Background
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[ Geography ] [ People ] [ Government ] [ Economy ] [ Communications ] [ Transportation ] [ Military ]

Geography

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.

Location: Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria

Geographic coordinates: 6 00 N, 12 00 E

Area:
total: 475,440 sq km
land: 469,440 sq km
water: 6,000 sq km

Land boundaries:
total : 4,591 km
border countries: 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
highest point: Fako 4,095 m

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

Land use:
arable land: 12.54%
permanent crops: 2.52%
other: 84.94% (2005)

Irrigated land: 260 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards: recent volcanic activity with release of poisonous gases

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

Environment - international agreements:
party to : Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94
signed, but not ratified: Desertification, Nuclear Test Ban

Geography - note: sometimes referred to as the hinge of Africa

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People

Population: 15,421,937( 2000 est.); 16,184,748 ( 2002 est.); 18,467,692 (July 2008 est.)
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

Age structure:
0-14 years: 41.1% (male 3,826,232/female 3,757,859)
15-64 years: 55.7% (male 5,164,338/female 5,122,817)
65 years and over: 3.2% (male 274,821/female 321,625) (2008 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.47% (2000 est.); 2.36% (2002 est.); 2.218% (2008 est.)

Birth rate: 36.6 births/1,000 population (2000 est.);, 35.66 births/1,000 population (2002 est.); 34.59 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate: 11.89 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.); 12.08 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.); 12.41 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/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 (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 70.87 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.); 68.79 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.); 64.57 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 53.3 years
male: 52.54 years
female: 54.08 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.88 children born/woman (2000 est.); 4.72 children born/woman (2002 est.); 4.41 children born/woman (2008 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%

Religions: indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 40%, Muslim 20%

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

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 67.9%
male: 77%
female: 59.8% (2001 est.)

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Government

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)

National capital: Yaounde

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

Independence: 1 January 1960 (from UN trusteeship under French administration) 1 October 1961 (for areas ruled by Britain under UN trusteeship)

National holiday: National Day, 20 May (1972)

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

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

Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Paul BIYA (since 6 November 1982)
head of government: Prime Minister Peter Mafany MUSONGA (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 92.6%; 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 I; 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 a Senate, but it has yet to be established

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

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, chairman]; 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, 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, OPCW, PCA, UDEAC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

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

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Economy

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 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. In January 2001, the Paris Club agreed to reduce Cameroon's debt of $1.3 billion by $900 million; debt relief now totals $1.26 billion. International oil and cocoa prices have a significant impact on the economy.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $31.5 billion (1999 est.); $26.4 billion (2001 est.); $40.01 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 5.2% (1999 est.); 4.9% (2001 est.); 3.2% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,000 (1999 est.); $1,700 (2001 est.); $2,300 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 44.3%
industry: 15.9%
services: 39.8% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line: 40% (1984 est.) , 48% (2000 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.3%
highest 10%: 35.4% (2001)

Inflation rate - consumer prices: 6% (FY96/97 est.); 2% (2000 est.); 2% (2007 est.)

Labor force: 6.68 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 70%
industry: 13%
services: 17% (2001 est.)

Unemployment rate: 30% (2001 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $4.14 billion
expenditures: $3.3 billion (2007 est.)

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

Industrial production growth rate: 4.2% (1999 est.); 3.5% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production: 3.285 billion kWh (1998); 3.623 billion kWh (2000); 4.09 billion kWh (2005)

Electricity - consumption: 3.055 billion kWh (1998); 3.369 billion kWh (2000); 3.435 billion kWh (2005)

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2005)

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2005)

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

Exports:
total value: $2 billion (f.o.b., 1999); $2.1 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.); $3.705 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
commodities: crude oil and petroleum products, lumber, aluminum, cocoa beans, coffee, cotton
partners: Spain 21.4%, Italy 15.4%, France 11.6%, South Korea 7.3%, Netherlands 7.2%, US 5.7%, Belgium 4.2% (2006)

Imports:
total value : $1.5 billion (f.o.b., 1999); $1.5 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.); $3.632 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
commodities: machines and electrical equipment, food, consumer goods, transport equipment, petroleum products
partners: France 23.6%, Nigeria 13.2%, China 7.2%, Belgium 6.1%, US 4.5% (2006)

Debt - external: $11.5 billion (1999 est.); $10.9 billion (2000 est.); $2.449 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Economic aid: $413.8 million (2005)

Currency: 1 Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes

Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 493.51 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003)

Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

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Communications

Telephones: 60,000 (1995); 95,000 (2001); 100,300 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 2,800 (1995); 300,000 (2002); 2.253 million (2005)

Telephone system: 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 been increasing steadily and currently stands at 14 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) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 11, FM 8, shortwave 3 (1998); AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 3 (2001)

Radios: 2.27 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 1 (1998)

Televisions: 450,000 (1997)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 29 (2002)

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Transportation

Railways:
total: 987 km
narrow gauge: 987 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Highways:
total: 50,000 km
paved: 5,000 km
unpaved: 45,000 km (2004)

Waterways: 2,090 km; of decreasing importance

Ports and harbors: Bonaberi, Douala, Garoua, Kribi, Tiko

Airports: 50 (1999 est.); 49 (2001); 45 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 11
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 34
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 20
under 914 m: 8 (2007)

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Military

Military branches: Cameroon Armed Forces: Army, Navy (includes naval infantry), Air Force (Armee de l'Air du Cameroun, AAC) (2008)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 16-49: 4,321,175
females age 16-49: 4,228,625 (2008 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,567,428
females age 16-49: 2,498,990 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.3% (2006)

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