Cameroon

[ kam-uh-roon ]

noun
  1. Also Cameroun. 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). Capital: Yaoundé.: Official name United Republic of Cameroon .Former official name Federal Republic of Cameroon .

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

Other words from Cameroon

  • an·ti-Cam·e·roon, adjective, noun
  • Cam·e·roon·i·an, adjective, noun
  • pro-Cam·e·roon, adjective, noun

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How to use Cameroon in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for Cameroon

Cameroon

/ (ˌkæməˈruːn, ˈkæməˌruːn) /


noun
  1. 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): French name: Cameroun German name: Kamerun

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for Cameroon

Cameroon

[ (kam-uh-roohn) ]


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.

Notes for Cameroon

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

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.