Cameroon

American  

[kam-uh-roon] / ˌkæm əˈrun /

noun

1. Official Name United Republic of Cameroon.  Former Official Name Federal Republic of Cameroon.  Also an independent republic in western Africa: formed 1960 by the French trusteeship of Cameroun; Southern Cameroons incorporated as a self-governing province 1961. 183,350 sq. mi. (474,877 sq. km). Yaoundé.

2. an active volcano in western Cameroon: highest peak on the coast of western Africa. 13,370 feet (4,075 meters).

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Cameroon British  

/ ˌkæməˈruːn, ˈkæməˌruːn /

noun

1. French name: Cameroun.  German name: Kamerun.  a republic in West Africa, on the Gulf of Guinea: became a German colony in 1884; divided in 1919 into the Cameroons (administered by Britain) and Cameroun (administered by France); Cameroun and the S part of the Cameroons formed a republic in 1961 (the N part joined Nigeria); became a member of the Commonwealth in 1995. Official languages: French and English. Religions: Christian, Muslim, and animist. Currency: franc. Capital: Yaoundé. Pop: 20 549 221 (2013 est). Area: 475 500 sq km (183 591 sq miles)

2. an active volcano in W Cameroon: the highest peak on the West African coast. Height: 4070 m (13 352 ft)

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Cameroon Cultural  

1. Republic in west-central Africa, bordered by Nigeria to the northwest, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, Republic of the Congo, Gabon, and Equatorial Guinea to the south, and the Gulf of Guinea (part of the Atlantic Ocean) to the west. Yaounde is its capital, and Douala is its largest city.

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Cameroon was under British and French control from World War I until 1960.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• anti-Cameroon
  adjective
• Cameroonian
  adjective
• pro-Cameroon
  adjective

Example Sentences

The captives are from around Ngoshe, a mainly Muslim community near the border with Cameroon.

From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026

Merchants and farmers interviewed in Obeid said the bulk of stolen gum is being taken to Chad, sold at bargain prices, then re-exported through seaports such as Douala in Cameroon.

From Los Angeles Times • May 31, 2026

"If we don't do it, no one will do it for us," said Viany De Marceau from Cameroon, who runs REMAN, an NGO supporting African migrant workers.

From Barron's • May 25, 2026

The ball came off the arm of United forward Bryan Mbeumo before the Cameroon international saw a shot blocked by a defender.

From BBC • May 18, 2026

In particular, the most distinctive Bantu languages, and the non-Bantu Niger-Congo languages most closely related to Bantu languages, are packed into a tiny area of Cameroon and adjacent eastern Nigeria.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond