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CameroonCameroonThe '''Republic of Cameroon''' is a unitary republic of central Africa. It borders Nigeria, Chad, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and the Gulf of Guinea. The former French Cameroon and part of British Cameroons merged in 1961 to form the ''Federal Republic of Cameroon'' which in 1972 was renamed the ''United Republic of Cameroon''; since 1984 the country is known as the ''Republic of Cameroon'' or ''République du Cameroun'' (its official languages are English language|English and French language|French). Cameroon has generally enjoyed stability, which has permitted the development of agriculture, roads, and railroad|railways, as well as a petroleum industry. Despite movement toward democratic reform, political power remains firmly in the hands of an ethnic oligarchy. The capital is Yaoundé. {| border=1 align=right cellpadding=4 cellspacing=0 width=300 style="margin: 0 0 1em 1em; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;" |+<big><big>'''Republic of Cameroon<br>République du Cameroun'''</big></big> |- | style="background:#efefef;" align="center" colspan=2 | {| border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" | align="center" width="140px" | image:Cameroon_flag_large.png|125px| | align="center" width="140px" | Image:Cameroon coa.jpg|100px| |- | align="center" width="140px" | (Flag of Cameroon|Detail) | align="center" width="140px" | (Emblem of Cameroon|Detail) |} |- | align="center" colspan=2 | <small>''National motto: Paix, Travail, Patrie<br>(French language|French: Peace, Work, Fatherland)''</small> |- | align=center colspan=2 | image:LocationCameroon.png |- | '''Official languages''' | French language|French and English language|English |- | '''Capital''' | Yaoundé |- | '''Largest City''' | Douala |- | '''Presidents of Cameroon|President''' | Paul Biya |- | '''Heads of Government of Cameroon|Prime Minister''' | Ephraïm Inoni |- | '''Area'''<br /> - Total <br /> - % water | List of countries by area|Ranked 52nd <br /> 475,440 square kilometre|km² <br /> 1.3% |- | '''Population''' <br /> - Total (2003) <br /> - Density | List of countries by population|Ranked 60th <br /> 15,746,179 <br /> 34/km² |- | '''Independence'''<br /> - Date | From France and the United Kingdom<br />January 1, 1960 |- | '''Currency''' | CFA franc (XAF) |- | '''Time zone''' | UTC+1 |- | '''National anthem''' | ''Chant de Ralliement'' |- | '''Top-level domain|Internet TLD''' | .cm |- | '''List of country calling codes|Calling Code''' | 237 |} == History == ''Main article: History of Cameroon'' The first inhabitants of Cameroon were the pygmy Baka tribes. The Bantu language originated in the highlands of Cameroon, but many of its speakers moved out before foreign invaders came into the nation. The first Europe|European contact was in the 1500s with the Portugal|Portuguese, but they did not stay. The first permanent colonialism|settlements were started in the late 1870s, with Germany emerging as the major European Power. After World War I though, the country would be split by United Kingdom|Britain and France. In 1961 the French and British portions of Cameroon were united, the French portion having gained independence a year earlier. The new coalition government was led by Ahmadou Ahidjo who led a crack down on rebellion|rebel groups who had remained since before independence. Ahidjo stepped down in 1982 and was succeeded by the current president, Paul Biya. Biya has won numerous elections, but the fairness of these elections has been questioned. The last elections were held on October 11, 2004. == Politics == {{election cameroon}} The President of Cameroon holds executive power in the government of Cameroon. This provision was part of the reforms instituted in 1996 to the Constitution of Cameroon|Constitution, that had been originally written in 1972. The President is given a broad range of powers, and is able to carry them out without consulting the National Assembly of Cameroon|National Assembly. The National Assembly consists of 180 delegates and meets three times a year. The main responsibility of the Assembly is to pass laws, but rarely has it changed any laws or blocked the passage of legislation. The judiciary is subordinate to the executive branch's Ministry of Justice of Cameroon|Ministry of Justice. The Supreme Court of Cameroon|Supreme Court may review the constitutionality of a law only at the president's request. == Provinces == image:cameroon_sm03.png|right|Map Of Cameroon ''Main article: Provinces of Cameroon'' Cameroon is divided into 10 provinces: *Adamawa Province, Cameroon|Adamawa Province (Adamaoua) *Centre Province, Cameroon|Centre Province *East Province, Cameroon|East Province (Est) *Extreme North Province, Cameroon|Extreme North Province (Extreme-Nord) *Littoral Province, Cameroon|Littoral Province *North Province, Cameroon|North Province (Nord) *Northwest Province, Cameroon|Northwest Province (Nord-Ouest) *West Province, Cameroon|West Province (Ouest) *South Province, Cameroon|South Province (Sud) *Southwest Province, Cameroon|Southwest Province (Sud-Ouest) == Geography == ''Main article: Geography of Cameroon'' == Economy == ''Main article: Economy of Cameroon'' == Demographics == ''Main article: Demographics of Cameroon'' == Culture == ''Main article: Culture of Cameroon'' <TABLE border="1" align="center" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"> <CAPTION><font size="+1">'''Holidays'''</font></caption> <TR><TH style="background:#efefef;">Date</TH><TH style="background:#efefef;">English Name</TH> <TR><TD></TD><TD></TD></TR> <tr><td>January 1<td>New Year's Day <tr><td>February 11</td><td>National Youth Day</td></tr> <tr><td>May 1<td>Labor Day <tr><td>May 20<td>National Day <tr><td>August 15<td>Assumption of Mary|Assumption <tr><td>December 25<td>Christmas </TABLE> In addition, movable holidays include: Christian: Good Friday, Easter Sunday, and Easter Monday Muslim: Eid_ul-Fitr|'Id al-Fitr and Eid_ul-Adha|'Id al-Adha ''See also:'' Music of Cameroon, List of African writers (by country)#Cameroon|List of writers from Cameroon == Education == ''Main article: Education in Cameroon'' == Miscellaneous topics == *Communications in Cameroon *Transportation in Cameroon *Military of Cameroon *Foreign relations of Cameroon *Catholic Church in Cameroon *List of cities in Cameroon *List of Cameroon-related topics {{Africa}} Category:Cameroon|* Category:African Union member states Category:Peace and Security Council ar:كاميرون bn:ক্যামেরুন ca:Camerun de:Kamerun et:Kamerun es:Camerún eo:Kameruno fr:Cameroun ko:카메룬 io:Kamerun id:Kamerun ia:Camerun it:Camerun he:קמרון lv:Kamerūna lt:Kamerūnas ms:Cameroon nl:Kameroen nds:Kamerun ja:カメルーン no:Kamerun pl:Kamerun pt:Camarões ru:Камерун sa:केमेरून sk:Kamerun sl:Kamerun sr:Камерун fi:Kamerun sv:Kamerun zh:喀麦隆 First page | Prev | Next | Last page | This article on Cameroon is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. 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