Cameroon - Government
Based on the etymolgy of Cameroon, it was 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. The Government system in this country is the presidential republic type and the different Administrative divisions includes: 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)
National symbols
Lion; national colors: green, red, yellow.
The flag
The National flag of Cameroon has 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".
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note: uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia
The National Anthem
| Title | "O Cameroun, Berceau de nos Ancetres" (O Cameroon, Cradle of Our Forefathers) |
|---|---|
| Lyric/music | Rene Djam AFAME, Samuel Minkio BAMBA, Moise Nyatte NKO'O [French], Benard Nsokika FONLON [English]/Rene Djam AFAME |
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note: adopted 1957; Cameroon's anthem, also known as "Chant de Ralliement" (The Rallying Song), has been used unofficially since 1948 and officially adopted in 1957; the anthem has French and English versions whose lyrics differ
More about the government of Cameroon
| Date of Independence | 1 January 1960 (from French-administered UN trusteeship) |
|---|---|
| National holiday | State Unification Day (National Day), 20 May (1972) |
| 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 |
| 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 Cameroon’s unity and territorial integrity and its democratic principles cannot be amended; amended 2008 |
| 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 |
| Executive Branch | |
| Chief of state | President Paul BIYA (since 6 November 1982) |
| Head of government | Prime Minister Joseph NGUTE (since 4 January 2019) |
| 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 | 2018: 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: Senate or Senat (100 seats; 70 members indirectly elected by regional councils and 30 appointed by the president; members serve 5-year terms) National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (180 seats; members directly elected in 49 single and multi-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 5-year terms) |
| Elections | Senate - last held on 12 March 2023 (next to be held in 2028) National Assembly - last held on 9 February 2020 (next to be held 28 February 2025) |
| Election results | Senate - percent of vote by party - CDPM 100%; seats by party - CDPM 100; composition - men 69, women 31, percentage women 31% National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CPDM 152, UNDP 7, SDF 5, PCRN 5, UDC 4, FSNC 3, MDR 2, UMS 2; composition - men 119, women 61, percentage women 33.9%; total Parliament percentage women 51.1% note: 13 National Assembly seats were vacant after the 9 February 2020 election due to violence in northwest and southwest regions; CDPM won those seats in a 22 March 2020 election |
| Judicial branch | |
| Highest court(s) | 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 renewable 6-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 |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | |
| Chief of mission | Ambassador Henri ETOUNDI ESSOMBA (since 27 June 2016) |
| Chancery | 2349 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 |
| Telephone | [1] (202) 265-8790 |
| FAX | [1] (202) 387-3826 |
| Email address and website | mail@cameroonembassyusa Cameroon Embassy in Washington DC, USA (cameroonembassyusa.org) |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | |
| Chief of mission | Ambassador Christopher J. LAMORA (since 21 March 2022) |
| Embassy | Avenue Rosa Parks, Yaoundé |
| Mailing address | 2520 Yaounde Place, Washington, DC 20521-2520 |
| Telephone | [237] 22251-4000/[237] 22220-1500 |
| FAX | [237] 22220-1500, Ext. 4531 |
| Email address and website | [email protected] https://cm.usembassy.gov/ |
| Branch office(s) | Douala |
| National heritage | |
| Total World Heritage Sites | 2 (both natural) |
| Selected World Heritage Site locales | Dja Faunal Reserve; Sangha Trinational Forest |
Key Political parties and their leaders in Cameroon
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International organization participation
All Important Facts about Cameroon
Want to know more about Cameroon? Check all different factbooks for Cameroon below.
