Statistical information Cameroon 1998Cameroon

Map of Cameroon | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
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Cameroon in the World

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Cameroon - Introduction 1998
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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.


Cameroon - Geography 1998
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Location: Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria

Geographic coordinates: 6 00 N, 12 00 E

Map referenceAfrica

Area
Total: 475,440 km²
Land: 469,440 km²
Water: 6,000 km²
Comparative: slightly larger than California

Land boundaries
Total: 4,591 km
Border countries: (6) Central African Republic 797 km; , Chad 1,094 km; , Republic of the 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
Extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Extremes highest point: Fako 4,095 m

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

Land use
Arable land: 13%
Permanent crops: 2%
Permanent pastures: 4%
Forests and woodland: 78%
Other: 3% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 210 km² (1993 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


Cameroon - People 1998
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Population: 15,029,433 (July 1998 est.)
Growth rate: 2.81% (1998 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Cameroonian(s)
Adjective: Cameroonian

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

Age structure
0-14 years: 46% (male 3,468,861; female 3,436,814)
15-64 years: 51% (male 3,795,748; female 3,829,824)
65 years and over: 3% (male 224,881; female 273,305) (July 1998 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 2.81% (1998 est.)

Birth rate: 42.06 births/1000 population (1998 est.)

Death rate: 13.96 deaths/1000 population (1998 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (1998 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: water-borne diseases are prevalent; deforestation; overgrazing; desertification; poaching; overfishing
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94
International agreements signed but not ratified: Nuclear Test Ban

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 76.88 deaths/1000 live births (1998 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 51.44 years
Male: 49.9 years
Female: 53.03 years (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.86 children born/woman (1998 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
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 63.4%
Male: 75%
Female: 52.1% (1995 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


Cameroon - Government 1998
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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Cameroon
Conventional short form: Cameroon
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; does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Paul BIYA (since 6 November 1982): ead of
Government: Prime Minister Peter Mafany MUSONGE (since 19 September 1996)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
Elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 12 October 1997 (next to be held NA October 2004); prime minister appointed by the president
Election results: President Paul BIYA reelected; percent of vote_Paul BIYA 93%; note - supporters of the opposition candidates boycotted the elections, making a comparison of vote shares relatively meaningless

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (180 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms; note_the president can either lengthen or shorten the term of the legislature)
Elections: last held 11 May 1997 (next to be held NA 2002)
Election results: percent of vote by party_NA; seats by party_CDPM 109, SDF 43, UNDP 13, UDC 5, UPC-K 1, MDR 1, MLJC 1; note_7 contested seats will be filled in an election at a time to be set by the Supreme Court
Note: the constitution calls for an upper chamber for the legislature, to be called Senate, which the government says will be established in 1998

Judicial branch: Supreme Court, judges are appointed by the president

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, C, CCC, CEEAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-19, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, PCA, UDEAC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Jerome MENDOUGA
In the us chancery: 2,349 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 265-8,790 through 8,794
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Charles H. TWINING
From the us embassy: Rue Nachtigal, Yaounde
From the us mailing address: B. P. 817, Yaounde; Pouch:American Embassy DOS, Washington, DC 20,521-2,520
From the us telephone: [237] 23-40-14, 23-05-12
From the us fax: [237] 23-07-53

Flag descriptionflag of Cameroon: 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


Cameroon - Economy 1998
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Economy overview: Because of its oil resources and favorable agricultural conditions, Cameroon has one of the best-endowed primary commodity economies in sub-Saharan Africa. Still, it faces many of the serious problems facing other underdeveloped countries, such as a top-heavy civil service and a generally unfavorable climate for business enterprise. The development of the oil sector led to 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:petroleum, coffee, and cocoa. Export earnings were cut by almost one-third, and inefficiencies in fiscal management were exposed. Since 1990, the government has embarked on various IMF and World Bank programs designed to spur business investment, increase efficiency in agriculture, improve trade, and recapitalize the nation's banks. The government, however, failed to press forward vigorously with these programs. The latest enhanced structural adjustment agreement was signed in October 1997; the parties hope this will prove more successful, yet government mismanagement remains a problem. Inflation, which rose to 48% after the devaluation of 1994, has been brought back under control. Progress toward privatization of remaining state industry remains slow. President BIYA's new government of December 1997 has replaced old hands in the government economic control structure with promising technocrats.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 5% (1997 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity: $2,100 (1997 est.)

Gross national saving
Gdp composition by sector of origin

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 32%
Industry: 27%
Services: 41% (1995 est.)

Agriculture products: coffee, cocoa, cotton, rubber, bananas, oilseed, grains, root starches; livestock; timber

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

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force: NA
Labor force

Unemployment rate: NA%

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $2.23 billion
Expenditures: $2.23 billion, including capital expenditures of $N/A (FY96/97 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 July_30 June

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: total value:$1.9 billion (f.o.b., 1996)
Commodoties: crude oil and petroleum products, lumber, cocoa beans, aluminum, coffee, cotton
Partners: EU (particularly France, Italy, and Spain) about 60%, African countries, Korea, Taiwan, and China

Imports: total value:$1.5 billion (f.o.b., 1996)
Commodoties: machines and electrical equipment, food, consumer goods, transport equipment, petroleum products
Partners: EU (France 40%), African countries, US 7%

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $10 billion (1996 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: CFA francs (CFAF) per US$1_608.36 (January 1998), 583.67 (1997), 511.55 (1996), 499.15 (1995), 555.20 (1994), 283.16 (1993)
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


Cameroon - Energy 1998
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Electricity
Capacity: 627,000 kW (1995)
Production: 2.715 billion kWh (1995)
Consumption per capita: 201 kWh (1995)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


Cameroon - Communication 1998
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Telephones: 36,737 (1991 est.)

Telephone system: available only to business and government
Domestic: cable, microwave radio relay, and tropospheric scatter
International: satellite earth stations_2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


Cameroon - Military 1998
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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $102 million (FY93/94)
Percent of gdp: NA%

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


Cameroon - Transportation 1998
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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 52 (1997 est.)
With paved runways total: 11
With paved runways over 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 4
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 3
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 1 (1997 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 41
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 8
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 19
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 14 (1997 est.)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways
Total: 1,104 km
Narrow gauge: 1,104 km 1.000-m gauge (1995 est.)

Roadways

Waterways: 2,090 km; of decreasing importance

Merchant marine: total:2 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 24,122 GRT/33,509 DWT (1996 est.)

Ports and terminals


Cameroon - Transnational issues 1998
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Disputes international: demarcation of international boundaries in the vicinity of Lake Chad, the lack of which led to border incidents in the past, is completed and awaits ratification by Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria; dispute with Nigeria over land and maritime boundaries in the vicinity of the Bakasi Peninsula has been referred to the ICJ with a ruling expected in 1998

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs


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