|access-date=12 April 2013|author=Som, Julienne|title=Women's role in Cameroon fishing communities|publisher=FAO|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130603014448/http://www.fao.org/docrep/X0229E/x0229e05.htm|archive-date=3 June 2013}}</ref><ref name=awf>{{cite web|url=http://www.awf.org/country/cameroon|access-date=12 April 2013|title=Cameroon|publisher=AWF|date=28 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130416202141/http://www.awf.org/country/cameroon|archive-date=16 April 2013}}</ref> [[Bushmeat]], long a staple food for rural Cameroonians, is today a delicacy in the country's urban centres. The commercial bushmeat trade has now surpassed deforestation as the main threat to wildlife in Cameroon.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/1920391.stm|access-date=12 April 2013|publisher=BBC|title=UK project tackles bushmeat diet|date=10 April 2002|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427082156/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/1920391.stm|archive-date=27 April 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/cooking_in_the_danger_zone/7282187.stm|access-date=12 April 2013|title=Cameroon's bushmeat dilemma|date=14 March 2008|publisher=BBC|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120529040509/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/cooking_in_the_danger_zone/7282187.stm|archive-date=29 May 2012}}</ref> The southern rainforest has vast timber reserves, estimated to cover 37% of Cameroon's total land area.<ref name=awf/> However, large areas of the forest are difficult to reach. Logging, largely handled by foreign-owned firms,<ref name=awf/> provides the government US$60 million a year in taxes ({{as of|1998|lc=yes}}), and laws mandate the safe and sustainable exploitation of timber. Nevertheless, in practice, the industry is one of the least regulated in Cameroon.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/congo_basin_forests/problems/deforestation/logging/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120608041738/http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/congo_basin_forests/problems/deforestation/logging/|url-status=dead|archive-date=8 June 2012|publisher=WWF|access-date=12 April 2013|title=Logging in the Green Heart of Africa}}</ref> Factory-based industry accounted for an estimated 26.5% of GDP in 2017.<ref name="CIA"/> More than 75% of Cameroon's industrial strength is located in [[Douala]] and [[Bonabéri]]. Cameroon possesses substantial mineral resources, but these are not extensively mined (see ''[[Mining in Cameroon]]'').<ref name="State Dept"/> Petroleum exploitation has fallen since 1986, but this is still a substantial sector such that dips in prices have a strong effect on the economy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/pdp/2006/pdp02.pdf|access-date=12 April 2013|title=Strengthening Transparency in the Oil Sector in Cameroon|author=Cossé, Stéphane|publisher=IMF|year=2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120606061216/http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/pdp/2006/pdp02.pdf|archive-date=6 June 2012}}</ref> Rapids and waterfalls obstruct the southern rivers, but these sites offer opportunities for hydroelectric development and supply most of Cameroon's energy. The Sanaga River powers the largest hydroelectric station, located at Edéa. The rest of Cameroon's energy comes from oil-powered thermal engines. Much of the country remains without reliable power supplies.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.climateparl.net/cpcontent/pdfs/Kribi,%202010-03-27,%20Parlementarians.pdf|access-date=12 April 2013|title=Harnessing Central Africa's Hydropower Potential|author=Prevost, Yves|publisher=Climate Parliament|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427082535/http://www.climateparl.net/cpcontent/pdfs/Kribi%2C%202010-03-27%2C%20Parlementarians.pdf|archive-date=27 April 2014}}</ref> Three trans-African automobile routes pass through Cameroon: * [[File:Schild TAH8.svg|20px]] the [[Lagos-Mombasa Highway]] * [[File:Schild TAH3.svg|20px]] the [[Tripoli-Cape Town Highway]] * [[File:Schild TAH5.svg|20px]] the [[Dakar-N'Djamena Highway]] [[Transport in Cameroon]] is often difficult. Only 6.6% of the roadways are tarred.<ref name="CIA"/> Roadblocks often serve little other purpose than to allow police and gendarmes to collect bribes from travellers.<ref>[[#Hudgens|Hudgens and Trillo]] 1036.</ref> Road banditry has long hampered transport along the eastern and western borders, and since 2005, the problem has intensified in the east as the [[Central African Republic]] has further destabilised.<ref name="Musa Gunmen"/> [[File:Bateau au port de Douala1.jpg|thumb|Douala seaport]] [[Intercity bus service]]s run by multiple private companies connect all major cities. They are the most popular means of transportation followed by the rail service ''[[Camrail]]''. Rail service runs from [[Kumba]] in the west to [[Bélabo]] in the east and north to [[Ngaoundéré]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldtravelguide.net/cameroon/getting-around|access-date=12 April 2013|publisher=World Travel Guide|title=Getting around Cameroon|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130627051533/http://www.worldtravelguide.net/cameroon/getting-around|archive-date=27 June 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> International airports are located in [[Douala International Airport|Douala]] and [[Yaoundé Nsimalen International Airport|Yaoundé]], with a third under construction in [[Maroua]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cameroononline.org/2013/04/03/equipments-for-the-future-maroua-international-airport/ |access-date=12 April 2013 |title=Equipment for the Future Maroua International Airport |publisher=Cameroon Online |date=3 April 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130509073605/http://www.cameroononline.org/2013/04/03/equipments-for-the-future-maroua-international-airport/ |archive-date=9 May 2013 }}</ref> Douala is the country's principal seaport<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.soschildrensvillages.ca/where-we-help/africa/cameroon/douala/pages/default.aspx|access-date=12 April 2013|title=SOS Children's Village Douala|publisher=SOS Children's Villages|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130615075059/http://www.soschildrensvillages.ca/where-we-help/africa/cameroon/douala/pages/default.aspx|archive-date=15 June 2013}}</ref> and [[Kribi Deepwater Port]] started operations in 2014. In the north, the Bénoué River is seasonally navigable from Garoua across into Nigeria.<ref>[[#DeLancey|DeLancey and DeLancey]] 68.</ref> Although press freedoms have improved since the first decade of the 21st century, the press is corrupt and beholden to special interests and political groups.<ref name="Reporters">"Cameroon – Annual Report 2007".</ref> Newspapers routinely self-censor to avoid government reprisals.<ref name="Human Rights Report"/> The major radio and television stations are state-run and other [[communications in Cameroon|communications]], such as land-based telephones and telegraphs, are largely under government control.<ref>[[#Mbaku|Mbaku]] 20.</ref> However, cell phone networks and Internet providers have increased dramatically since the first decade of the 21st century<ref>[[#Mbaku|Mbaku]] 20–1.</ref> and are largely unregulated.<ref name="Freedom House"/> Cameroon was ranked 123rd in the [[Global Innovation Index]] in 2024.