We discuss the results from the combined IRAC and MIPS c2d Spitzer Legacy survey observations and complementary optical and NIR data of the Chamaeleon II (Cha II) dark cloud. We perform a census of the young population in an area of ∼ 1.75 deg² and study the spatial distribution and properties of the cloud members and candidate premain-sequence (PMS) objects and their circumstellar matter. Our census is complete down to the substellar regime (M ≈ 0.03 M_⊙). From the analysis of the volume density of the PMS objects and candidates we find two groups of objects with volume densities higher than 25 M_⊙ pc^-3 and 5-10 members each. A multiplicity fraction of about 13% ± 3% is observed for objects with separations 0.8″ < θ < 6.0″ (142-1065 AU). No evidence for variability between the two epochs of the c2d IRAC data set, Δt ∼ 6 hr, is detected. We estimate a star formation efficiency of 1%-4%, consistent with the estimates for Taurus and Lupus, but lower than for Cha I. This mightmean that different star formation activities in the Chamaeleon clouds reflect a different history of star formation. We also find that Cha II is turning some 6-7 M⊙ into stars every Myr, which is low in comparison with the star formation rate in other c2d clouds. The disk fraction of 70%-80% that we estimate in Cha II is much higher than in other star-forming regions and indicates that the population in this cloud is dominated by objects with active accretion. Finally, the Cha II outflows are discussed; a new Herbig-Haro outflow, HH 939, driven by the classical T Tauri star Sz 50, has been discovered.