36 Facts About Cameroon

Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa.

Cameroon has a total area of 475,440 square km. 

Yaounde is  capital Yaoundé and Douala is largest city of Cameroon.

English and French are official languages in Cameroon. 

Central African CFA franc (XAF) is official currency in Cameroon.

Nigeria, Chad, the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo are Cameroon's land neighbours.

Cameroon is located at the crossroads of west and central Africa. It is the most urbanised and ethnically diverse country in Western Africa.

Cameroon became an independent republic on January 1, 1960.

Cameroon became a member of the United Nations on September 20, 1960.

The country is home to over 1700 distinct linguistic groups. Aside from the region's official languages of French and English, 230 other languages are spoken.

Every year, the country receives a lot of rain, making it one of the wettest places on the planet.

Because of the geographical and cultural diversity of the country, it is often referred to as "Africa in miniature" and as "the hinge of Africa".

Thermal springs are found all over the country.

According to the CIA Fact Book, HIV/AIDS killed an estimated 34,200 people in Cameroon in 2014.

Cameroon's unemployment rate was estimated to be 4% in 2014.

Oil exports account for 40% of the country's total export earnings.

Mount Cameroon, at 13,500 feet, is the highest point in the country.

Mount Cameroon is also the country's only active volcano. It erupted last in 2012. Around 500,000 people live in three main towns near the volcano: Limbe, Buea, and Muyuka.

The Sanaga River is Cameroon's longest river. On the banks of the Sanaga River, there are two hydroelectric power plants.

Prior to World War I, Germany controlled the vast majority of the country. It was known as Kamerun at the time.

In 1972, the country was officially named the United Republic of Cameroon, and in 1984, it was renamed the Republic of Cameroon.

Every type of flora and fauna found in tropical Africa can also be found in Cameroon. It is home to at least 409 mammal species and 165 bird species.

Cameroon's Waza National Park is one of the most visited in the country.

The Dja Faunal Reserve, which was established in 1950, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 90% of the reserve has been left untouched. The Dja River, which almost completely surrounds the area, inspired the name.

Subsistence farming is essential in the lives of poor Cameroonians.

A $3.7 billion pipeline connecting the oil fields of neighbouring Chad to the coast of Cameroon is being built. This project is also supported by the World Bank.

On May 20th, the country observes its national day. Cameroonians voted for a unitary state rather than the existing federal state on this day in 1972.

When you look closely at a map of the country, it resembles an elongated triangle.

Cameroon became the first African country to reach the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals in 1990.

Cameroon's main exports are coffee, cotton, bananas, oilseeds, and cocoa.

According to the US State Department's Council on Foreign Relations, Cameroon is the world's second most dangerous country, owing primarily to terrorist sect Boko Haram's attacks and kidnappings. The name of the group translates as "Western education is sinful."

It has a total land border of 5,018 kilometres and a coastline of 402 kilometres.

The country has some of the most fertile land on the planet.

Soccer (football) is the most popular sport in the country.

The legal marriage age in the country is 18 for boys and 15 for girls.

Lake Nyos emitted poisonous gases, which led to the deaths of 1,746 Cameroonian villagers in 1986.