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 Bight of Biafra between Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria

Geographic coordinates: 6 00 N 12 00 E

Map reference: Africa

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

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


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Population
Note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2001 est.)
Growth rate: 2.41% (2001 est.)
Below poverty line: 48% (2000 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Cameroonian
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 40% Christian 40% Muslim 20%

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 42.37% (male 3,385,898; female 3,310,504)
15-64 years: 54.28% (male 4,305,354; female 4,271,958)
65 years and over: 3.35% (male 244,419; female 285,087) (2001 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 2.41% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 36.12 births/1000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 11.99 deaths/1000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2001 est.) NA migrant(s)/1000 population

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, Hazardous Wastes, 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/female
Under 15 years: 1.02 male/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male/female
65 years and over: 0.86 male/female
Total population: 1.01 male/female (2001 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 69.83 deaths/1000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 54.59 years
Male: 53.76 years
Female: 55.44 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.8 children born/woman (2001 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 7.73% (1999 est.)
People living with hivaids: 540,000 (1999 est.)
Deaths: 52,000 (1999 est.)

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


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

Government type
Note: preponderance of power remains with the president

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 French-administered UN trusteeship)

National holiday: Republic Day 20 May (1972)

Constitution: 20 May 1972 approved by referendum; 2 June 1972 formally adopted; revised January 1996

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)
Head of government: Prime Minister Peter Mafany MUSONGE (since 19 September 1996)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from proposals submitted by the Prime Minister
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 92.6%; note - supporters of the opposition candidates boycotted the elections, making a comparison of vote shares relatively meaningless

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 17 May 1997 (next to be held NA 2002)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - RDCP 109, SDF 43, UNDP 13, UDC 5, UPC-K 1, MDR 1, MLJC 1; note - results from 7 contested seats were cancelled by the Supreme Court, further elections on 3 August 1997 gave these seats to the RDPC
Note: the constitution calls for an upper chamber for the legislature, to be called a Senate, but it has yet to be established

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president); High Court of Justice (consists of nine judges and 6 substitute judges elected by the National Assembly)

Political parties and leaders: Cameroonian Democratic Union or UDC [Adamou NDAM NJOYA]; Democratic Rally of the Cameroon People or RDCP [Paul BIYA]; Movement for the Defense of the Republic or MDR [Dakole DAISSALA]; Movement for the Liberation and Development of Cameroon or MLDC [leader NA]; Movement for the Youth of Cameroon or MLJC [Marcel YONDO]; National Union for Democracy and Progress or UNDP [Maigari BELLO BOUBA chairman]; Social Democratic Front or SDF [John FRU NDI]; Union of Cameroonian Populations has two sections UPC-N [Ndeh NTUMAZAH] and UPC-K [Augustin Frederic KODOCK]

International organization participation: ACCT ACP AfDB BDEAC C CCC CEEAC CEMAC 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 ISO (correspondent) ITU NAM OAU OIC OPCW 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
In the us fax: [1] (202) 387-3,826
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador John M. YATES
From the us embassy: Rue Nachtigal, Yaounde
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 817, Yaounde; pouch: American Embassy, Department of State, Washington, DC 20,521-2,520
From the us telephone: [237] 23-40-14, 22-25-89, 23-05-12, 22-17-94
From the us fax: [237] 23-07-53
From the us branch offices: Douala

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 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. 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. In June 2000 the government completed an IMF-sponsored three-year structural adjustment program; however the IMF is pressing for more reforms including increased budget transparency and privatization. Higher oil prices in 2000 helped to offset the country's lower cocoa export revenues. A rebound in the cocoa market should increase growth to over 5% in 2001.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 4.4% (2000 est.)

Real gdp per capita ppp

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 43.4%
Industry: 20.1%
Services: 36.5% (1999 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: 4.2% (1999 est.)

Labor force: NA
By occupation agriculture: 70%
By occupation industry and commerce: 13%
By occupation other: 17%

Unemployment rate: 30% (1998 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 48% (2000 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $2.1 billion
Expenditures: $2.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY00/01 est.)

Public debt

Taxes and other revenues

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

Current account balance

Inflation rate consumer prices: 2% (2000 est.)

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: $2.1 billion (f.o.b. 2000 est.)
Commodities: crude oil and petroleum products lumber cocoa beans aluminum coffee cotton
Partners: Italy 24% France 18% Netherlands 10% (2000 est.)

Imports: $1.6 billion (f.o.b. 2000 est.)
Commodities: machines and electrical equipment transport equipment fuel food
Partners: France 29% Germany 7% US 6% Japan 6% (2000 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $10.9 billion (2000 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 699.21 (January 2001) 711.98 (2000) 615.70 (1999) 589.95 (1998) 583.67 (1997) 511.55 (1996); note - from 1 January 1999 the XAF is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XAF per euro


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Electricity access

Electricity production: 3.47 billion kWh (1999)
By source fossil fuel: 2.59%
By source hydro: 97.41%
By source nuclear: 0%
By source other: 0% (1999)

Electricity consumption: 3.227 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity exports: 0 kWh (1999)

Electricity imports: 0 kWh (1999)

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: 4,200 (1997)

Telephone system
General assessment: 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 country code: .cm

Internet users: 20,000 (2000)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $118.6 million (FY00/01)
Percent of gdp: 1.4% (FY98/99)

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: 49 (2000 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 (2000 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 38
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 7
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 21
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 10 (2000 est.)

Airports with paved runways
Total: 11
Over 3047 m: 2
2438 to 3047 m: 4
15-24 to 2437 m: 3
914 to 1523 m: 1
Under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)

Airports with unpaved runways
Total: 38
15-24 to 2437 m: 7
914 to 1523 m: 21
Under 914 m: 10 (2000 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

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs