| 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 |
|