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.wipo.int/web-publications/global-innovation-index-2024/en/|title=Global Innovation Index 2024. Unlocking the Promise of Social Entrepreneurship|access-date=2024-10-22|author=[[World Intellectual Property Organization]]|year=2024|isbn=978-92-805-3681-2|doi= 10.34667/tind.50062|website=www.wipo.int|location=Geneva|page=18}}</ref> ==Demographics== {{Main|Demographics of Cameroon}} The population of Cameroon was {{UN_Population|Cameroon}} in {{UN_Population|Year}}.{{UN_Population|ref}} The life expectancy was 62.3 years (60.6 years for males and 64 years for females).<ref name="CIA"/> [[File:GedWomenDay.JPG|thumb|Cameroonian women on Women's Day Celebration, 2015]] Cameroon has slightly more women (50.5%) than men (49.5%). Over 60% of the population is under age 25. People over 65 years of age account for only 3.11% of the total population.<ref name="CIA" /> Cameroon's population is almost evenly divided between urban and rural dwellers.<ref name="West 3">[[#West|West]] 3.</ref> Population density is highest in the large urban centres, the western highlands, and the northeastern plain.<ref>[[#Neba|Neba]] 109–11.</ref> Douala, Yaoundé, and [[Garoua]] are the largest cities. In contrast, the Adamawa Plateau, southeastern Bénoué depression, and most of the South Cameroon Plateau are sparsely populated.<ref>[[#Neba|Neba]] 111.</ref> According to the [[World Health Organization]] (WHO), the [[fertility rate]] was 4.8 in 2013 with a population growth rate of 2.56%.<ref name=":1" /> People from the overpopulated western highlands and the underdeveloped north are moving to the coastal plantation zone and urban centres for employment.<ref>[[#Neba|Neba]] 105–6.</ref> Smaller movements are occurring as workers seek employment in lumber mills and plantations in the south and east.<ref>[[#Neba|Neba]] 106.</ref> Although the national sex ratio is relatively even, these out-migrants are primarily males, which leads to unbalanced ratios in some regions.<ref>[[#Neba|Neba]] 103–4.</ref> [[File:Maison obus.jpg|thumb|The homes of the [[Musgum dwelling units|Musgum]], in the Far North Region, made of earth and grass]] Both [[monogamy|monogamous]] and [[polygamy|polygamous]] marriage are practised, and the average Cameroonian family is large and extended.<ref>[[#Mbaku|Mbaku]] 139.</ref> In the north, women tend to the home, and men herd cattle or work as farmers. In the south, women grow the family's food, and men provide meat and grow cash crops. Cameroonian society is male-dominated, and violence and discrimination against women are common.<ref name="Freedom House"/><ref name="Human Rights Report"/><ref>[[#Mbaku|Mbaku]] 141.</ref> The number of distinct ethnic and linguistic groups in Cameroon is estimated to be between 230 and 282.<ref>[[#Neba|Neba]] 65, 67.</ref><ref>[[#West|West]] 13.</ref> The Adamawa Plateau broadly bisects these into northern and southern divisions. The northern peoples are [[Central Sudanic languages|''Sudanic'']] groups, who live in the central highlands and the northern lowlands, and the [[Fula people|Fulani]], who are spread throughout northern Cameroon. A small number of [[Baggara|Shuwa]] Arabs live near Lake Chad. Southern Cameroon is inhabited by speakers of [[Bantu languages|Bantu]] and [[Semi-Bantu]] languages. Bantu-speaking groups inhabit the coastal and equatorial zones, while speakers of Semi-Bantu languages live in the Western grassfields. Some 5,000 Gyele and Baka [[Pygmy peoples]] roam the southeastern and coastal rainforests or live in small, roadside settlements.<ref>[[#Neba|Neba]] 48.</ref> Nigerians make up the largest group of foreign nationals.<ref>[[#Neba|Neba]] 108.</ref> Approximately 14,000 non-Africans live in Cameroon, including more than 6,000 [[French people]] and around 1,000 [[Americans]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://2009-2017.state.gov/outofdate/bgn/cameroon/10294.htm|title=Cameroon (12/99)}}</ref> {{Largest cities of Cameroon}} ===Refugees=== {{Main|Refugees in Cameroon}} In 2007, Cameroon hosted approximately 97,400 refugees and asylum seekers. Of these, 49,300 were from the Central African Republic (many driven west by war),<ref name=RCross/> 41,600 from [[Chad]], and 2,900 from [[Nigeria]].<ref name="World Refugee Survey 2008">{{cite news|title=World Refugee Survey 2008|publisher=U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants|date=19 June 2008|url=http://www.refugees.org/survey/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081002225617/http://www.refugees.org/survey/|archive-date=2 October 2008}}</ref> Kidnappings of Cameroonian citizens by Central African bandits have increased since 2005.<ref name="Musa Gunmen"/> In the first months of 2014, thousands of refugees fleeing the violence in the [[Central African Republic]] arrived in Cameroon.<ref> {{cite news | title = Cameroon: Location of Refugees and Main Entry Points (as of 02 May 2014) – Cameroon | work = [[ReliefWeb]] | access-date = 8 June 2014 | url = http://reliefweb.int/map/cameroon/cameroon-location-refugees-and-main-entry-points-02-may-2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140714220137/http://reliefweb.int/map/cameroon/cameroon-location-refugees-and-main-entry-points-02-may-2014 | archive-date = 14 July 2014 }} </ref> On 4 June 2014, AlertNet reported: {{blockquote| Almost 90,000 people have fled to neighbouring Cameroon since December and up to 2,000 a week, mostly women and children, are still crossing the border, the United Nations said. "Women and children are arriving in Cameroon in a shocking state, after weeks, sometimes months, on the road, foraging for food," said [[Ertharin Cousin]], executive director of the [[World Food Programme]] (WFP).<ref> {{cite web | last = Nguyen | first = Katie | title = Cameroon: Starving, Exhausted CAR Refugees Stream Into Cameroon – UN | work = allAfrica.com | access-date = 8 June 2014 | date = 4 June 2014 | url = http://allafrica.com/stories/201406051108.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140610095552/http://allafrica.com/stories/201406051108.html | archive-date = 10 June 2014 }} </ref> }} ===Languages=== {{Further|Languages of Cameroon}} [[File:Nigeria Benin Cameroon languages.png|thumb|Map of the region's indigenous languages|upright=1.2]] The official percentage of French and English speakers by the Presidency of Cameroon is estimated to be 70% and 30% respectively.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.prc.cm/en/cameroon/presentation|title=Presentation of Cameroon|access-date=29 March 2023|archive-date=29 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230329093847/https://www.prc.cm/en/cameroon/presentation|url-status=live}}.</ref> German, the language of the original colonisers, has long since been displaced by French and English. [[Cameroonian Pidgin English]] is the lingua franca in the formerly British-administered territories.<ref>[[#Neba|Neba]] 94.</ref> A mixture of English, French, and Pidgin called [[Camfranglais]] has been gaining popularity in urban centres since the mid-1970s.<ref>[[#DeLancey|DeLancey and DeLancey]] 131</ref><ref name=Niba/> In addition to the official languages, there are approximately 250 other languages spoken by nearly 20 million Cameroonians<ref name=":4">Kouega, Jean-Paul. 'The Language Situation in Cameroon', Current Issues in Language Planning, vol. 8/no. 1, (2007), pp. 3–94.</ref> making Cameroon one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world.<ref name=":5">{{cite web|url=https://www.languagesoftheworld.info/geolinguistics/linguistic-diversity-in-africa-and-europe.html|title=Linguistic diversity in Africa and Europe – Languages Of The World|date=16 June 2011|website=languagesoftheworld.info|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120515155945/http://www.languagesoftheworld.info/geolinguistics/linguistic-diversity-in-africa-and-europe.html|archive-date=15 May 2012|access-date=4 July 2019|last=Pereltsvaig|first=Asya}}</ref> In 2017, there were language protests by the Anglophone population against perceived oppression by francophone speakers.