The Republic of Cameroon and Its Primary Ally the French

The Republic of Cameroon is a country located in west-central Africa, before the nation was unified, the country included two distinct regions: French Cameroons and part of British Cameroons. Since 1960, the Republic of Cameroon has been independent from both the French and British Empires. The population of Cameroon is approximately 18,549,000 inhabitants, which ranks the country as being the 58^th most populous country in the world. The country is also similarly ranked in terms of total geographic area, as it has the 53^rd most area in the world with 475,442 square kilometers. The capital of Cameroon is Yaounde, with a population of approximately 1,250,000 people, while the largest city in the country is Douala with an astounding 1.5 million inhabitants, both are among the largest urban areas in the world, and both cities are chief economic centers.

Cameroon is a diverse country with several different ethnic tribes including: the Fang, Bamileke, Duala, Fulani, and Pygmies. These are only the primary tribes, as there are over 200 known tribes to be living in Cameroon, making it one of the most ethnically diverse countries in Africa. This ethnic diversity is largely as a result of the influence of countries neighboring the Cameroon borders, which are Nigeria, Chad, the Central African Republic, Congo, Gabon, and Equatorial Guinea. As most tribes have their own languages, often languages that outsiders can't understand, while most tribes continue to speak their language among themselves, the official and universal languages of the country are English and French, which are spoken by most of the Cameroon population. Cameroon has also been influenced by the German culture, as the country was a part of the German Empire from 1884 until 1916. Following World War I, Germany dispersed the country to Britain and France, who equally divided the country into British and French Cameroon. Both regions declared independence from their respective countries in 1960, and reunited to form the Republic of Cameroon.

Cameroon's economy is among the strongest in Africa, as oil deposits were discovered in the 1970's, and thus crude oil and oil refining have added to the nation's economy. However, despite its relative economic success, much like every other nation on the African continent, the Cameroon economy is underdeveloped and well-behind the rest of the world. Cameroon has the 140^th highest GDP per-capita in the world, at $2,400 per year, which is approximately 5 percent of what the average American earns per year. Agriculture also contributes roughly 1/3 of all economic activity, as the country is full of rural villages. Cameroon also produces and exports cocoa beans, bananas, coffee, tobacco, peanuts, rubber, and cotton. Cameroon is also known for producing cassavas, yams, plantains, peanuts, millet, and sorghum, though these items are typically used to sustain the native population rather than for export. Though the economy is still largely centered around the agricultural sector, Cameroon continues to become more industrialized, as there has been more foreign investment and a greater improvement of the nation's transportation network.

The government of Cameroon despite having some relative stability is a government plagued with problems, particularly internal corruption. In a recent study by an international bureau, Cameroon's government is the 138^th most corrupt out of 163 governments that participated in the study. As a result, Cameroon has striven to rid itself of political corruption and has established many anti-corruption agencies to assist in doing so. Cameroon has a President who has an immense amount of power, and is charged with the responsibility of appointing the prime minister, governors, cabinet members, federal and provincial officers, among other offices. The President of Cameroon is elected by the popular vote of the people to serve seven-year terms. The government is also composed of a national assembly which contains 180 legislators who are elected to serve five-year terms. Despite this apparent political freedom, the government in the past has oppressed other parties, in fact, until 1990 the only legal political party in the country was the Cameroon People's Democratic Movement. The last elections were held in October of 2004, and President Paul Biya was re-elected to serve in the position he's held since 1982. The current Prime Minister, who was appointed in 2004 by President Biya, is Ephraim Inoni.