2000 Edition

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.

Area

land

469,440 sq km

total

475,440 sq km

water

6,000 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly larger than California

Climate

varies with terrain, from tropical along coast to semiarid and hot in north

Coastline

402 km

Elevation extremes

highest point

Fako 4,095 m

lowest point

Atlantic Ocean 0 m

Environment - current issues

water-borne diseases are prevalent; deforestation; overgrazing; desertification; poaching; overfishing

Environment - international agreements

party to

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94 signed, but not ratified: Nuclear Test Ban

Geographic coordinates

6 00 N, 12 00 E

Geography - note

sometimes referred to as the hinge of Africa

Irrigated land

210 sq km (1993 est.)

Land boundaries

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

total

4,591 km

Land use

arable land

13%

forests and woodland

78%

other

3% (1993 est.)

permanent crops

2%

permanent pastures

4%

Location

Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

territorial sea

50 nm

Natural hazards

recent volcanic activity with release of poisonous gases

Natural resources

petroleum, bauxite, iron ore, timber, hydropower

Terrain

diverse, with coastal plain in southwest, dissected plateau in center, mountains in west, plains in north

Age structure

0-14 years: 43% (male 3,326,334; female 3,251,402) 15-64 years: 54% (male 4,181,038; female 4,153,680) 65 years and over: 3% (male 235,741; female 273,742) (2000 est.)

Birth rate

36.6 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate

11.89 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

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%

Infant mortality rate

70.87 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Languages

24 major African language groups, English (official), French (official)

Life expectancy at birth

female

55.64 years (2000 est.)

male

54.01 years

total population

54.82 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

52.1% (1995 est.)

male

75%

total population

63.4%

Nationality

adjective

Cameroonian

noun

Cameroonian(s)

Net migration rate

NA migrant(s)/1,000 population

Population

15,421,937

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 2000 est.)

Population growth rate

2.47% (2000 est.)

Religions

indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 40%, Muslim 20%

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 (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate

4.88 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Administrative divisions

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

Capital

Yaounde

Constitution

20 May 1972 approved by referendum; 2 June 1972 formally adopted

Country name

conventional long form

Republic of Cameroon

conventional short form

Cameroon

former

French Cameroon

Data code

CM

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador John M. YATES

embassy

Rue Nachtigal, Yaounde

mailing address

B. P. 817, Yaounde; pouch: American Embassy, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-2520

telephone

23-45-52

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

2349 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Jerome MENDOUGA

telephone

(202) 265-8790

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet appointed by the president

chief of state

President Paul BIYA (since 6 November 1982)

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

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

head of government

Prime Minister Peter Mafany MUSONGE (since 19 September 1996)

FAX

(202) 387-3826

23-07-53

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

Government type

unitary republic; multiparty presidential regime (opposition parties legalized in 1990)

note

preponderance of power remains with the president

Independence

1 January 1960 (from UN trusteeship under French administration), 1 October 1961 (for areas ruled by Britain under UN trusteeship)

International organization participation

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, C, CCC, CEEAC, 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, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UDEAC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Judicial branch

Supreme Court, judges are appointed by the president

Legal system

based on French civil law system, with common law influence; does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

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)

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 and have yet to be filled

elections

last held 11 May 1997 (next to be held NA 2002)

note

the constitution calls for an upper chamber for the legislature, to be called a Senate, but it has yet to be established

National holiday

National Day, 20 May (1972)

Political parties and leaders

Cameroonian Democratic Union or UDC ; Cameroon Liberation and Development Movement or MLDC ; Democratic Rally of the Cameroon People or RDPC (the RDPC or its predecessor parties have ruled since independence) ; Movement for the Defense of the Republic or MDR ; Movement for the Liberation of Cameroonian Youths or MLJC ; National Union for Democracy and Progress or UNDP ; Social Democratic Front or SDF ; Union of Cameroonian Populations or UPC-K

Political pressure groups and leaders

Alliance for Change or FAC ; Cameroon Anglophone Movement or CAM [Vishe FAI, secretary general]; Southern Cameroon National Council

Suffrage

21 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

coffee, cocoa, cotton, rubber, bananas, oilseed, grains, root starches; livestock; timber

Budget

expenditures

$2.23 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY96/97 est.)

revenues

$2.23 billion

Currency

1 Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes

Debt - external

$11.5 billion (1999 est.)

Economic aid - recipient

$606.1 million (1995); note - France signed two loan agreements totaling $55 million in September 1997, and the Paris Club agreed in October 1997 to reduce the official debt by 50% and to reschedule it on favorable terms with a consolidation of payments due through 2000

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. The government, however, has failed to press forward vigorously with these programs. The latest enhanced structural adjustment agreement was signed in October 1997; the parties hope this will prove more successful, yet government mismanagement and corruption remain problems. Inflation has been brought back under control. Progress toward privatization of remaining state industry should support continued economic growth in 2000.

Electricity - consumption

3.055 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (1998)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (1998)

Electricity - production

3.285 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

2.59%

hydro

97.41%

nuclear

0%

other

0% (1998)

Exchange rates

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 647.25 (January 2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997), 511.55 (1996), 499.15 (1995)

note

since 1 January 1999, the CFAF is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 CFA francs per euro

Exports

$2 billion (f.o.b., 1999)

Exports - commodities

crude oil and petroleum products, lumber, cocoa beans, aluminum, coffee, cotton

Exports - partners

Italy 25%, Spain 20%, France 16%, Netherlands 7% (1997 est.)

Fiscal year

1 July - 30 June

GDP

purchasing power parity - $31.5 billion (1999 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

42%

industry

22%

services

36% (1997 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $2,000 (1999 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

5.2% (1999 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Imports

$1.5 billion (f.o.b., 1999)

Imports - commodities

machines and electrical equipment, transport equipment, fuel, food

Imports - partners

France 25%, Nigeria 8%, US 8%, Germany 6% (1997 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Industries

petroleum production and refining, food processing, light consumer goods, textiles, lumber

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

2.1% (1999 est.)

Labor force

NA

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 70%, industry and commerce 13%, other 17%

Population below poverty line

40% (1984 est.)

Unemployment rate

30% (1998 est.)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

NA

Radio broadcast stations

AM 11, FM 8, shortwave 3 (1998)

Radios

2.27 million (1997)

Telephone system

available only to business and government

domestic

cable, microwave radio relay, and tropospheric scatter

international

satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Telephones - main lines in use

60,000 (1995)

Telephones - mobile cellular

2,800 (1995)

Television broadcast stations

1 (1998)

Televisions

450,000 (1997)

Airports

50 (1999 est.)

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 (1999 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

39 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 20 under 914 m: 11 (1999 est.)

Highways

paved

4,288 km

total

34,300 km

unpaved

30,012 km (1995 est.)

Ports and harbors

Bonaberi, Douala, Garoua, Kribi, Tiko

Railways

narrow gauge

1,104 km 1.000-m gauge (1995 est.)

total

1,104 km

Waterways

2,090 km; of decreasing importance

Military branches

Army, Navy (includes Naval Infantry), Air Force, National Gendarmerie, Presidential Guard

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$155 million (FY98/99)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

1.4% (FY98/99)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 3,653,548 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 1,847,871 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - military age

18 years of age

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males

169,661 (2000 est.)

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; dispute with Nigeria over land and maritime boundaries around the Bakasi Peninsula and Lake Chad is currently before the ICJ, as is a dispute with Equatorial Guinea over the exclusive maritime economic zone

CANADA