<ref name=":3">{{cite web|url=https://calrev.org/2019/02/11/african-powder-keg-cameroonian-conflict-and-african-security/|title=African Powder Keg: Cameroonian Conflict and African Security|last=Genin|first=Aaron|date=11 February 2019|website=The California Review|language=en-US|access-date=16 April 2019}}</ref> The military was deployed against the protesters and people were killed, hundreds imprisoned and thousands fled the country.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/03/deaths-and-detentions-as-cameroon-cracks-down-on-anglophone-activists Deaths and detentions as Cameroon cracks down on anglophone activists] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180103125739/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/03/deaths-and-detentions-as-cameroon-cracks-down-on-anglophone-activists |date=3 January 2018}} ''The Guardian'', 2018</ref> This culminated in the declaration of an independent [[Republic of Ambazonia]],<ref>Ani, Kelechi Johnmary, Gabriel Tiobo Wose Kinge, and Victor Ojakorotu. "Political crisis, protests and implications on nation building in Cameroon." African Renaissance 15.Special Issue 1 (2018): 121–139.</ref> which has since evolved into the [[Anglophone Crisis]].<ref name=":3" /> It is estimated that by June 2020, 740,000 people had been internally displaced as a result of this crisis.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://reliefweb.int/report/cameroon/cameroon-humanitarian-dashboard-january-june-2020|title=Relief Web Humanitarian Dashboard|date=11 November 2020|access-date=11 August 2021|archive-date=10 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210810211913/https://reliefweb.int/report/cameroon/cameroon-humanitarian-dashboard-january-june-2020|url-status=live}}</ref> ===Religion=== {{main|Religion in Cameroon}} {{bar box |title=[[Religion in Cameroon]] (2022 estimate by the [[The World Factbook|CIA]])<ref name="Religion">{{cite web |title=Religion |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/cameroon/ |access-date=22 May 2024 |date=9 August 2023}}</ref> |titlebar=#ddd |float=right |bars= {{bar percent|[[Roman Catholicism in Cameroon|Catholicism]]|yellow|33.1}} {{bar percent|[[Protestantism]]|blue|27.1}} {{bar percent|[[Islam in Cameroon|Islam]]|green|30.6}} {{bar percent|[[Irreligion|None]]|black|1.2}} {{bar percent|[[African traditional religion|Folk]]|red|1.3}} {{bar percent|[[Freedom of religion|Other, including other Christian]]|gray|6.7}} }} Cameroon has a high level of [[Religion in Cameroon|religious freedom]] and diversity.<ref name="Human Rights Report"/> The majority faith is [[Christianity]], practised by about two-thirds of the population, while [[Islam]] is a significant minority faith, adhered to by about one-fourth. In addition, traditional faiths are practised by many. Muslims are most concentrated in the north, while Christians are concentrated primarily in the southern and western regions, but practitioners of both faiths can be found throughout the country.<ref name=IRFR>{{cite web|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/2010_5/168393.htm|title=July–December, 2010 International Religious Freedom Report – Cameroon|publisher=US Department of State|date=8 April 2011|access-date=29 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111105101810/http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2010_5/168393.htm|archive-date=5 November 2011|url-status=live}}<!--note that this is outdated; the CIA Factbook is from 2018--></ref> Large cities have significant populations of both groups.<ref name=IRFR/> Muslims in Cameroon are divided into [[Sufis]], [[Salafi]]s,<ref name="The Economist">{{cite news|title=The veil in west Africa: Banning the burqa: Why more countries are outlawing the full-face veil|url=https://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21692902-why-more-countries-are-outlawing-full-face-veil-banning-burqa|access-date=15 February 2016|newspaper=[[The Economist]]|date=13 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160214211305/http://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21692902-why-more-countries-are-outlawing-full-face-veil-banning-burqa|archive-date=14 February 2016}}</ref> [[Shia]]s, and [[non-denominational Muslims]].<ref name="The Economist"/><ref>Pew Forum on Religious & Public life. 9 August 2012. Retrieved 29 October 2013</ref> [[File:Yaoundé_Cathédrale.jpg|left|thumb|[[Our Lady of Victories Cathedral, Yaoundé|Our Lady of Victories Cathedral]], a [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] Church in [[Yaoundé]]]] People from the North-West and South-West provinces, which used to be a part of [[British Cameroons]], have the highest proportion of Protestants. The French-speaking regions of the southern and western regions are largely Catholic.<ref name=IRFR/> Southern ethnic groups predominantly follow Christian or traditional African [[animist]] beliefs or a [[syncretic]] combination of the two. People widely believe in witchcraft, and the government outlaws such practices.<ref name=Geschiere/> Suspected witches are often subject to mob violence.<ref name="Human Rights Report"/> The Islamist jihadist group [[Ansar ul Islam (Western Africa)|Ansar al-Islam]] has been reported as operating in North Cameroon.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-22538888 Boko Haram timeline: From preachers to slave raiders] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181114221630/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-22538888 |date=14 November 2018}}. BBC News. 15 May 2013. retrieved 19 June 2013</ref> In the northern regions, the locally dominant [[Fulani]] ethnic group is almost completely Muslim, but the overall population is fairly evenly divided among Muslims, Christians, and followers of indigenous religious beliefs (called ''[[Kirdi]]'' ("pagan") by the Fulani).<ref name=IRFR/> The [[Bamum people|Bamum]] ethnic group of the West Region is largely Muslim.<ref name=IRFR/> Native traditional religions are practised in rural areas throughout the country but rarely are practised publicly in cities, in part because many indigenous religious groups are intrinsically local.<ref name=IRFR/> ===Education and health=== {{main|Education in Cameroon|Health in Cameroon}} [[File:Cameroonian school children gather around U.S. Army Master Sgt. John Reid, center, for a group photo near Douala, Cameroon, March 19, 2014, during Central Accord 14 140319-A-PP104-039.jpg|thumb|School children in Cameroon in 2014]] In 2013, the total adult [[literacy]] rate in Cameroon was estimated to be 71.3%. Among youths aged 15–24, the literacy rate was 85.4% for males and 76.4% for females.<ref name=":0">{{cite news|url=https://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/cameroon_statistics.html|title=Statistics|work=UNICEF|access-date=4 February 2018|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171224101348/https://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/cameroon_statistics.html|archive-date=24 December 2017}}</ref> Most children have access to state-run schools that are cheaper than private and religious facilities.<ref name="Mbaku 15">[[#Mbaku|Mbaku]] 15.</ref> The educational system is a mixture of British and French precedents,<ref>[[#DeLancey|DeLancey and DeLancey]] 105–6.</ref> with most instruction in English or French.<ref>[[#Mbaku|Mbaku]] 16.</ref> Cameroon has one of the highest school attendance rates in Africa.<ref name="Mbaku 15" /> Girls attend school less regularly than boys do because of cultural attitudes, domestic duties, early marriage, pregnancy, and sexual harassment. Although attendance rates are higher in the south,<ref name="Mbaku 15"/> a disproportionate number of teachers are stationed there, leaving northern schools chronically understaffed.