Introduction

   Cameroon

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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 movement toward democratic reform, political power remains firmly in the hands of an ethnic oligarchy.

Geography

   Cameroon

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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 references:

Africa

Area:

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

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 (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 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:

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

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; 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

   Cameroon

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Population:

15,746,179
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.)

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/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Death rate:

15.3 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Net migration rate:

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 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: 0.83 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 70.12 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 65.91 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 74.2 deaths/1,000 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.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

11.8% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

920,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

53,000 (2001 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: 79%
male: 84.7%
female: 73.4% (2003 est.)

Government

   Cameroon

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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

Capital:

Yaounde

Administrative divisions:

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

Independence: