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 slow movement toward democratic reform, political
power remains firmly in the hands of President Paul BIYA.
Geography ::Cameroon
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
country comparison to the world: 53
land:
472,710 sq km
water:
2,730 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: 12 nm
contiguous zone:
24 nm
Climate:
Current Weather
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
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: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer
Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements
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
Population:
19,294,149
country comparison to the world: 58
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 (July 2010 est.)
65 years and over:
3.3% (male 291,979/female 344,274) (2010 est.)
Median age:
total: 19.3 years
male:
19.2 years
female:
19.4 years (2010 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.157% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 41
Birth rate:
33.58 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 37
Death rate:
12.01 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 31
Net migration rate:
NA
Urbanization:
urban population: 57% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization:
3.5% annual rate of change (2005-10 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 (2010 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 62.15 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 33
male:
66.8 deaths/1,000 live births
female:
57.36 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 54.04 years
02
male:
53.21 years
female:
54.9 years (2010 est.)
Total fertility rate:
4.25 children born/woman (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 42
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
5.1% (2007 est.)
5
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
540,000 (2007 est.)
9
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
39,000 (2007 est.)
4
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases:
bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases:
malaria and yellow fever
water contact disease:
schistosomiasis
respiratory disease:
meningococcal meningitis
animal contact disease:
rabies (2009)
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.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 9 years
male:
10 years
female:
8 years (2006)
Education expenditures:
3.3% of GDP (2006)
35
Government ::Cameroon
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Cameroon
conventional short form:
Cameroon
local long form:
Republique du Cameroun/Republic of Cameroon
local short form:
Cameroun/Cameroon
former:
French Cameroon, British Cameroon, Federal Republic of Cameroon, United Republic of Cameroon
Government type:
republic; multiparty presidential regime
Capital:
name: Yaounde
geographic coordinates:
3 52 N, 11 31 E
time difference:
UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
10 regions (regions,
singular - region); Adamaoua, Centre, Est, Extreme-Nord, Littoral, Nord,
North-West (Nord-Ouest), Ouest, Sud, South-West (Sud-Ouest)
Independence:
1 January 1960 (from French-administered UN trusteeship)
National holiday:
Republic Day (National Day), 20 May (1972)
Constitution:
approved by referendum 20 May 1972; adopted 2 June 1972; revised January 1996
Legal system:
based on French civil law system with common law influence; accepts 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 Philemon YANG (since 30 June 2009)
cabinet:
Cabinet appointed by the president from proposals submitted by the prime minister
elections:
president
elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (eligible for a second
term); election last held on 11 October 2004 (next to be held by October
2011); prime minister appointed by the president
election results:
President
Paul BIYA reelected; percent of vote - Paul BIYA 70.9%, John FRU NDI
17.4%, Adamou Ndam NJOYA 4.5%, Garga Haman ADJI 3.7%
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 on 22 July 2007 (next to be held in 2012)
election results:
percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CPDM 140, SDF 14, UDC 4, UNDP 4, MP 1, vacant 17
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 six substitute judges; elected by the National Assembly)
Political parties and leaders:
Cameroon People's
Democratic Movement or CPDM [Paul BIYA]; Cameroonian Democratic Union or
UDC [Adamou Ndam NJOYA]; Movement for the Defense of the Republic or
MDR [Dakole DAISSALA]; Movement for the Liberation and Development of
Cameroon or MLDC [Marcel YONDO]; National Union for Democracy and
Progress or UNDP [Maigari BELLO BOUBA]; Progressive Movement or MP;
Social Democratic Front or SDF [John FRU NDI]; Union of Peoples of
Cameroon or UPC [Augustin Frederic KODOCK]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Human Rights Defense Group [Albert MUKONG, president]; Southern Cameroon National Council [Ayamba Ette OTUN]
three equal vertical
bands of green (hoist side), red, and yellow, with a yellow five-pointed
star centered in the red band; the vertical tricolor recalls the flag
of France; red symbolizes unity, yellow the sun, happiness, and the
savannahs in the north, and green hope and the forests in the south; the
star is referred to as the "star of unity"
note:uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia
Economy ::Cameroon
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 stagnating per capita income, a relatively
inequitable distribution of income, a top-heavy civil service, and a
generally unfavorable climate for business enterprise. International oil
and cocoa prices have a significant impact on the economy. 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. The IMF
is pressing for more reforms, including increased budget transparency,
privatization, and poverty reduction programs.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$42.76 billion (2009 est.)
$43.19 billion (2008 est.)
$41.81 billion (2007 est.)
note:data are in 2009 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$22.08 billion (2009 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
-1% (2009 est.)
24
3.3% (2008 est.)
3.5% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$2,300 (2009 est.)
80
$2,300 (2008 est.)
$2,300 (2007 est.)
note:data are in 2009 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 20.3%
industry:
30.5%
services:
49.2% (2009 est.)
Labor force:
7.283 million (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 61
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 70%
industry:
13%
services:
17% (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate:
30% (2001 est.)
6
Population below poverty line:
48% (2000 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
Spain 19.4%, Italy 13.2%, US 10.4%, France 8%, Netherlands 7.9%, China 7.8% (2008)
Imports:
$4.449 billion (2009 est.)
16
$5.4 billion (2008 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery, electrical equipment, transport equipment, fuel, food
Imports - partners:
France 21.2%, Nigeria 13.9%, China 9.6%, Belgium 6.1% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$3.917 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
$3.091 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
Debt - external:
$2.929 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
24
$3.066 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
Exchange rates:
Cooperation Financiere en
Afrique Centrale francs (XAF) per US dollar - 481.35 (2009), 447.81
(2008), 493.51 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005)
note:since
1 January 1999, the Central African CFA franc (XAF) has been pegged to
the euro at a rate of 655.957 CFA francs per euro; Central African CFA
franc (XAF) coins and banknotes are not accepted in countries using West
African CFA francs (XOF), and vice versa, even though the two
currencies trade at par
Communications ::Cameroon
Telephones - main lines in use:
198,300 (2008)
24
Telephones - mobile cellular:
6.161 million (2008)
Telephone system:
general assessment: system
includes cable, microwave radio relay, and tropospheric scatter;
Camtel, the monopoly provider of fixed-line service, provides
connections for fewer than 1 per 100 persons; equipment is old and
outdated, and connections with many parts of the country are unreliable
domestic:
mobile-cellular
usage, in part a reflection of the poor condition and general
inadequacy of the fixed-line network, has increased sharply, reaching a
subscribership base of 33 per 100 persons
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) (2008)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 3 (2001)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (2001)
Internet country code:
.cm
Internet hosts:
70 (2009)
04
Internet users:
725,000 (2008)
Transportation ::Cameroon
Airports:
36 (2009)
06
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 11
over 3,047 m:
2
2,438 to 3,047 m:
5
1,524 to 2,437 m:
3
914 to 1,523 m:
1 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 25
1,524 to 2,437 m:
3
914 to 1,523 m:
16
under 914 m:
6 (2009)
Pipelines:
oil 889 km (2009)
Railways:
total: 987 km
narrow gauge:
987 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)
Roadways:
total: 50,000 km
paved:
5,000 km
unpaved:
45,000 km (2004)
Waterways:
navigation mainly on Benue River; limited during rainy season (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Douala, Limboh Terminal
Military ::Cameroon
Military branches:
Cameroon Armed Forces (Forces
Armees Camerounaises, FAC): Army (L'Armee de Terre), Navy (includes
naval infantry), Air Force (Armee de l'Air du Cameroun, AAC), Fire
Fighter Corps, Gendarmerie (2010)
Military service age and obligation:
18-23 years of age for
male and female voluntary military service; no conscription; high school
graduation required; service obligation 4 years; the government makes
periodic calls for volunteers (2010)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 4,553,576
females age 16-49:
4,443,217 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,721,307
females age 16-49:
2,647,640 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 213,538
female:
209,549 (2010 est.)
Military expenditures:
1.3% of GDP (2009)
13
Transnational Issues ::Cameroon
Disputes - international:
Joint Border Commission with
Nigeria reviewed 2002 ICJ ruling on the entire boundary and bilaterally
resolved differences, including June 2006 Greentree Agreement that
immediately ceded sovereignty of the Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon with a
full phase-out of Nigerian control and patriation of residents in 2008;
Cameroon and Nigeria agree on maritime delimitation in March 2008;
sovereignty dispute between Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon over an
island at the mouth of the Ntem River; only Nigeria and Cameroon have
heeded the Lake Chad Commission's admonition to ratify the delimitation
treaty, which also includes the Chad-Niger and Niger-Nigeria boundaries
current situation: Cameroon
is a source, transit, and destination country for women and children
trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and commercial sexual
exploitation; most victims are children trafficked within country, with
girls primarily trafficked for domestic servitude and sexual
exploitation; both boys and girls are also trafficked within Cameroon
for forced labor in sweatshops, bars, restaurants, and on tea and cocoa
plantations; children are trafficked into Cameroon from neighboring
states for forced labor in agriculture, fishing, street vending, and
spare-parts shops; Cameroon is a transit country for children trafficked
between Gabon and Nigeria, and from Nigeria to Saudi Arabia; it is a
source country for women transported by sex-trafficking rings to Europe
tier rating:
Tier
2 Watch List - Cameroon is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to
provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat human trafficking in
2007, particularly in terms of efforts to prosecute and convict
trafficking offenders; while Cameroon reported some arrests of
traffickers, none of them were prosecuted or punished; the government
does not identify trafficking victims among vulnerable populations nor
does it monitor the number of victims it intercepts (2008)
