1.
2.
[syn: Cameroon, Republic of Cameroon, Cameroun]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
Cameroon
n 1: an inactive volcano in western Cameroon; highest peak on
the West African coast
2: a republic on the western coast of central Africa; was under
French and British control until 1960 [syn: Cameroon,
Republic of Cameroon, Cameroun]
CIA World Factbook 2002:
Cameroon
Introduction Cameroon
---------------------
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
------------------
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: 84.62% (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 party to: Biodiversity, Climate
agreements: 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
---------------
Population: 16,184,748
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 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 42.1% (male 3,443,505;
female 3,367,571)
15-64 years: 54.5% (male 4,431,524;
female 4,392,155)
65 years and over: 3.4% (male
253,242; female 296,751) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.36% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 35.66 births/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Death rate: 12.08 deaths/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Net migration rate: NA migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002
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 (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 68.79 deaths/1,000 live births (2002
est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 54.36 years
female: 55.23 years (2002 est.)
male: 53.51 years
Total fertility rate: 4.72 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 7.73% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/ 540,000 (1999 est.)
AIDS:
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.)
Government Cameroon
-------------------
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: 1 January 1960 (from French-
administered UN trusteeship)
National holiday: Republic Day (National 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)
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)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the
president from proposals submitted
by the prime minister
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, MLDC 1; note - results
from seven contested seats were
canceled by the Supreme Court,
further elections on 3 August 1997
gave these seats to the RDCP
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 Marcel
YONDO]; Movement for the Youth of
Cameroon or MYC [Dieudonne TINA];
National Union for Democracy and
Progress or UNDP [Maigari BELLO
BOUBA, chairman]; Social Democratic
Front or SDF [John FRU NDI]; Union
of Cameroonian Populations or UPC
[Augustin Frederic KODOCK]
Political pressure groups and Southern Cameroon National Council
leaders: [Frederick Ebong ALOBWEDE]; Human
Rights Defense Group [Albert MUKONG,
president]
International organization ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, C, CCC,
participation: CEEAC, CEMAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-19, G-
77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO
(correspondent), ITU, MONUC, NAM,
OAU, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UN Security
Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIK, 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
FAX: [1] (202) 387-3826
telephone: [1] (202) 265-8790
Diplomatic representation from the chief of mission: Ambassador George
US: McDade STAPLES
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, 22-17-94
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 Cameroon
----------------
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.
International oil and cocoa prices
have considerable impact on the
economy.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $26.4
billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 4.9% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,700
(2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 44%
industry: 20%
services: 36% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: 48% (2000 est.)
Household income or consumption by lowest 10%: NA%
percentage share: highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2% (2000 est.)
Labor force: NA
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 70%, industry and
commerce 13%, other 17%
Unemployment rate: 30% (2001 est.)
Budget: revenues: $2.2 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: 3.623 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 2.57%
hydro: 97.43%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 3.369 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)
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: $1.5 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery, 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
Currency code: XAF
Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine
francs (XAF) per US dollar - 742.79
(January 2002), 733.04 (2001),
711.98 (2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95
(1998), 583.67 (1997); 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
Communications Cameroon
-----------------------
Telephones - main lines in use: 95,000 (2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 300,000 (2002)
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): 29 (2002)
Internet users: 20,000 (2000)
note: in 2000, Cameroon also had 112
cyber-cafes
Transportation Cameroon
-----------------------
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: 49 (2001)
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 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 38
1,524 to 2,437 m: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 21
under 914 m: 10 (2001)
Military Cameroon
-----------------
Military branches: Army, Navy (includes naval
infantry), Air Force, National
Gendarmerie, Presidential Guard
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 3,872,965 (2002
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military males age 15-49: 1,959,357 (2002
service: est.)
Military manpower - reaching males: 174,308 (2002 est.)
military age annually:
Military expenditures - dollar $118.6 million (FY00/01)
figure:
Military expenditures - percent of 1.4% (FY98/99)
GDP:
Transnational Issues Cameroon
-----------------------------
Disputes - international: oral arguments on the land and
maritime boundary disputes between
Cameroon and Nigeria were presented
to the ICJ; disputes center around
Bakasi Peninsula, where armed
clashes continue, Bouram Island on
Lake Chad, and the maritime boundary
and economic zone dispute in the
Gulf of Guinea, which also involves
Equatorial Guinea; Lake Chad Basin
Commission urges signatories
Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria
to ratify delimitation treaty over
lake region, the site of continuing
armed clashes