Capital: Yaounde
Administrative divisions: 10 provinces; Adamaoua, Centre, Est, Extreme-Nord, Littoral, Nord, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud, Sud-Ouest

Independence: 1 January 1960 (from UN trusteeship under French administration)
National holiday: National Day, 20 May (1972)

Constitution: 20 May 1972

Legal system: based on French civil law system, with common law influence; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Paul BIYA (since 6 November 1982); election last held 11 October 1992; results - President Paul BIYA reelected with about 40% of the vote amid widespread allegations of fraud; SDF candidate John FRU NDI got 36% of the vote; UNDP candidate Bello Bouba MAIGARI got 19% of the vote
head of government: Prime Minister Simon ACHIDI ACHU (since 9 April 1992)
cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the president

Legislative branch: unicameral
National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale): elections last held 1 March 1992 (next scheduled for March 1997); results - (180 seats) CPDM 88, UNDP 68, UPC 18, MDR 6

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders: Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM), Paul BIYA, president, is government-controlled and was formerly the only party, but opposition parties were legalized in 1990
major opposition parties: National Union for Democracy and Progress (UNDP); Social Democratic Front (SDF); Cameroonian Democratic Union (UDC); Union of Cameroonian Populations (UPC)
Other political or pressure groups: NA
Member of: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CCC, CEEAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-19, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, OIC, PCA, UDEAC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNTAC, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Jerome MENDOUGA
chancery: 2349 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: (202) 265-8790 through 8794
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Harriet ISOM
embassy: Rue Nachtigal, Yaounde
mailing address: B. P. 817, Yaounde
telephone: [237] 23-40-14 and 23-05-12
FAX: [237] 23-07-53
consulate(s): none (Douala closed July 1993)

Flag: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), red, and yellow with a yellow five-pointed star centered in the red band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia

NOTE: The information regarding Cameroon on this page is re-published from the 1995 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Cameroon Government 1995 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Cameroon Government 1995 should be addressed to the CIA.