Paul Biya
President

(pronounced "PAHL BEE-yah")

"We are determined to stick with democracy. We know that our democracy is not perfect, but we are doing everything to improve it."

The Republic of Cameroon, located in Central Africa, has an area of 475,440 sq km (183,567 sq mi). It lies on the Gulf of Guinea and is bordered by Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, Chad, and Nigeria. The physical geography of Cameroon is quite diverse, ranging from dense rainforest in the south to thorn steppe in the north.

Cameroon had an estimated population of 16,184,748 in 2002. The country is experiencing rapid growth, averaging 2.4% a year, but this may be countered in the future by the rising death rate due to AIDS, which is a serious health threat in Cameroon. Approximately two-thirds of the people live in rural areas. The main ethnic...