Guide to Cameroon Introduction 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.
Geography Location: Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria
Geographic coordinates: 6 00 N, 12 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total
Area - comparative: slightly larger than California
Land boundaries: total
Coastline: 402 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea
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
Natural resources: petroleum, bauxite, iron ore, timber, hydropower
Land use: arable land
Irrigated land: 330 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: volcanic activity with periodic releases of poisonous gases from Lake Nyos and Lake Monoun volcanoes
Environment - current issues: waterborne diseases are prevalent; deforestation; overgrazing; desertification; poaching; overfishing
Environment - international agreements: party to
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
People Population: 16,380,005 note
Age structure: 0-14 years
Median age: total
Population growth rate: 1.93% (2005 est.)
Birth rate: 34.67 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Death rate: 15.4 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth
Infant mortality rate: total
Life expectancy at birth: total population
Total fertility rate: 4.47 children born/woman (2005 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 6.9% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 560,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 49,000 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases: degree of risk
Nationality: noun
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
Government Country name: conventional long form
Government type: unitary republic; multiparty presidential regime (opposition parties legalized in 1990) note
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
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
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]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Southern Cameroon National Council [Ayamba Ette OTUN]; Human Rights Defense Group [Albert MUKONG, president]
International organization participation: ABEDA, ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, C, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIK, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission
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 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.
GDP (purchasing power parity): $30.17 billion (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 4.9% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,900 (2004 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture
Labor force: 6.68 million (2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 70%, industry and commerce 13%, other 17%
Unemployment rate: 30% (2001 est.)
Population below poverty line: 48% (2000 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%
Distribution of family income - Gini index: 47.7 (1996)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1% (2004 est.)
Investment (gross fixed): 16.1% of GDP (2004 est.)
Budget: revenues
Public debt: 69.1% of GDP (2004 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% (1999 est.)
Electricity - production: 3.571 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel
Electricity - consumption: 3.321 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2002)
Oil - production: 94,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - consumption: 22,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports: NA
Oil - imports: NA
Oil - proved reserves: 80 million bbl (2004 est.)
Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves: 55.22 billion cu m (2004)
Current account balance: $-149.1 million (2004 est.)
Exports: $2.445 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities: crude oil and petroleum products, lumber, cocoa beans, aluminum, coffee, cotton
Exports - partners: Spain 15.2%, Italy 12.3%, UK 10.2%, France 9.2%, US 8.8%, South Korea 7.1%, Netherlands 4.3% (2004)
Imports: $1.979 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery, electrical equipment, transport equipment, fuel, food
Imports - partners: France 28.2%, Nigeria 9.9%, Belgium 7.6%, US 4.9%, China 4.8%, Germany 4.6%, Italy 4.1% (2004)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $687.5 million (2004 est.)
Debt - external: $8.46 billion (2004 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: on 23 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
Currency (code): Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States
Currency code: XAF
Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000)
Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June
Communications Telephones - main lines in use: 110,900 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 1.077 million (2003)
Telephone system: general assessment
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 3 (2002)
Radios: 2.27 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (2002)
Televisions: 450,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .cm
Internet hosts: 479 (2004)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2002)
Internet users: 60,000 (2002) note
Transportation Railways: total
Highways: total
Waterways: navigation mainly on Benue River; limited during rainy season (2004)
Pipelines: gas 90 km; liquid petroleum gas 9 km; oil 1,120 km (2004)
Ports and harbors: Douala, Limboh Terminal
Merchant marine: total
Airports: 47 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total
Airports - with unpaved runways: total
Military Military branches: Cameroon Armed Forces
Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (1999)
Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49
Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49
Manpower reaching military service age annually: males
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $221.1 million (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.6% (2004)
Transnational Issues Disputes - international: ICJ ruled in 2002 on the entire Cameroon-Nigeria land and maritime boundary but the parties formed a Joint Border Commission, which continues to meet regularly to resolve differences bilaterally and have commenced with demarcation in less-contested sections of the boundary, starting in Lake Chad in the north; implementation of the ICJ ruling on the Cameroon-Equatorial Guinea-Nigeria maritime boundary in the Gulf of Guinea is impeded by imprecisely defined coordinates, the unresolved Bakassi allocation, and a sovereignty dispute between Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon over an island at the mouth of the Ntem River; Nigeria initially rejected cession of the Bakasi Peninsula, then agreed, but has yet to withdraw its forces while much of the indigenous population opposes cession; only Nigeria and Cameroon have heeded the Lake Chad Commission's admonition to ratify the delimitation treaty which also includes Chad and Niger
Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin)
Last updated: 20 October, 2005
| Weather Statistics | Yaounde |
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | June | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | | Mean | 25 C | 25 C | 25 C | 25 C | 24 C | 24 C | 23 C | 23 C | 23 C | 24 C | 24 C | 24 C | | Prcp | 30mm | 61mm | 157mm | 195mm | 222mm | 159mm | 73mm | 94mm | 241mm | 306mm | 145mm | 36mm |
| Source: Global Historical Climatology Network |
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