African Food and Art

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Information on Cameroon

Three quick facts about the Republic of Cameroon

Information on Cameroon


Three quick facts about the Republic of Cameroon; Mount Cameroon is the highest mountain in Sub-Saharan West Africa and an active volcano, former French Cameroon and part of British Cameroon merged in 1961 to form the present country, and The Republic of Cameroon has generally enjoyed stability, which has permitted the development of agriculture, roads, and railways, as well as a petroleum industry.


Carrying firewood home in Cameroon
Carrying firewood home in Cameroon 

How Cameroon got its name.

In the 15th century, Portuguese explorers named the area near the mouth of the Wouri River the Rio dos Camaroes (River of Prawns) after the abundant shrimp in the water; over time, the designation became Cameroon in English; this is the only instance where a country is named after a crustacean

 

Nationality

Noun: Cameroonian(s)

Adjective: Cameroonian

 

Life expectancy at birth

Total population: 59.4 years

Male: 58 years

Female: 60.9 years

 

Ethnic groups

Cameroon Highlanders 31%, Equatorial Bantu 19%, Kirdi 11%, Fulani 10%, Northwestern Bantu 8%, Eastern Nigritic 7%, other African 13%, non-African less than 1%

 

Population distribution

The population is concentrated in the west and north, with the interior of the country sparsely populated.

 

Religions

Indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 40%, Muslim 20%

 

Languages

24 major African language groups, English (official), French (official)

 

Location

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

 

Area comparative to US States

Slightly larger than California

 

Border countries

Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Nigeria

 

Climate

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

 

Terrain

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

 

Elevation extremes

Lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

Highest point: Fako 4,095 m (on Mt. Cameroon)

 

Natural hazards

Volcanic activity with periodic releases of poisonous gases from Lake Nyos and Lake Monoun volcanoes

 

Did you know?

Cameroon is also referred to as the hinge of Africa; throughout the country, there are areas of thermal springs and indications of current or prior volcanic activity.


Information on Cameroon
Information on Cameroon

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