<ref name="Human Rights Report"/> In 2013, the primary school enrollment rate was 93.5%.<ref name=":0" /> School attendance in Cameroon is also affected by [[child labour]]. Indeed, the [[United States Department of Labor]] Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor reported that 56% of children aged 5 to 14 were working children and that almost 53% of children aged 7 to 14 combined work and school.<ref>[http://www.dol.gov/ilab/reports/child-labor/cameroon.htm 2013 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor -Cameroon] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150303052129/http://www.dol.gov/ilab/reports/child-labor/cameroon.htm |date=3 March 2015 }}. Dol.gov. Retrieved 29 June 2015.</ref> In December 2014, a ''[[List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor]]'' issued by the [[Bureau of International Labor Affairs]] mentioned Cameroon among the countries that resorted to child labor in the production of cocoa.<ref>[http://www.dol.gov/ilab/reports/child-labor/list-of-goods/ List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610003351/http://www.dol.gov/ilab/reports/child-labor/list-of-goods/ |date=10 June 2015}}. Dol.gov. Retrieved 29 June 2015.</ref> [[File:Life expectancy of Cameroon.svg|thumb|Life expectancy in Cameroon|upright=1.2]] The quality of health care is generally low.<ref name = "yqheor">[[#DeLancey|DeLancey and DeLancey]] 21.</ref> Life expectancy at birth is estimated to be 56 years in 2012, with 48 healthy life years expected.<ref name=":1">{{cite web|url=https://www.who.int/gho/countries/cmr.pdf?ua=1|title=Cameroon: WHO Statistical Profile|date=January 2015|website=World Health Organization|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170321113025/http://www.who.int/gho/countries/cmr.pdf?ua=1|archive-date=21 March 2017}}</ref> Fertility rate remains high in Cameroon with an average of 4.8 births per woman and an average mother's age of 19.7 years old at first birth.<ref name=":1" /> In Cameroon, there is only one doctor for every 5,000 people, according to the WHO.<ref>{{cite news|title=3 medical marvels saving lives|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2013/11/17/health/cnnheroes-medical-marvels/index.html|access-date=18 November 2013|newspaper=CNN|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131122034216/http://edition.cnn.com/2013/11/17/health/cnnheroes-medical-marvels/index.html|archive-date=22 November 2013}}</ref> In 2014, just 4.1% of total GDP expenditure was allocated to healthcare.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://data.un.org/CountryProfile.aspx?crName=cameroon|title=UNdata {{!}} country profile {{!}} Cameroon|website=data.un.org|access-date=4 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161104003329/http://data.un.org/CountryProfile.aspx?crName=cameroon|archive-date=4 November 2016}}</ref> Due to financial cuts in the health care system, there are few professionals. Doctors and nurses who were trained in Cameroon emigrate because in Cameroon the payment is poor while the workload is high. Nurses are unemployed even though their help is needed. Some of them help out voluntarily so they will not lose their skills.<ref>{{cite web |title=The need is so great |author=Rose Futrih N. Njini |publisher=D+C Development and Cooperation/ dandc.eu |date=December 2012 |url=http://www.dandc.eu/en/article/cameroon-too-many-nurses-and-doctors-lack-perspective |access-date=27 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130624235243/http://www.dandc.eu/en/article/cameroon-too-many-nurses-and-doctors-lack-perspective |archive-date=24 June 2013}}</ref> Outside the major cities, facilities are often dirty and poorly equipped.<ref name="West 64">[[#West|West]] 64.</ref> In 2012, the top three deadly diseases were [[HIV/AIDS]], [[lower respiratory tract infection]], and [[diarrhea]]l diseases.<ref name=":1" /> Endemic diseases include [[dengue fever]], [[filariasis]], [[leishmaniasis]], [[malaria]], [[meningitis]], [[schistosomiasis]], and [[African trypanosomiasis|sleeping sickness]].<ref>[[#West|West]] 58–60.</ref> The [[HIV]]/[[HIV/AIDS|AIDS]] prevalence rate in 2016 was estimated at 3.8% for those aged 15–49,<ref name=":2">{{cite web|url=http://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/countries/cameroon|title=Cameroon|website=www.unaids.org|access-date=4 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171223042316/http://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/countries/cameroon|archive-date=23 December 2017}}</ref> although a strong stigma against the illness keeps the number of reported cases artificially low.<ref name = "yqheor"/> 46,000 children under age 14 were estimated to be living with HIV in 2016. In Cameroon, 58% of those living with HIV know their status, and just 37% receive [[Management of HIV/AIDS|ARV]] treatment. In 2016, 29,000 deaths due to AIDS occurred in both adults and children.<ref name=":2" /> [[Breast ironing]], a traditional practice that is prevalent in Cameroon, may affect girls' health.<ref>Joe, Randy. (23 June 2006) [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5107360.stm Africa | Cameroon girls battle 'breast ironing'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070211233459/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5107360.stm |date=11 February 2007}}. BBC News. Retrieved 29 June 2015.</ref><ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01pgpzf BBC World Service – Outlook, Fighting 'Breast Ironing' in Cameroon] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140120111044/http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01pgpzf |date=20 January 2014}}. Bbc.co.uk (16 January 2014). Retrieved 29 June 2015.</ref><ref>[http://www.channel4.com/news/breast-ironing-fgm-victim-girls-chest-cameroon-uk Campaigners warn of 'breast ironing' in the UK – Channel 4 News] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140820113942/http://www.channel4.com/news/breast-ironing-fgm-victim-girls-chest-cameroon-uk |date=20 August 2014 }}. Channel4.com (18 April 2014). Retrieved 29 June 2015.</ref><ref>Bawe, Rosaline Ngunshi (24 August 2011) [http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/CEDAW/HarmfulPractices/GenderEmpowermentandDevelopment.pdf Breast Ironing: A harmful traditional practice in Cameroon] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150226024853/http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/CEDAW/HarmfulPractices/GenderEmpowermentandDevelopment.pdf |date=26 February 2015}}. Gender Empowerment and Development(GeED)</ref> [[Female genital mutilation]] (FGM), while not widespread, is practised among some populations; according to a 2013 UNICEF report,<ref name="UNICEF2013p27">[http://www.unicef.org/media/files/FGCM_Lo_res.pdf UNICEF 2013] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150405083031/http://www.unicef.org/media/files/FGCM_Lo_res.pdf |date=5 April 2015 }}, p. 27.</ref> 1% of women in Cameroon have undergone FGM. Also impacting women's and girls' health, the contraceptive prevalence rate is estimated to be just 34.4% in 2014. [[Traditional medicine|Traditional healers]] remain a popular alternative to [[evidence-based medicine]].<ref name="Lantum" /> In the 2024 Global Hunger Index (GHI), Cameroon ranks 79th out of 127 countries with sufficient data. Cameroon's GHI score is 18.3, which is considered moderate.