|
Home
World
Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
American Samoa
Andorra
Angola
Anguilla
Antarctica
Antigua Barbuda
Arctic Ocean
Argentina
Armenia
Aruba
Ashmore Cartier Isle
Atlantic Ocean
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bahrain
Baker Island
Bangladesh
Barbados
Bassas da India
Belarus
Belgium
Belize
Benin
Bermuda
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bosnia Herzegovina
Botswana
Bouvet Island
Brazil
British Indian Ocean
British Virgin Islands
Brunei
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burma
Burundi
Cambodia
Cameroon
Canada
Cape Verde
Cayman Islands
Central African Rep
Chad
Chile
China
Christmas Island
Clipperton Island
Cocos
Colombia
Comoros
Congo
Congo Republic
Cook Islands
Coral Sea Islands
Costa Rica
Cote d'Ivoire
Croatia
Cuba
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Estonia
Ethiopia
Europa Island
Falkland Islands
Faroe Islands
Fiji
Finland
France
French Guiana
French Polynesia
Antarctic Lands
Gabon
Gambia
Gaza Strip
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Gibraltar
Glorioso Islands
Greece
Greenland
Grenada
Guadeloupe
Guam
Guatemala
Guernsey
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
Heard McDonald Isle
Honduras
Hong Kong
Howland Island
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indian Ocean
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Isle of Man
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jarvis Island
Jersey
Johnston Atoll
Jordan
Juan de Nova Island
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kingman Reef
Kiribati
Jan Mayen
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Latvia
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macau
Macedonia
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali
Malta
Marshall Islands
Martinique
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mayotte
Mexico
Micronesia
Midway Islands
Moldova
Monaco
Mongolia
Montserrat
Morocco
Mozambique
Namibia
Nauru
Navassa Island
Nepal
Netherlands
Netherlands Antilles
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
Niue
Norfolk Island
North Korea
N Mariana Islands
Norway
Oman
Pacific Ocean
Pakistan
Palau
Palmyra Atoll
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Paracel Islands
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Pitcairn Islands
Poland
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Qatar
Reunion
Romania
Russia
Rwanda
St Helena
St Kitts Nevis
St Lucia
St Pierre Miquelon
St Vincent Grenadines
Samoa
Sandwich Islands
San Marino
Sao Tome Principe
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
Somalia
South Africa
South Korea
S Ocean
Spain
Spratly Islands
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Suriname
Svalbard
Swaziland
Sweden
Switzerland
Syria
Taiwan
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Thailand
Togo
Tokelau
Tonga
Trinidad Tobago
Tromelin Island
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Turks Caicos Islands
Tuvalu
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Vatican
Venezuela
Vietnam
Virgin Islands
Wake Island
Wallis and Futuna
West Bank
Western Sahara
Yemen
Yugoslavia
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Guide
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. |
| 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 |
| Area
- comparative: |
slightly larger than
California |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Land
use: |
arable land: 13%
permanent crops: 2%
permanent pastures: 4%
forests and woodland: 78%
other: 3% (1993 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
210 sq km (1993 est.) |
| 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, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical
Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94
signed, but not ratified: Nuclear Test Ban |
| Geography
- note: |
sometimes referred to as the
hinge of Africa |
| Population: |
15,803,220
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.) |
| 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.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
2.41% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
36.12 births/1,000 population
(2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
11.99 deaths/1,000 population
(2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population
(2001 est.) NA migrant(s)/1,000 population |
| 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: 0.86 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
69.83 deaths/1,000 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.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
7.73% (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
540,000 (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- deaths: |
52,000 (1999 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: 63.4%
male: 75%
female: 52.1% (1995 est.) |
| 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 in 1990)
note: preponderance of power remains with the president |
| 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, 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)
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: |
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 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] |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
Cameroon Anglophone Movement
or CAM [Vishe FAI, secretary general]; Southern Cameroon National
Council [Nfor Ngala NFOR, acting] |
| 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
chancery: 2349 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC
20008
telephone: [1] (202) 265-8790
FAX: [1] (202) 387-3826 |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador John M. YATES
embassy: Rue Nachtigal, Yaounde
mailing address: P. O. Box 817, Yaounde; pouch: American
Embassy, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-2520
telephone: [237] 23-40-14, 22-25-89, 23-05-12, 22-17-94
FAX: [237] 23-07-53
branch office(s): 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 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. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power parity - $26
billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
4.4% (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power parity -
$1,700 (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
43.4%
industry: 20.1%
services: 36.5% (1999 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
48% (2000 est.) |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
2% (2000 est.) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
agriculture 70%, industry and
commerce 13%, other 17% |
| Unemployment
rate: |
30% (1998 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues: $2.1
billion
expenditures: $2.1 billion, including capital expenditures
of $NA (FY00/01 est.) |
| Industries: |
petroleum production and
refining, food processing, light consumer goods, textiles, lumber |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
4.2% (1999 est.) |
| Electricity
- production: |
3.47 billion kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
2.59%
hydro: 97.41%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
3.227 billion kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
coffee, cocoa, cotton,
rubber, bananas, oilseed, grains, root starches; livestock; timber |
| Exports: |
$2.1 billion (f.o.b., 2000
est.) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
crude oil and petroleum
products, lumber, cocoa beans, aluminum, coffee, cotton |
| Exports
- partners: |
Italy 24%, France 18%,
Netherlands 10% (2000 est.) |
| Imports: |
$1.6 billion (f.o.b., 2000
est.) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
machines and electrical
equipment, transport equipment, fuel, food |
| Imports
- partners: |
France 29%, Germany 7%, US
6%, Japan 6% (2000 est.) |
| Debt
- external: |
$10.9 billion (2000 est.) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
on 23 January 2001, the Paris
Club agreed to reduce Cameroon's debt of $1.3 billion by $900 million;
total debt relief now amounts to $1.26 billion |
| Currency: |
Communaute Financiere
Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the
Central African States |
| 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 |
| Fiscal
year: |
1 July - 30 June |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
75,000 (1997) |
| 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) |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 11, FM 8, shortwave 3
(1998) |
| Radios: |
2.27 million (1997) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
1 (1998) |
| Televisions: |
450,000 (1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.cm |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
1 (2000) |
| Internet
users: |
20,000 (2000) |
| Railways: |
total: 1,104 km
narrow gauge: 1,104 km 1.000-m gauge (1995 est.) |
| Highways: |
total: 34,300 km
paved: 4,288 km
unpaved: 30,012 km (1995) |
| Waterways: |
2,090 km (of decreasing
importance) |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Bonaberi, Douala, Garoua,
Kribi, Tiko |
| 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 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total: 38
1,524 to 2,437 m: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 21
under 914 m: 10 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
Army, Navy (includes Naval
Infantry), Air Force, National Gendarmerie, Presidential Guard |
| Military
manpower - military age: |
18 years of age |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age 15-49:
3,762,369 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age 15-49:
1,903,149 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - reaching military age annually: |
males: 174,308
(2001 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$118.6 million (FY00/01) |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
1.4% (FY98/99) |
| Disputes
- international: |
delimitation of international
boundaries in the vicinity of Lake Chad, the lack of which led to border
incidents in the past, is complete and awaits ratification by Cameroon,
Chad, Niger, and Nigeria; tripartite maritime boundary and economic zone
dispute with Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria is currently before the ICJ |
|
