Map of Cameroon | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide19891990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023 | More stats

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Background: The former French Cameroon and part of British Cameroon merged in 1961 to form the present country. Cameroon has generally enjoyed stability which has permitted the development of agriculture roads and railways as well as a petroleum industry. Despite movement toward democratic reform political power remains firmly in the hands of an ethnic oligarchy.


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Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean between Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria

Geographic coordinates

Map reference: Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World

Area
Total area total: 475,440 km²
Land: 469,440 km²

Land boundaries: total 4,591 km, Central African Republic 797 km, Chad 1,094 km, Congo 523 km, Equatorial Guinea 189 km, Gabon 298 km, Nigeria 1,690 km

Coastline: 402 km

Maritime claims: territorial sea:50 nm

Climate: varies with terrain from tropical along coast to semiarid and hot in north

Terrain: diverse, with coastal plain in southwest, dissected plateau in center, mountains in west, plains in north

Elevation

Natural resources: petroleum, bauxite, iron ore, timber, hydropower potential

Land use
Arable land: 13%
Permanent crops: 2%
Meadows and pastures: 18%
Forest and woodland: 54%
Other: 13%

Irrigated land: 280 km² (1989 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: recent volcanic activity with release of poisonous gases

Geography
Note: sometimes referred to as the hinge of Africa


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Population: 13,132,191 (July 1994 est.)
Growth rate: 2.91% (1994 est.)

Nationality: noun:Cameroonian(s)

Ethnic groups: Cameroon Highlanders 31%, Equatorial Bantu 19%, Kirdi 11%, Fulani 10%, Northwestern Bantu 8%, Eastern Nigritic 7%, other African 13%, non-African less than 1%

Languages: 24 major African language groups, English (official), French (official)

Religions: indigenous beliefs 51%, Christian 33%, Muslim 16%

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 2.91% (1994 est.)

Birth rate: 40.53 births/1000 population (1994 est.)

Death rate: 11.41 deaths/1000 population (1994 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (1994 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: water-borne diseases are prevalent; deforestation; overgrazing; desertification; poaching

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 77.1 deaths/1000 live births (1994 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 57.07 years
Male: 55.03 years
Female: 59.17 years (1994 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.84 children born/woman (1994 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
Total population: 55%
Male: 66%
Female: 45%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Cameroon
Conventional short form: former:French Cameroon

Government type: unitary republic; multiparty presidential regime (opposition parties legalized 1990)

Capital: Yaounde

Administrative divisions: 10 provinces; Adamaoua, Centre, Est, Extreme-Nord, Littoral, Nord, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud, Sud-Ouest

Dependent areas

Independence: 1 January 1960 (from UN trusteeship under French administration)

National holiday: National Day, 20 May (1972)

Constitution: 20 May 1972

Legal system: based on French civil law system, with common law influence; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Paul BIYA (since 6 November 1982); election last held 11 October 1992; results - President Paul BIYA reelected with about 40% of the vote amid widespread allegations of fraud; SDF candidate John FRU NDI got 36% of the vote; UNDP candidate Bello Bouba MAIGARI got 19% of the vote
Head of government: Prime Minister Simon ACHIDI ACHU (since 9 April 1992)

Legislative branch: Army, Navy (including Naval Infantry), Air Force, National Gendarmerie, Presidential Guard
National Assembly Assemblee Nationale: elections last held 1 March 1992 (next scheduled for March 1997); results - (180 seats) CPDM 88, UNDP 68, UPC 18, MDR 6

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CCC, CEEAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-19, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, OIC, PCA, UDEAC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNTAC, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Harriet ISOM
From the us chancery: 2,349 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
From the us telephone: [237] 23-40-14 and 23-05-12
From the us embassy: Rue Nachtigal, Yaounde
From the us mailing address: B. P. 817, Yaounde
From the us FAX: [237] 23-07-53
From the us consulates: none (Douala closed July 1993)

Flag description: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), red, and yellow with a yellow five-pointed star centered in the red band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Because of its offshore oil resources and favorable agricultural conditions, Cameroon has one of the best-endowed, most diversified primary commodity economies in sub-Saharan Africa. Still, it faces many of the serious problems facing other underdeveloped countries, such as political instability, a top-heavy civil service, and a generally unfavorable climate for business enterprise. The development of the oil sector led rapid economic growth between 1970 and 1985. Growth came to an abrupt halt in 1986, precipitated by steep declines in the prices of major exports:coffee, cocoa, and petroleum. Export earnings were cut by almost one-third, and inefficiencies in fiscal management were exposed. In 1990-93, with support from the IMF and World Bank, the government began to introduce reforms designed to spur business investment, increase efficiency in agriculture, and recapitalize the nation's banks. Political instability following suspect elections in 1992 brought IMF/WB structural adjustment to a halt. Although the 50% devaluation of the currency in January 1994 improves the potential for export growth, mismanagement remains and is the main barrier to economic improvement.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: NA

Real gdp per capita ppp

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: the agriculture and forestry sectors provide employment for the majority of the population, contributing nearly 25% to GDP and providing a high degree of self-sufficiency in staple foods; commercial and food crops include coffee, cocoa, timber, cotton, rubber, bananas, oilseed, grains, livestock, root starches

Industries: petroleum production and refining, food processing, light consumer goods, textiles, sawmills

Industrial production growth rate: 6.4% (FY87; accounts for 30% of GDP

Labor force: NA
By occupation agriculture: 74.4%
By occupation industry andtransport: 11.4%
By occupation other services: 14.2% (1983)
By occupation note: 50% of population of working age (15-64 years) (1985)

Unemployment rate: 25% (1990 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues:$1.7 billion

Public debt

Taxes and other revenues

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

Current account balance

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $1.8 billion (f.o.b., 1991)
Commodities: petroleum products 51%, coffee, beans, cocoa, aluminum products, timber
Partners: EC (particularly France) about 50%, US, African countries

Imports: $1.2 billion (c.i.f., 1991)
Commodities: machines and electrical equipment, food, consumer goods, transport equipment
Partners: EC about 60% (France 41%, Germany 9%), African countries, Japan, US 4%

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $6 billion (1991)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 592.05 (January 1994), 283.16 (1993), 264.69 (1992), 282.11 (1991), 272.26 (1990), 319.01 (1989)
Note: beginning 12 January 1994, the CFA franc was devalued to CFAF 100 per French franc from CFAF 50 at which it had been fixed since 1948


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Electricity access

Electricity production: 2.19 billion kWh

Electricity consumption
Per capita: 190 kWh (1991)

Electricity exports

Electricity imports

Electricity installed generating capacity

Electricity transmission distribution losses

Electricity generation sources

Petroleum

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones fixed lines

Telephones mobile cellular

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet country code

Internet users

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: exchange rate conversion - $219 million, less than 2% of GDP (1990 est.)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 61
Usable: 49
With permanentsurface runways: 11
With runways over 3659 m: 0
With runways 2440-3659 m: 6
With runways 1220-2439 m: 21

Airports with paved runways

Airports with unpaved runways

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: 2,090 km; of decreasing importance

Merchant marine: 2 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 24,122 GRT/33,509 DWT

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: demarcation of international boundaries in Lake Chad, the lack of which has led to border incidents in the past, is completed and awaiting ratification by Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria; boundary commission, created with Nigeria to discuss unresolved land and maritime boundaries in the vicinity of the Bakasi Peninsula, has not yet convened, but a commission was formed in January 1994 to study a flare-up of the dispute

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs