Littoral Region (Cameroon)

The Littoral Region (Littoral Province until 2008; French: Région du Littoral) is a region of Cameroon. Its capital is Douala. As of 2004^[update], its population was 2,202,340.^[1]

2008 Presidential Decree Abolishes Provinces

In 2008, the President of the Republic of Cameroon, President Paul Biya signed decrees abolishing "Provinces" and replacing them with "Regions". Hence, all of the country's ten provinces are now known as Regions.

Divisions

The province is divided into four departments (departements):

1. Moungo, with its capital at Nkongsamba.
2. Nkam, with its capital at Yabassi.
3. Sanaga-Maritime, with its capital at Édéa.
4. Wouri, forming the area around the major city of Douala.

These are in turn broken down into subdivisions. Presidentially appointed senior divisional officers (prefets) and subdivisional officers (sous-prefets) govern each respectively. Traditional leaders, usually referred to as chiefs in English, often preside over particular ethnic groups or villages; nevertheless, many of these wield very little power today.

Notes and references