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.

Geographic coordinates: 6 00 N 12 00 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 475,440 km²
Water: 6,000 km²
Land: 469,440 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 (on Cameroon Mountain) 4,095 m

Natural resources: petroleum bauxite iron ore timber hydropower

Land use
Arable land: 12.81%
Permanent crops: 2.58%
Other: 84.61% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 330 km² (1998 est.)

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

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 2003 est.)
Growth rate: 2.02% (2003 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%

Age structure
0-14 years: 42.3% (male 3,372,129; female 3,291,295)
15-64 years: 54.5% (male 4,315,672; female 4,265,286)
65 years and over: 3.2% (male 227,444; female 274,353) (2003 est.)

Median age
Total: 18.4 years
Male: 18.2 years
Female: 18.5 years (2002)

Population growth rate: 2.02% (2003 est.)

Birth rate: 35.49 births/1000 population (2003 est.)

Death rate: 15.3 deaths/1000 population (2003 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2003 est.)

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

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: 0.83 male/female
Total population: 1.01 male/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 70.12 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 65.91 deaths/1000 live births (2003 est.)
Male: 74.2 deaths/1000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 48.05 years
Male: 47.15 years
Female: 48.97 years (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.63 children born/woman (2003 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 11.8% (2001 est.)
People living with hivaids: 920,000 (2001 est.)
Deaths: 53,000 (2001 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 79%
Male: 84.7%
Female: 73.4% (2003 est.)

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

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

National holiday: Republic Day (National 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

Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Paul BIYA (since 6 November 1982)
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
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
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 23 June 2002 (next to be held NA 2007)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - RDCP 133, SDF 21, UDC 5, other 21
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 9 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 Marcel YONDO]; Movement for the Youth of Cameroon or MYC [Dieudonne TINA]; National Union for Democracy and Progress or UNDP [Maigari BELLO BOUBA]; Social Democratic Front or SDF [John FRU NDI]; Union of Cameroonian Populations or UPC [Augustin Frederic KODOCK]

International organization participation: ACCT ACP AfDB BDEAC C CEEAC CEMAC ECA FAO FZ G-19 G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC ICCt (signatory) ICFTU ICRM IDA IDB IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC ISO (correspondent) ITU MONUC NAM OAU OIC OPCW PCA UN UN Security Council (temporary) UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UPU WCL WCO 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 fax: [1] (202) 387-3,826
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 265-8,790
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador George McDade STAPLES
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] 223-05-12, 222-25-89, 222-17-94, 223-40-14
From the us fax: [237] 223-07-53
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

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 privatization and poverty reduction programs. International oil and cocoa prices have considerable impact on the economy.

Real gdp growth rate: 4% (2002 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $1700 (2002 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 46%
Industry: 21%
Services: 33% (2001 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% (2001 est.)

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

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 1.9%
Highest 10: 36.6% (1996)

Distribution of family income gini index: 47.7 (1996)

Budget
Revenues: $2.2 billion
Expenditures: $2.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY 00/01 est.)

Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

Inflation rate consumer prices: 4.5% (2002 est.)

Exports: $1.9 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Commodities: crude oil and petroleum products lumber cocoa beans aluminum coffee cotton
Partners: Italy 16.7% Spain 16% France 12.8% US 8.3% Netherlands 8.2% Taiwan 7.7% China 5.2% UK 4.4% (2002)

Imports: $1.7 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Commodities: machinery electrical equipment transport equipment fuel food
Partners: France 28.2% Nigeria 12.8% US 8% Belgium 5.7% Germany 5.3% Italy 4.3% (2002)

Debt external: $8.6 billion (2002 est.)

Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 696.99 (2002) 733.04 (2001) 711.98 (2000) 615.7 (1999) 589.95 (1998)

Electricity
Production: 3.613 billion kWh (2001)
Production by source fossil fuel: 2.7%
Production by source hydro: 97.3%
Production by source other: 0% (2001)
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Consumption: 3.36 billion kWh (2001)
Exports: 0 kWh (2001)
Imports: 0 kWh (2001)

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2001 est.)
Consumption: 0 m³ (2001 est.)
Exports: 0 m³ (2001 est.)
Imports: 0 m³ (2001 est.)
Proven reserves: 55.22 billion m³ (37,257)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 95,000 (2001)
Mobile cellular: 300,000 (2002)

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)

Internet
Country code: .cm
Service providers isps: 1 (2002)
Users note: Cameroon also had more than 100 cyber-cafes in 2001 (December 2001)

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

Airports: 49 (2002)
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 (2002)
With unpaved runways total: 38
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 7
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 20
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 11 (2002)

Pipelines: gas 90 km; liquid petroleum gas 9 km; oil 1124 km (2003)

Railways
Total: 1,008 km
Narrow gauge: 1,008 km 1.000-m gauge (2002)

Waterways: 2,090 km (of decreasing importance) (2002)

Disputes international: ICJ ruled in 2002 on the Cameroon-Nigeria land and maritime boundary by awarding the potentially petroleum-rich Bakassi Peninsula and offshore region to Cameroon; Nigeria rejected cession of the peninsula but the parties have formed a Joint Border Commission to resolve differences bilaterally and have commenced with demarcation in less-contested sections of the boundary; Lake Chad Commission continues to urge signatories Cameroon Chad Niger and Nigeria to ratify delimitation treaty over the lake region which remains the site of armed clashes among local populations and militias; Nigeria agreed to ratify the treaty and relinquish sovereignty of disputed lands to Cameroon by December 2003