Area: 184,000 sq. mi., about the size of California
Capital: Yaounde (pop. 1,111,641). Another major city is Douala (1.3 million)
Population: 18,060,382
Government: Republic; strong central government dominated by president.

For a quarter-century following independence, Cameroon was one of the most prosperous countries in Africa. The drop in commodity prices for its principal exports--oil, cocoa, coffee, and cotton--in the mid-1980s, combined with an overvalued currency and economic mismanagement, led to a decade-long recession.