Map of Cameroon | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | 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 a slow movement toward democratic reform political power remains firmly in the hands of President Paul BIYA.


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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
Rank: 53
Land: 472,710 km²
Water: 2,730 km²
Comparative: slightly larger than California

Land boundaries
Total: 4,591 km
Border countries: (6) Central African Republic 797 km; Chad 1094 km; Republic of the Congo 523 km; Equatorial Guinea 189 km; Gabon 298 km; Nigeria 1690 km

Coastline: 402 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 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 (on Mt. Cameroon)

Natural resources: petroleum bauxite iron ore timber hydropower

Land use
Arable land: 12.54%
Permanent crops: 2.52%
Other: 84.94% (2005)

Irrigated land: 260 km² (2003)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 285.5 km³ (2003)

Natural hazards: volcanic activity with periodic releases of poisonous gases from Lake Nyos and Lake Monoun volcanoes

Geography
Note: sometimes referred to as the hinge of Africa; throughout the country there are areas of thermal springs and indications of current or prior volcanic activity; Mount Cameroon the highest mountain in Sub-Saharan west Africa is an active volcano


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Population: 18,879,301
Rank: 58
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 higher death rates lower population growth rates and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2009 est.)
Growth rate: 2.19% (2009 est.)
Growth rate rank: 44
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: 40.9%
15-64 years: 55.9% (male 5,298,143/female 5,250,493)
65 years and over: 3.3% (male 283,289/female 332,744) (2009 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 19.2 years
Male: 19 years
Female: 19.3 years (2009 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.19% (2009 est.)
Rank: 44

Birth rate: 34.1 births/1000 population (2009 est.)
Rank: 41

Death rate: 12.2 deaths/1000 population (July 2009 est.)
Rank: 36

Net migration rate: NA (2009 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization
Urban population: 57% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 3.5% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: waterborne diseases are prevalent; deforestation; overgrazing; desertification; poaching; overfishing
International agreements party to: Biodiversity Climate Change Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Desertification Endangered Species Hazardous Wastes Law of the Sea Ozone Layer Protection Tropical Timber 83 Tropical Timber 94 Wetlands Whaling
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 63.34 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 36
Male: 68.08 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 58.47 deaths/1000 live births (2009 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 53.69 years
Rank: 197
Male: 52.89 years
Female: 54.52 years (2009 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.33 children born/woman (2009 est.)
Rank: 43

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 5.1% (2007 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 15
People living with hivaids: 540,000 (2007 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 19
Deaths: 39,000 (2007 est.)
Deaths rank: 15

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: very high
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea hepatitis A and E and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever
Water contact disease: schistosomiasis
Respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis
Animal contact disease: rabies (2009)

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures: 3.3% of GDP (2006)
Rank: 138

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 67.9%
Male: 77%
Female: 59.8% (2001 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 9 years
Male: 10 years
Female: 8 years (2006)

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Cameroon
Conventional short form: Cameroon
Local long form: Republique du Cameroun/Republic of Cameroon
Local short form: Cameroun/Cameroon
Former: French Cameroon British Cameroon Federal Republic of Cameroon United Republic of Cameroon

Government type: republic; multiparty presidential regime

Capital
Name: Yaounde
Geographic coordinates: 3 52 N 11 31 E
Time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions: 10 regions (regions singular - region); Adamaoua Centre Est Extreme-Nord Littoral Nord North-West (Nord-Ouest) Ouest Sud South-West (Sud-Ouest)

Dependent areas

Independence: 1 January 1960 (from French-administered UN trusteeship)

National holiday: Republic Day (National Day) 20 May (1972)

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

Legal system: based on French civil law system with common law influence; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Paul BIYA
Head of government: Prime Minister Philemon YANG (since 30 June 2009)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from proposals submitted by the prime minister
Elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 11 October 2004 (next to be held by October 2011); prime minister appointed by the president
Election results: President Paul BIYA reelected; percent of vote - Paul BIYA 70.9% John FRU NDI 17.4% Adamou Ndam NJOYA 4.5% Garga Haman ADJI 3.7%

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 22 July 2007 (next to be held in 2012)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CPDM 140 SDF 14 UDC 4 UNDP 4 MP 1 vacant 17
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 six substitute judges; elected by the National Assembly)

Political parties and leaders: Cameroonian Democratic Union or UDC [Adamou Ndam NJOYA]; Cameroon People's Democratic Movement or CPDM [Paul BIYA]; Movement for the Defense of the Republic or MDR [Dakole DAISSALA]; Movement for the Liberation and Development of Cameroon or MLDC [Marcel YONDO]; National Union for Democracy and Progress or UNDP [Maigari BELLO BOUBA]; Progressive Movement or MP; Social Democratic Front or SDF [John FRU NDI]; Union of Peoples of Cameroon or UPC [Augustin Frederic KODOCK]

International organization participation: ACCT ACP AfDB AU BDEAC C CEMAC FAO FZ G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC ICCt (signatory) ICRM IDA IDB IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO IMSO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO (correspondent) ITSO ITU ITUC MIGA NAM OIC OIF OPCW PCA UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNWTO UPU WCL WCO WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph FOE-ATANGANA
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 Janet E. GARVEY
From the us embassy: Avenue Rosa Parks Yaounde
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 817 Yaounde; pouch: American Embassy US Department of State Washington DC 20,521-2,520
From the us telephone: [237] 2,220 15 00; Consular: [237] 2,220 16 03
From the us fax: [237] 2,220 16 00 Ext. 4,531; Consular FAX: [237] 2,220 17 52
From the us branch office: 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
Note: uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Because of its modest 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 stagnating per capita income a relatively inequitable distribution of income a top-heavy civil service and a generally unfavorable climate for business enterprise. International oil and cocoa prices have a significant impact on the economy. 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 IMF is pressing for more reforms including increased budget transparency privatization and poverty reduction programs.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 94
Note: data are in 2008 US dollars

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 115

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 178
Note: data are in 2008 US dollars

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 43.6%
Industry: 15.9%
Services: 40.5% (2008 est.)

