GeoFroggy

View Large Map

Country Name

Conventional long form: Republic of Cameroon

Conventional short form: Cameroon

Local long form: Republique du Cameroun (French)/Republic of Cameroon (English)

Local short form: Cameroun/Cameroon

Former: Kamerun, French Cameroon, British Cameroon, Federal Republic of Cameroon, United Republic of Cameroon

Etymology: 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

Administrative Divisions

10 regions (regions, singular - region); Adamaoua, Centre, East (Est), Far North (Extreme-Nord), Littoral, North (Nord), North-West (Nord-Ouest), West (Ouest), South (Sud), South-West (Sud-Ouest)

Independence

1 January 1960 (from French-administered UN trusteeship)

National Holiday

State Unification Day (National Day), 20 May (1972)

Constitution

History: several previous; latest effective 18 January 1996

Amendments: proposed by the president of the republic or by Parliament; amendment drafts require approval of at least one third of the membership in either house of Parliament; passage requires absolute majority vote of the Parliament membership; passage of drafts requested by the president for a second reading in Parliament requires two-thirds majority vote of its membership; the president can opt to submit drafts to a referendum, in which case passage requires a simple majority; constitutional articles on Cameroonâ€™s unity and territorial integrity and its democratic principles cannot be amended; amended 2008

Legal System

mixed legal system of English common law, French civil law, and customary law

International Law Organization Participation

Accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; non-party state to the ICCt

Citizenship

Citizenship by birth: no

Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Cameroon

Dual citizenship recognized: no

Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Suffrage

20 years of age; universal

Executive Branch

Chief of state: President Paul BIYA (since 6 November 1982)

Head of government: Prime Minister Joseph Dion NGUTE (since 4 January 2019); Deputy Prime Minister Amadou ALI (since 2014)

Cabinet: Cabinet proposed by the prime minister, appointed by the president

Elections appointments: president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 7-year term (no term limits); election last held on 7 October 2018 (next to be held in October 2025); prime minister appointed by the president

Election results: Paul BIYA reelected president; percent of vote - Paul BIYA (CPDM) 71.3%, Maurice KAMTO (MRC) 14.2%, Cabral LIBII (Univers) 6.3%, other 8.2% (2018)

Legislative Branch

Description: bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of

Elections: Senate - last held on 25 March 2018 (next to be held in 2023)National Assembly - last held on 9 February 2020 (current term extended by president); note - the Constitutional Court has ordered a partial rerun of elections in the English speaking areas; date to be determined

Election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - CDPM 81.1%, SDF 8.6%, UNDP 5.8%, UDC 1.16%, other 2.8%; seats by party - CPDM 63, SDF 7; composition as of March 2022 - men 74, women 26, percent of women 26%National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CPDM 139, UNDP 7, SDF 5, PCRN 5, UDC 4, FSNC 3, MDR 2, Union of Socialist Movements 2; 13 vacant; composition as of March 2022 - men 119, women 61, percent of women 33.9%; note - total Parliament percent of women 31.1%

Judicial Branch

Highest courts: Supreme Court of Cameroon (consists of 9 titular and 6 surrogate judges and organized into judicial, administrative, and audit chambers); Constitutional Council (consists of 11 members)

Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges appointed by the president with the advice of the Higher Judicial Council of Cameroon, a body chaired by the president and includes the minister of justice, selected magistrates, and representatives of the National Assembly; judge term NA; Constitutional Council members appointed by the president for single 9-year terms

Subordinate courts: Parliamentary Court of Justice (jurisdiction limited to cases involving the president and prime minister); appellate and first instance courts; circuit and magistrates' courts

Political Parties and Leaders

Alliance for Democracy and Development [Marcel YONDO]Cameroon People's Democratic Movement or CPDM [Paul BIYA]Cameroon People's Party or CPP [Edith Kah WALLA]Cameroon Renaissance Movement or MRC [Maurice KAMTO]Cameroonian Democratic Union or UDC [Adamou Ndam NJOYA]Cameroonian Party for National Reconciliation or PCRN [Cabral LIBII]Front for the National Salvation of Cameroon or FSNC [Issa Tchiroma BAKARY]Movement for the Defense of the Republic or MDR [Dakole DAISSALA]Movement for the Liberation and Development of Cameroon or MLDC [Marcel YONDO]National Union for Democracy and Progress or UNDP [Maigari BELLO BOUBA]Progressive Movement or MP [Jean-Jacques EKINDI]Social Democratic Front or SDF [John FRU NDI]Union of Peoples of Cameroon or UPC [Provisionary Management Bureau] [Cecil ODHIAMBO] Union of Socialist Movements

Flag Description

Three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), red, and yellow, with a yellow five-pointed star centered in the red band; the vertical tricolor recalls the flag of France; red symbolizes unity, yellow the sun, happiness, and the savannahs in the north, and green hope and the forests in the south; the star is referred to as the "star of unity"

National Symbols

National Anthem

Lyrics music: Rene Djam AFAME, Samuel Minkio BAMBA, Moise Nyatte NKO'O [French], Benard Nsokika FONLON [English]/Rene Djam AFAME

National Heritage