Cameroon

In brief

Cameroon is a country in Central Africa. Its capital is Yaoundé. With 29.9 million inhabitants in 2025, it ranks 51st in the world by population, out of the 195 countries recognised by the UN. Its area is 475,442 km². It shares land borders with the Central African Republic, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Nigeria and the Republic of the Congo.

GDP per capita stands at $1,972 (2025), 156th in the world. Life expectancy at birth is 64 years (2024). 56% of the population lives in cities.

History of Cameroon

A German colony from 1884, Kamerun was divided after the First World War between France and the United Kingdom. French Cameroon became independent on 1 January 1960; part of British Cameroons joined it in 1961, while the other part chose Nigeria. Federal at first, the state became unitary in 1972. Paul Biya has led it since 1982. Since 2016 a crisis has pitted the central government against the English-speaking regions in the west.

Geography of Cameroon

Nicknamed “Africa in miniature”, Cameroon combines rainforest in the south, plateaus and mountains in the west and savanna in the north up to Lake Chad. Mount Cameroon (4,040 m), an active volcano near the coast, is the highest peak in West Africa.

Map of Cameroon

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Flag of Cameroon

The flag of Cameroon is red, green and yellow. Its official proportions are 2:3 (height to width).

• Yellow35%
• Green33%
• Red32%

Share of the flag’s surface taken by each colour.

What the flag stands for

Green, red and yellow vertical bands, the pan-African colours, with a yellow star in the centre. The single star, adopted in 1975, symbolises national unity.

Sources: Wikipedia, articles “Cameroon” and “Flag of Cameroon”.

See also: flags with a star.

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Fact file

Economy and society