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Global Hunger Index Scores by 2024 GHI Rank |url=https://www.globalhungerindex.org/ranking.html |access-date=2024-12-13 |website=Global Hunger Index (GHI) - peer-reviewed annual publication designed to comprehensively measure and track hunger at the global, regional, and country levels |language=en}}</ref> {{clear}} ==Culture== {{main|Culture of Cameroon}} ===Music and dance=== {{further|Public holidays in Cameroon}} [[File:Baka dancers June 2006.jpg|thumb|upright|Dancers greet visitors to the East Region, 2006]] [[Music of Cameroon|Music]] and [[dance in Cameroon|dance]] are integral parts of Cameroonian ceremonies, festivals, social gatherings, and storytelling.<ref>[[#Mbaku|Mbaku]] 189</ref><ref name="West 18"/> Traditional dances are highly choreographed and separate men and women or forbid participation by one sex altogether.<ref>[[#Mbaku|Mbaku]] 204.</ref> The dances' purposes range from pure entertainment to religious devotion.<ref name="West 18">[[#West|West]] 18.</ref> Traditionally, music is transmitted orally. In a typical performance, a chorus of singers echoes a soloist.<ref name="Mbaku 189">[[#Mbaku|Mbaku]] 189.</ref> Musical accompaniment may be as simple as clapping hands and stamping feet,<ref>[[#Mbaku|Mbaku]] 191.</ref> but traditional instruments include bells worn by dancers, clappers, drums, and [[talking drum]]s, flutes, horns, rattles, scrapers, stringed instruments, whistles, and xylophones; combinations of these vary by ethnic group and region. Some performers sing complete songs alone, accompanied by a harplike instrument.<ref name="Mbaku 189"/><ref>[[#West|West]] 18–9.</ref> Popular music styles include [[ambasse bey]] of the coast, [[assiko]] of the Bassa, [[mangambeu]] of the [[Bamileke|Bangangte]], and [[tsamassi]] of the Bamileke.<ref>[[#DeLancey|DeLancey and DeLancey]] 184.</ref> [[Music of Nigeria|Nigerian music]] has influenced Anglophone Cameroonian performers, and [[Prince Nico Mbarga]]'s [[highlife]] hit "[[Sweet Mother]]" is the top-selling African record in history.<ref>[[#Mbaku|Mbaku]] 200.</ref> The two most popular music styles are [[makossa]] and [[bikutsi]]. Makossa developed in Douala and mixes folk music, highlife, [[Soul music|soul]], and [[Soukous|Congo music]]. Performers such as [[Manu Dibango]], [[Francis Bebey]], [[Moni Bilé]], and [[Petit-Pays]] popularised the style worldwide in the 1970s and 1980s. Bikutsi originated as war music among the Ewondo. Artists such as [[Anne-Marie Nzié]] developed it into popular dance music beginning in the 1940s, and performers such as [[Mama Ohandja]] and [[Les Têtes Brulées]] popularised it internationally during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.<ref>[[#DeLancey|DeLancey and DeLancey]] 51</ref><ref name= Nkolo/> ===Holidays=== {{further|Public holidays in Cameroon}} The most notable holiday associated with patriotism in Cameroon is [[National Day (Cameroon)|National Day]], also called Unity Day. Among the most notable religious holidays are [[Assumption of Mary|Assumption Day]], and [[Ascension Day]], which is typically 39 days after Easter. In the Northwest and Southwest provinces, collectively called [[Ambazonia]], October 1 is considered a national holiday, a date Ambazonians consider the day of their independence from Cameroon.<ref>Keke, Reginald Chikere. "Southern Cameroons/Ambazonia Conflict: A Political Economy", ''Theory & Event'' 23.2 (2020): 329–351.</ref> ===Cuisine=== {{further|Cameroonian cuisine}} [[File:Ndolè à la viande, morue et crevettes.jpg|thumb|Plantains and "Bobolo" (made from cassava) served with Ndolè (meat and shrimp)]] [[Cuisine of Cameroon|Cuisine]] varies by region, but a large, one-course, evening meal is common throughout the country. A typical dish is based on cocoyams, [[maize]], [[cassava]] (manioc), [[millet]], [[Plantain (cooking)|plantains]], [[potato]]es, [[rice]], or [[Yam (vegetable)|yams]], often pounded into dough-like [[fufu]]. This is served with a sauce, soup, or stew made from greens, [[Peanut|groundnut]]s, [[palm oil]], or other ingredients.<ref>[[#West|West]] 84–5.</ref> Meat and fish are popular but expensive additions, with chicken often reserved for special occasions.<ref name="Mbaku 121-2">[[#Mbaku|Mbaku]] 121–2.</ref> Dishes are often quite spicy; seasonings include salt, red pepper sauce, and [[maggi]].<ref>[[#Hudgens|Hudgens and Trillo]] 1047</ref><ref>[[#Mbaku|Mbaku]] 122</ref><ref>[[#West|West]] 84.</ref> Cutlery is common, but food is traditionally manipulated with the right hand. Breakfast consists of leftovers of bread and fruit with [[coffee]] or [[tea]]. Generally, breakfast is made from wheat flour in different foods such as puff-puff (doughnuts), accra banana made from [[banana]]s and flour, bean cakes, and many more. Snacks are popular, especially in larger towns where they may be bought from [[street vendor]]s.<ref>[[#Mbaku|Mbaku]] 121</ref><ref>[[#Hudgens|Hudgens and Trillo]] 1049.</ref> ===Fashion=== [[File:Camerounais en tenue traditionnelle.jpg|thumb|upright|Cameroonian fashion is varied and often mixes modern and traditional elements. Note the wearing of [[sun glasses]], [[monk shoe]]s, [[sandals]], and a [[Smartwatch]]]] Cameroon's relatively large and diverse population is likewise diverse in its fashions. Climate, religious, ethnic, and cultural beliefs, and the influences of colonialism, imperialism, and globalisation are all factors in contemporary Cameroonian dresses. Noteworthy Cameroonian dresses include [[Pagnes]], [[sarong]]s worn by Cameroon women; [[Chechia]], a traditional hat; kwa, a male handbag; and [[Gandura]], male custom attire.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cameroon-today.com/cameroon-clothing.html|title=Cameroon clothing – A description of the traditional attire of Cameroon.|website=Cameroon-Today.com|access-date=26 July 2020|archive-date=4 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804232108/https://www.cameroon-today.com/cameroon-clothing.html|url-status=usurped}}</ref> Wrappers and [[loincloths]] are used extensively by both women and men but their use varies by region, with influences from [[Fulani]] styles more present in the north and [[Igbo people|Igbo]] and [[Yoruba people|Yoruba]] styles more often in the south and west.<ref>Culture and Customs of Cameroon, 2000, pg. 135, by, John Mukum Mbaku</ref> [[Imane Ayissi]] is one of Cameroon's most prominent fashion designers and has received international recognition.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.journalducameroun.com/en/cameroonimane-ayissi-detremined-to-project-cameroons-couture/|title=Cameroon:Imane Ayissi {{as written|detrem|ined [sic]}} to project Cameroon's couture|date=7 April 2020|access-date=2 May 2020|archive-date=14 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200414150322/https://www.journalducameroun.com/en/cameroonimane-ayissi-detremined-to-project-cameroons-couture/|url-status=live}}</ref> ===Local arts and crafts=== [[File:Woman weaving baskets near Lake Ossa.jpg|thumb|A woman weaves a basket near [[Lake Ossa]], Littoral Region. Cameroonians practise such handicrafts throughout the country]] Traditional arts and crafts are practised throughout the country for commercial, decorative, and religious purposes. Woodcarvings and sculptures are especially common.<ref>[[#West|West]] 17.</ref> The high-quality clay of the western highlands is used for pottery and ceramics.<ref name="West 18"/> Other crafts include [[basket weaving]], [[beadwork]]ing, brass and bronze working, [[calabash]] carving and painting, [[embroidery]], and [[Leather crafting|leather]] working. Traditional housing styles use local materials and vary from temporary wood-and-leaf shelters of nomadic [[Wodaabe|Mbororo]] to the rectangular mud-and-thatch homes of southern peoples. Dwellings of materials such as cement and tin are increasingly common.<ref>[[#Mbaku|Mbaku]] 110–3.