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

Industries: petroleum production and refining aluminum production food processing light consumer goods textiles lumber ship repair

Industrial production growth rate: 4.2% (2008 est.)
Rank: 63

Labor force: 6.759 million (2008 est.)
Rank: 62
By occupation agriculture: 70%
By occupation industry: 13%
By occupation services: 17% (2001 est.)

Unemployment rate: 30% (2001 est.)
Rank: 176

Youth unemployment

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

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 2.3%
Highest 10: 35.4% (2001)

Distribution of family income gini index: 47.7 (1996)
Rank: 45

Budget
Revenues: $4.714 billion
Expenditures: $4.261 billion (2008 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt: 69.1% of GDP (2004 est.)
Rank: 109

Revenue

Fiscal year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 1.1% (2007 est.)
Rank: 89

Central bank discount rate: 5.25% (31 December 2007)
Rank: 86

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 15% (31 December 2007)
Rank: 47

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit:

Market value of publicly traded shares: $NA

Current account balance: -$547 million (2007 est.)
Rank: 78

Exports: $4.345 billion (2007 est.)
Rank: 113
Commodities: crude oil and petroleum products lumber cocoa beans aluminum coffee cotton
Partners: Spain 19.8% Italy 13.5% US 10.6% France 8.2% Netherlands 8.1% China 7.9% Belgium 4% (2008)

Imports: $4.05 billion (2007 est.)
Rank: 124
Commodities: machinery electrical equipment transport equipment fuel food
Partners: France 21.1% Nigeria 13.8% China 9.5% Belgium 6.1% (2008)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $2.932 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Rank: 93

Debt external: $2.554 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Rank: 126

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Cooperation Financiere en Afrique Centrale francs (XAF) per US dollar - 447.81 (2008 est.) 493.51 (2007) 522.59 (2006) 527.47 (2005) 528.29 (2004)
Note: since 1 January 1999 the Central African CFA franc (XAF) has been pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 CFA francs per euro; Central African CFA franc (XAF) coins and banknotes are not accepted in countries using West African CFA francs (XOF) and vice versa even though the two currencies trade at par


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Electricity
Production: 5.601 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Production rank: 108
Consumption: 4.801 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Consumption rank: 107
Exports: 0 kWh (2008 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2008 est.)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 20 million m³ (2008 est.)
Production rank: 88
Consumption: 20 million m³ (2008 est.)
Consumption rank: 111
Exports: 0 m³ (2008)
Exports rank: 182
Imports: 0 m³ (2008 est.)
Imports rank: 192
Proven reserves: 135.1 billion m³ (1 January 2009 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 49

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 198,300 (2008)
Main lines in use rank: 124
Mobile cellular: 6.161 million (2008)
Mobile cellular rank: 79

Telephone system
General assessment: fixed-line connections stand at less than 1 per 100 persons; equipment is old and outdated and connections with many parts of the country are unreliable; mobile-cellular usage in part a reflection of the poor condition and general inadequacy of the fixed-line network has increased sharply reaching a subscribership base of 33 per 100 persons
Domestic: cable microwave radio relay and tropospheric scatter
International: country code - 237; landing point for the SAT-3/WASC fiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe and Asia; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2008)

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .cm
Hosts: 70 (2009)
Hosts rank: 204
Users: 725,000 (2008)
Users rank: 99

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures: 1.3% of GDP (2006)
Rank: 121

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for male and female voluntary military service; no conscription; the government makes periodic calls for volunteers (2009)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 36 (2009)
Rank: 107
With paved runways total: 11
With paved runways over 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 5
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 3
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1 (2009)
With unpaved runways total: 25
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 3
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 16
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 6 (2009)

Heliports

Pipelines: oil 889 km (2008)

Railways
Total: 987 km
Rank: 89
Narrow gauge: 987 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)

Roadways
Total: 50,000 km
Rank: 79
Paved: 5,000 km
Unpaved: 45,000 km (2004)

Waterways: navigation mainly on Benue River; limited during rainy season (2008)

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals: Douala Limboh Terminal


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Disputes international: Joint Border Commission with Nigeria reviewed 2002 ICJ ruling on the entire boundary and bilaterally resolved differences including June 2006 Greentree Agreement that immediately ceded sovereignty of the Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon with a full phase-out of Nigerian control and patriation of residents in 2008; Cameroon and Nigeria agree on maritime delimitation in March 2008; sovereignty dispute between Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon over an island at the mouth of the Ntem River; only Nigeria and Cameroon have heeded the Lake Chad Commission's admonition to ratify the delimitation treaty which also includes the Chad-Niger and Niger-Nigeria boundaries

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees: 20,000-30,000 (Chad); 3,000 (Nigeria); 24,000 (Central African Republic) (2007)

Illicit drugs