The United Republic of Cameroon, located in west-central Africa on the Gulf of Guinea, has an area of 185,568 sq. mi (475,440 sq. km.) and a population of 15.13 million. Capital: Yaounde. About 90 percent of the labor force is employed on the land; cash crops account for 80 percent of the country?s export revenue. Cocoa, coffee, aluminum, cotton, rubber and timber are exported. ,European contact with what is now the United Republic of Cameroon began in the 16th century with the voyage of Portuguese navigator Fernando Po. The following three centuries saw continuous activity by Spanish, Dutch and British traders and missionaries. The land was spared colonial rule until 1884, when treaties with tribal chiefs brought German domination. After Germany?s defeat in WWI, the League of Nations in 1919 divided the Cameroons between Great Britain and France, with the larger eastern area going to France. The French and British mandates were converted into United Nations trusteeships in 1946. French Cameroon became the independent Cameroon Republic on Jan 1, 1960. The federation of East (French) and West (British) Cameroon was established in 1961 when the southern part of British Cameroon voted for reunification with the Cameroon Republic, and the northern part for union with Nigeria. On Nov. 1, 1995 the Republic of Cameroon joined the Commonwealth.,, Monetary System:,,, ,1 Franc = 100 Centimes,,