OFFICIAL LANGUAGE(S) : French and English
CAPITAL : Yaoundé
POPULATION : around 22, 000,000
CALLING CODE : + 237
CURRENCY : Francs CFA
SIZE :475,442km²
RELIGION : indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 40%, Muslim 20%
ELECTRIC POWER : 220V running at 50Hz.
CLIMATE: Cameroon is divided into two main climatic domains: the equatorial and subequatorial domain to the south and the tropical areas to the north.
The equatorial domain
It is characterized by heavy rainfall (over 1,000 mm of rainfall per year) and especially by the absence of a dry season: this is called "dry seasons" for periods when it rains less (December-January, then July -August, with local variants). The atmosphere is humid all year round: relative humidity is constantly close to the saturation point and insolation is reduced (less than 2000 h / year). The temperature varies little (between 25 and 35 ° C); The thermal amplitude, diurnal as annual, is low.
This climate has many nuances, classified differently according to the studies, but all are dependent on the relief and proximity of the Atlantic coast. The coastal plain around Douala has a so-called "hyperhumid" climate with no total dry season; At the foot of Mount Cameroon, rainfall is at record levels: more than 7,500 mm per year in Limbé. The equatorial climate of the highlands of the West is "mountain facies" (the relief creates strong rainfall variations and lowers temperatures). The southern Cameroon plateaus and the southern coastal plain know the Guinean climate that characterizes the forest of the Congo Basin.
The Tropical Domain
From the south to the north, depending on the latitude with relief modulations, the tropical climate is of three very different types: rainfall decreases, the duration of the dry season increases, as well as the thermal amplitude dune and annual:
A humid tropical climate around the Adamaoua massif: pluviummetry is abundant: around 1,500 mm per year, but the dry season is marked (from October to January in Ngaoundéré) and the temperature is Moderate all year round (around 20 ° C);
A Sudanian tropical climate, around the basin of the Benoue: the temperatures are high; The rainfall remains abundant (1,300 mm annually in Garoua) but the dry season lengthens (6 months in the same station). Precipitation is much more irregular (violent and brief tornadoes, effects of desiccating winds like the harmattan);
A Sudano-Sahelian tropical climate in the north: the temperatures are high but with a great irregularity of the rains; The dry season (8 months in Maroua) is greater than the rainy season.
HEALTH INFO : A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required for all travellers older than one year of age to Cameroon. There is a risk of malaria throughout the country and prophylaxis is recommended for all travellers. Cholera outbreaks do occur in Cameroon, particularly between the months of December and June. Travellers should drink only boiled or bottled water.
Medical facilities are very limited with frequent shortages of medication and outdated equipment; visitors should ensure they have comprehensive medical insurance which includes emergency air evacuation. Doctors and hospitals generally expect immediate cash payment.
VISA INFO : All travellers require confirmed onward or return tickets and all necessary documents for next destination. Visas on arrival can only be issued to those holding a prior approval from the immigration chief officer. All other visas must be acquired before travel to Cameroon.