</ref> [[Contemporary art]] is mainly promoted by independent cultural organisations ([[Doual'art]], [[Africréa]]) and [[artist-run initiative]]s ([[Art Wash]], [[Atelier Viking]], [[ArtBakery]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=8690|access-date=12 April 2013|work=The Post|author=Mulenga, Andrew|date=30 April 2010|title=Cameroon's indomitable contemporary art|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140311124956/http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=8690|archive-date=11 March 2014}}</ref> ===Literature=== {{main|Literature of Cameroon}} Cameroonian literature has concentrated on both European and African themes. Colonial-era writers such as [[Louis-Marie Pouka]] and [[Sankie Maimo]] were educated by European missionary societies and advocated [[Cultural assimilation|assimilation]] into European culture to bring Cameroon into the modern world.<ref>[[#Mbaku|Mbaku]] 80–1</ref> After [[World War II]], writers such as [[Mongo Beti]] and [[Ferdinand Oyono]] analysed and criticised colonialism and rejected assimilation.<ref name=Fitzpatrick/><ref>[[#Mbaku|Mbaku]] 77, 83–4</ref><ref name=Volet/> ===Media=== {{main|Mass media in Cameroon}} *[[Cameroon Radio Television]] ===Films and literature=== {{further|Cinema of Cameroon}} Shortly after independence, filmmakers such as [[Jean-Paul Ngassa]] and [[Thérèse Sita-Bella]] explored similar themes.<ref>[[#DeLancey|DeLancey and DeLancey]] 119–120</ref><ref>[[#West|West]] 20.</ref> In the 1960s, [[Mongo Beti]], [[Ferdinand Léopold Oyono]] and other writers explored postcolonialism, problems of African development, and the recovery of African identity.<ref>[[#Mbaku|Mbaku]] 85–6.</ref> In the mid-1970s, filmmakers such as [[Jean-Pierre Dikongué Pipa]] and [[Daniel Kamwa]] dealt with the conflicts between traditional and postcolonial society. Literature and films during the next two decades focused more on wholly Cameroonian themes.<ref>[[#DeLancey|DeLancey and DeLancey]] 120.</ref> ===Sports=== {{main|Sport in Cameroon}} [[File:Cameroon vs Germany 2003.jpg|thumb|[[Cameroon national football team|Cameroon]] facing [[Germany national football team|Germany]] at [[Zentralstadion]] in Leipzig, 17 November 2004]] National policy strongly advocates sport in all forms. Traditional sports include canoe racing and wrestling, and several hundred runners participate in the {{convert|40|km|mi|abbr=on}} [[Mount Cameroon Race of Hope]] each year.<ref>[[#West|West]] 127.</ref> Cameroon is one of the few tropical countries to have [[Cameroon at the 2002 Winter Olympics|competed]] in the [[Winter Olympic Games|Winter Olympics]]. Sport in Cameroon is dominated by football. Amateur football clubs abound, organised along ethnic lines or under corporate sponsors. The [[Cameroon national football team|national team]] has been one of the most successful in Africa since its strong showing in the [[1982 Football World Cup|1982]] and [[1990 FIFA World Cup]]s. Cameroon has won five [[African Cup of Nations]] titles and the gold medal at the [[Football at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Men's tournament|2000 Olympics]].<ref>[[#West|West]] 92–93, 127.</ref> Cameroon was the host country of the [[Africa Women Cup of Nations|Women Africa Cup of Nations]] in November–December 2016,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/20/africa-women-cup-of-nations-cameroon-opening-ceremony-football|title=Africa Women Cup of Nations kicks off in Cameroon|date=20 November 2016|newspaper=The Guardian|last1=Shearlaw|first1=Maeve|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161123163325/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/20/africa-women-cup-of-nations-cameroon-opening-ceremony-football|archive-date=23 November 2016}}</ref> the [[2020 African Nations Championship]] and the [[2021 Africa Cup of Nations]]. The [[Cameroon women's national football team|women's football team]] is known as the "Indomitable Lionesses", and like their men's counterparts, are also successful on the international stage, although it has not won any major trophy. Cricket has also entered into Cameroon as an emerging sport with the Cameroon Cricket Federation participating in international matches.<ref>{{cite web|title=Africa Cricket Association|url=https://africacricket.com/read_more_news.php?id=118|access-date=2022-01-25|website=africacricket.com|archive-date=25 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125180153/https://africacricket.com/read_more_news.php?id=118|url-status=live}}</ref> Cameroon has produced multiple [[National Basketball Association]] players including [[Pascal Siakam]], [[Joel Embiid]], [[D. J. Strawberry]], [[Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje]], [[Christian Koloko]], and [[Luc Mbah a Moute]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://basketball.realgm.com/national/teams/18/Cameroon/nba_players |title=Cameroon NBA Players – RealGM |publisher=Basketball.realgm.com |date= |access-date=2022-05-05 |archive-date=2 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220502204345/https://basketball.realgm.com/national/teams/18/Cameroon/nba_players |url-status=live }}</ref> The former [[UFC Heavyweight Champion]], [[Francis Ngannou]], hails from Cameroon.<ref>{{cite news |last=Morgan |first=Emmanuel |date=2022-01-21 |title=The Fearsome, Quiet Champion |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/21/sports/francis-ngannou-ufc-fight.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=2022-04-29 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=26 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220426072359/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/21/sports/francis-ngannou-ufc-fight.html |url-status=live }}</ref> ==See also== {{portal|Cameroon|Africa}} * [[Index of Cameroon-related articles]] * [[Outline of Cameroon]] * [[Telephone numbers in Cameroon]] {{clear}} ===Notes=== {{Notelist}} ==References== ===Citations=== {{reflist|refs= <ref name=Fanso>Fanso, V. G. (1989). ''Cameroon History for Secondary Schools and Colleges, Vol. 1: From Prehistoric Times to the Nineteenth Century.'' Hong Kong: Macmillan Education Ltd., p. 84, {{ISBN|0333471210}}.</ref> <ref name=Matthews>Matthews, Andy (12 March 2008). "[http://www.africanews.com/site/list_messages/16465 Cameroon protests in USA] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206040327/http://www.africanews.com/site/list_messages/16465 |date=6 December 2008 }}", Africa News. Retrieved 13 March 2008.</ref> <ref name="IRIN">"[http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=57951 Cameroon: New anti-corruption drive leaves many sceptical] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070421180241/http://irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=57951 |date=21 April 2007 }}". 27 January 2006. ''IRIN''. UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Retrieved 6 April 2007.</ref> <ref name=Njung>Njung, GN, Lucas Tazanu Mangula, and Emmanuel Nfor Nkwiyir (2003). ''Introduction to History: Cameroon''. ANUCAM, pp. 5–6.</ref> <ref name=Corruption>"[http://cpi.transparency.org/cpi2012/results/ Corruption Perceptions Index 2012] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131129013918/http://cpi.transparency.org/cpi2012/results/ |date=29 November 2013 }}". Transparency International.</ref> <ref name=Nkemngu>Nkemngu, Martin A. (11 March 2008). "[http://allafrica.com/stories/200803110765.html Facts and Figures of the Tragic Protests]", ''[[Cameroon Tribune]]''. Retrieved 12 March 2008.