Geography
The Republic of Cameroon is in West Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria, Chad, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and the Bight of Biafra (Atlantic Ocean).

Yaounde is the capital. Douala is the Republic's commercial centre and major port. Cameroon is divided into ten provinces: Adamaoua, Centre, Est, Extreme-Nord, Littoral, Nord, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud and Sud-Ouest.

Cameroon's terrain is varied: coastal plain, central plateau, plains, hills and mountains. Rivers include the Benue and the Logone.

The climate is tropical in the coastal areas, and semi-arid and hot in the north.

Environment
National Parks in Cameroon include Benoue National Park, Kalamaloue National Park and Waza National Park.

The Dja Faunal Reserve, a World Heritage site, is an area of rainforest almost completely surrounded by the River Dja. The reserve is the habitat of animals such as the western lowland gorilla, buffalo, leopard, chimpanzee and warthog. The Goliath frog, the world's largest frog, can also be found in Cameroon.

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in the United Kingdom has advised on long term conservation in the Bakossi Mountains, a large area of forested hills and rainforest. Over three hundred species of birds have been identified in the region including barbets, bee-eaters, kingfishers, lovebirds, parrots and woodpeckers.

Architecture
With over two hundred and fifty ethnic groups, traditional architecture in Cameroon is very diverse. Perhaps, one of the most famous historic buildings in Cameroon is the Royal Palace at Foumban.

The influence of Colonial architecture can still be seen, for instance in the coastal town of Limbe.

Yaounde, built on a number of hills, is a modern capital city with office blocks, hotels and apartment buildings.

Population
The population of Cameroon was estimated at 18,879,300 in 2009.

Languages
English and French are official languages. A number of African languages are spoken.

Religion
A significant percentage of Cameroonians have indigenous beliefs; a similar number are Christians and around a fifth of the people are Muslims.

Food
There are regional variations in the cuisine of Cameroon.

Fufu, made from cassava, is a traditional food. Soups such as peanut soup are popular. Other dishes include meat and vegetable stews. Sauces are made from ingredients such as ginger, onions, peppers, tomatoes and fish.

Maize, millet and sorghum are cultivated. Rice is eaten. Vegetables available are okra, plantains, squashes, spinach and sweet potatoes. Palm oil is used in cooking.

Fruits are bananas, citrus fruits, mangoes, papayas and pineapples.

Coffee and tea are grown. Beer and palm wine are produced locally. Muslims do not drink alcohol.

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