{{subscription required}} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080313004646/http://allafrica.com/stories/200803110765.html |date=13 March 2008 }}</ref> <ref name="Amnesty">{{cite web |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/pol10/0001/2006/en/ |title=Cameroon |access-date=6 April 2007 |work=Amnesty International Report 2006 |date=21 May 2006 |publisher=Amnesty International |archive-date=25 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161025065226/http://www.amnesty.de/umleitung/2006/deu01/025?print=1 |url-status=live }}</ref> <ref name="State Dept">"[https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/26431.htm U.S. Relations With Cameroon] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190604183549/https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/26431.htm |date=4 June 2019 }} ". United States Department of State. Retrieved 6 April 2007.</ref> <ref name="Freedom House">{{cite book|ref=House|chapter=Cameroon (2006)|url=http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=22&year=2006&country=6935|title=Country Report: 2006 Edition|publisher=Freedom House|access-date=6 April 2007|date=13 January 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930220940/http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=22&year=2006&country=6935|archive-date=30 September 2007}}</ref> <ref name="Human Rights Report">"[https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2006/78723.htm Cameroon] ". Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, 6 March 2007. Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 6 April 2007.</ref> <ref name="EHRC">{{cite web |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/IOR41/006/2006/en/ |title=2006 Elections to the Human Rights Council: Background information on candidate countries |access-date=6 February 2007 |date=30 April 2006 |publisher=Amnesty International |archive-date=11 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150311093310/https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/ior41/006/2006/en/ |url-status=live }}</ref> <ref name=Kandemeh>Kandemeh, Emmanuel (17 July 2007). "[http://fr.allafrica.com/stories/200707170411.html Journalists Warned against Declaring Election Results]", ''Cameroon Tribune''. Retrieved 18 July 2007 {{subscription required}}.</ref> <ref name=Lantum>Lantum, Daniel M., and Martin Ekeke Monono (2005). "Republic of Cameroon", ''Who Global Atlas of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine''. [[World Health Organization]], p. 14.</ref> <ref name="Demographic Yearbook">[http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/DYB2003/Table03.pdf ''Demographic Yearbook 2004''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114040712/http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/DYB2003/Table03.pdf |date=14 November 2012 }}. United Nations Statistics Division.</ref> <ref name=Fomensky>Fomensky, R., M. Gwanfogbe, and F. Tsala, editorial advisers (1985) ''Macmillan School Atlas for Cameroon.'' Malaysia: Macmillan Education, p. 6</ref> <ref name=Extremes>"[http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/globalextremes.html#highpre Highest Average Annual Precipitation Extremes] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120525195312/http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/globalextremes.html#highpre |date=25 May 2012 }}". Global Measured Extremes of Temperature and Precipitation, [[National Climatic Data Center]], 9 August 2004. Retrieved 6 April 2007.</ref> <ref name=Gwanfogbe>Gwanfogbe, Mathew; Meligui, Ambrose; Moukam, Jean and Nguoghia, Jeanette (1983). ''Geography of Cameroon.'' Hong Kong: Macmillan Education, p. 20, {{ISBN|0333366905}}.</ref> <!--<ref name=Area>"[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2147rank.html Rank Order – Area] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209041128/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2147rank.html |date=9 February 2014 }}". ''The World Factbook''. United States Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 6 April 2007.</ref>--> <ref name=Green>Green, RH (1969). "The Economy of Cameroon Federal Republic". In Robson, Peter, and DA Lury (eds). ''The Economies of Africa'', p. 239. Allen and Unwin.</ref> <ref name="Musa Biya plan">Musa, Tansa (8 April 2008). "[https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL08308448 Biya plan to keep power in Cameroon clears hurdle] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924132016/http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/04/08/idUSL08308448 |date=24 September 2015 }}". Reuters. Retrieved 9 April 2008.</ref> <ref name="Musa Gunmen">Musa, Tansa (27 June 2007). "[http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L27787695.htm Gunmen kill one, kidnap 22 in Cameroon near CAR] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070629170646/http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L27787695.htm |date=29 June 2007 }}". Reuters. Retrieved 27 June 2007.</ref> <ref name=RCross>International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (28 May 2007). "[http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20070613175522/http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/EKOI-73N32R?OpenDocument Cameroon: Population Movement; DREF Bulletin no. MDRCM004]". ReliefWeb. Retrieved 18 June 2007.</ref> <ref name=Niba>Niba, Francis Ngwa (20 February 2007). "[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6376389.stm New language for divided Cameroon] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070221172852/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6376389.stm |date=21 February 2007 }}". ''BBC News''. Retrieved 6 April 2007.</ref> <ref name=Fitzpatrick>Fitzpatrick, Mary (2002). "Cameroon." ''Lonely Planet West Africa'', 5th ed. China: Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd., p. 38</ref> <ref name=Geschiere>Geschiere, Peter (1997). ''The Modernity of Witchcraft: Politics and the Occult in Postcolonial Africa''. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, pp. 169–170, {{ISBN|0813917034}}.</ref> <ref name=Nkolo>Nkolo, Jean-Victor, and Graeme Ewens (2000). "Cameroon: Music of a Small Continent". ''World Music, Volume 1: Africa, Europe and the Middle East''. London: Rough Guides Ltd., p. 43, {{ISBN|1858286352}}.</ref> <ref name=Volet>Volet, Jean-Marie (10 November 2006). "[http://aflit.arts.uwa.edu.au/CountryCameroonEN.html Cameroon Literature at a glance] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811215426/http://aflit.arts.uwa.edu.au/CountryCameroonEN.html |date=11 August 2011 }}". ''Reading women writers and African literatures''. Retrieved 6 April 2007.</ref> }} ===Sources=== {{refbegin}} * {{cite book|ref=DeLancey|author1=DeLancey, Mark W. |author2=DeLancey, Mark Dike |year=2000|title=Historical Dictionary of the Republic of Cameroon|edition=3rd |place=Lanham, Maryland|publisher= The Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0810837751}} * {{cite book|ref= Hudgens|author1=Hudgens, Jim |author2=Trillo, Richard |year=1999|title=West Africa: The Rough Guide|edition=3rd |place=London|publisher= Rough Guides|isbn=978-1858284682}} * {{cite book|ref=Mbaku|author=Mbaku, John Mukum |year=2005|title=Culture and Customs of Cameroon|place=Westport, Connecticut|publisher= Greenwood Press|isbn=978-0313332319}} * {{cite book|ref=Neba|author=Neba, Aaron |year=1999|title=Modern Geography of the Republic of Cameroon|edition=3rd |place=Bamenda|publisher= Neba Publishers}} * {{cite book|ref=West|author=West, Ben |year=2004|title=Cameroon: The Bradt Travel Guide|place=Guilford, Connecticut|publisher= The Globe Pequot Press|isbn=978-1841620787}} {{refend}} ==Further reading== {{refbegin}} * {{cite web |url=http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=20731 |title=Cameroon – Annual Report 2007 |access-date=7 February 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070526152356/http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=20731 |archive-date=26 May 2007 }} . Reporters without Borders. Retrieved 6 April 2007. * {{cite web |url=http://hdr.undp.org/hdr2006/statistics/countries/country_fact_sheets/cty_fs_CMR.html |title=Cameroon |access-date=6 January 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070113020758/http://hdr.undp.org/hdr2006/statistics/countries/country_fact_sheets/cty_fs_CMR.html |archive-date=13 January 2007 }} . ''Human Development Report 2006''. United Nations Development Programme. Retrieved 6 April 2007. * {{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Cameroon | volume= 5 |last= Cana |first= Frank Richardson |author-link= | pages = 110–113 |short= 1}} * Fonge, Fuabeh P. (1997). ''Modernization without Development in Africa: Patterns of Change and Continuity in Post-Independence Cameroonian Public Service''. Trenton, New Jersey: Africa World Press, Inc. * MacDonald, Brian S. (1997). "Case Study 4: Cameroon", ''Military Spending in Developing Countries: How Much Is Too Much?'' McGill-Queen's University Press. * [[Dorothy L. Njeuma|Njeuma, Dorothy L.]] (no date). "[https://web.archive.org/web/20070609152111/http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/soe/cihe/inhea/profiles/Cameroon.htm Country Profiles: Cameroon]". The Boston College Center for International Higher Education. Retrieved 11 April 2008. * Rechniewski, Elizabeth. "1947: Decolonisation in the Shadow of the Cold War: the Case of French Cameroon." ''Australian & New Zealand Journal of European Studies'' 9.3 (2017). [https://openjournals.library.sydney.edu.au/ANZJES/article/download/15186/13370 online] * Sa'ah, Randy Joe (23 June 2006). "[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5107360.stm Cameroon girls battle 'breast ironing'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070211233459/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5107360.stm |date=11 February 2007 }}". ''BBC News''. Retrieved 6 April 2007. * Wright, Susannah, ed. (2006). ''Cameroon''. Madrid: MTH Multimedia S.L. * "[http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2006/02/data/index.aspx World Economic and Financial Surveys] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090211102523/http://imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2006/02/data/index.aspx |date=11 February 2009 }}". World Economic Outlook Database, International Monetary Fund. September 2006. Retrieved 6 April 2007. {{refend}} ==External links== {{Sister project links|voy=Cameroon|Cameroon}} * [https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/cameroon/ Cameroon]. ''[[The World Factbook]]''. [[Central Intelligence Agency]]. * [http://www.business-anti-corruption.com/country-profiles/sub-saharan-africa/cameroon/business-corruption-in-cameroon.aspx Cameroon Corruption Profile] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140324190641/http://www.business-anti-corruption.com/country-profiles/sub-saharan-africa/cameroon/business-corruption-in-cameroon.aspx |date=24 March 2014 }} from Business Anti-Corruption Portal * [https://web.archive.org/web/20080704153516/http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/govpubs/for/cameroon.htm Cameroon] from ''UCB Libraries GovPubs'' * [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13146029 Cameroon profile] from the [[BBC News]] * {{Wikiatlas |Cameroon}} * [http://www.ifs.du.edu/ifs/frm_CountryProfile.aspx?Country=CM Key Development Forecasts for Cameroon] from [[International Futures]] '''Government''' * [https://web.archive.org/web/20170529010519/http://www.presidenceducameroun.com/ Presidency of the Republic of Cameroon] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20110715013604/http://www.spm.gov.cm/index.php?L=1 Prime Minister's Office] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20090805071905/http://www.assemblenationale.cm/ National Assembly of Cameroon] * [http://www.globalintegrity.org/report/Cameroon/2010/ Global Integrity Report: Cameroon] has reporting on anti-corruption in Cameroon * [https://web.archive.org/web/20081210080443/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/world-leaders-1/world-leaders-c/cameroon.html Chief of State and Cabinet Members] '''Trade''' * [http://wits.worldbank.org/CountryProfile/Country/CMR/Year/2012/Summary Summary Trade Statistics] from World Bank {{Cameroon topics}} {{Navboxes |title = Articles relating to Cameroon |list = {{Countries of Africa}} {{African Union}} {{Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC)|state =collapsed}} {{Commonwealth of Nations}} }} {{Authority control}} {{Coord|6|N|12|E|display=title}} [[Category:Cameroon| ]] [[Category:1960 establishments in Cameroon]] [[Category:Central African countries]] [[Category:Countries in Africa]] [[Category:Countries and territories where English is an official language]] [[Category:French-speaking countries and territories]] [[Category:Member states of the African Union]] [[Category:Member states of the Commonwealth of Nations]] [[Category:Member states of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie]] [[Category:Member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation]] [[Category:Member states of the United Nations]] [[Category:Republics in the Commonwealth of Nations]] [[Category:States and territories established in 1960]] [[Category:1960 establishments in Africa]]
Edit summary
(Briefly describe your changes)
By publishing changes, you agree to the
Terms of Use
, and you irrevocably agree to release your contribution under the
CC BY-SA 4.0 License
and the
GFDL
. You agree that a hyperlink or URL is sufficient attribution under the Creative Commons license.
Cancel
Editing help
(opens in new window)
Pages transcluded onto the current version of this page
(
help
)
:
Template:*
(
edit
)
Template:About
(
edit
)
Template:As of
(
edit
)
Template:Authority control
(
edit
)
Template:Bar box
(
edit
)
Template:Blockquote
(
edit
)
Template:Br separated entries
(
edit
)
Template:Cameroon topics
(
edit
)
Template:Center
(
edit
)
Template:Circa
(
edit
)
Template:Cite CIA World Factbook
(
edit
)
Template:Cite EB1911
(
edit
)
Template:Cite book
(
edit
)
Template:Cite journal
(
edit
)
Template:Cite news
(
edit
)
Template:Cite report
(
edit
)
Template:Cite web
(
edit
)
Template:Clear
(
edit
)
Template:Comma separated entries
(
edit
)
Template:Convert
(
edit
)
Template:Convinfobox
(
edit
)
Template:Coord
(
edit
)
Template:Decrease
(
edit
)
Template:DecreasePositive
(
edit
)
Template:Efn
(
edit
)
Template:Featured article
(
edit
)
Template:Further
(
edit
)
Template:ISO 3166 code
(
edit
)
Template:If empty
(
edit
)
Template:Increase
(
edit
)
Template:IncreaseNegative
(
edit
)
Template:Infobox country
(
edit
)
Template:Infobox country/formernext
(
edit
)
Template:Infobox country/imagetable
(
edit
)
Template:Infobox country/multirow
(
edit
)
Template:Infobox country/status text
(
edit
)
Template:Lang
(
edit
)
Template:Langx
(
edit
)
Template:Largest cities of Cameroon
(
edit
)
Template:Main
(
edit
)
Template:Main other
(
edit
)
Template:Native name
(
edit
)
Template:Native phrase
(
edit
)
Template:Navbar
(
edit
)
Template:Navboxes
(
edit
)
Template:Nobold
(
edit
)
Template:Notelist
(
edit
)
Template:Nowrap
(
edit
)
Template:PAGENAMEBASE
(
edit
)
Template:Portal
(
edit
)
Template:Pp-move
(
edit
)
Template:Pp-pc
(
edit
)
Template:Refbegin
(
edit
)
Template:Refend
(
edit
)
Template:Reflist
(
edit
)
Template:See also
(
edit
)
Template:Short description
(
edit
)
Template:Sister project links
(
edit
)
Template:Steady
(
edit
)
Template:Switcher
(
edit
)
Template:UN Population
(
edit
)
Template:Ublist
(
edit
)
Template:Use British English
(
edit
)
Template:Use dmy dates
(
edit
)
Template:Usurped
(
edit
)
Template:Vunblist
(
edit
)
Template:Webarchive
(
edit
)
Template:Wikiatlas
(
edit
)