Cameroon

§1. Cameroon Introduction

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 a slow movement toward democratic reform,
  political power remains firmly in the hands of an ethnic oligarchy headed
  by President Paul BIYA.

§2. Cameroon Geography

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 km²
  land: 469,440 km²
  water: 6,000 km²

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 4,095 m (on Mt. Cameroon)

Natural resources:
  petroleum, bauxite, iron ore, timber, hydropower

Land use:
  arable land: 12.54%
  permanent crops: 2.52%
  other: 84.94% (2005)

Irrigated land:
  330 km² (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
  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
  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

§3. Cameroon People

Population:
  17,340,702
  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 2006 est.)

Age structure:
  0-14 years: 41.2% (male 3,614,430/female 3,531,047)
  15-64 years: 55.5% (male 4,835,453/female 4,796,276)
  65 years and over: 3.2% (male 260,342/female 303,154) (2006 est.)

Median age:
  total: 18.9 years
  male: 18.7 years
  female: 19 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
  2.04% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
  33.89 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:
  13.47 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:
  0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 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: 0.86 male(s)/female
  total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
  total: 63.52 deaths/1,000 live births
  male: 67.38 deaths/1,000 live births
  female: 59.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 51.16 years
  male: 50.98 years
  female: 51.34 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:
  4.39 children born/woman (2006 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
  6.9% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
  560,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
  49,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:
  degree of risk: very high
  food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid
    fever
  vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever are high risks in some
    locations
  water contact disease: schistosomiasis
  respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2005)

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.)

§4. Cameroon Government

Country name:
  conventional long form: Republic of Cameroon
  conventional short form: Cameroon
  local long form: Republique du Cameroon
  local 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; 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 Ephraim INONI (since 8 December 2004)
  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 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 23 June 2002 (next to be held in 2007)
  election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RDCP 133,
    SDF 21, UDC 5, other 21
  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:
  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 [Marcel YONDO]; Movement for the Youth of
  Cameroon or MYC [Dieudonne TINA]; National Union for Democracy and Progress
  or UNDP [Maigari BELLO BOUBA]; Social Democratic Front or SDF [John FRU
  NDI]; Union of Cameroonian Populations or UPC [Augustin Frederic KODOCK]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
  Southern Cameroon National Council [Ayamba Ette OTUN]; Human Rights Defense
  Group [Albert MUKONG, president]

International organization participation:
  ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, C, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
  ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
  Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN,
  UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

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 Niels MARQUARDT
  embassy: Rue Nachtigal, Yaounde
  mailing address: P. O. Box 817, Yaounde; pouch: American Embassy,
    Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-2520
  telephone: [237] 220 15 00; Consular: [237] 220 16 03
  FAX: [237] 220 16 20; Consular FAX: [237] 220 17 52
  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

§5. Cameroon Economy

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, privatization, and poverty reduction programs. International
  oil and cocoa prices have considerable impact on the economy.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
  $31.77 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
  $15.33 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
  3.7% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
  $1,900 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
  agriculture: 44.8%
  industry: 17.3%
  services: 37.9% (2005 est.)

Labor force:
  6.86 million (2005 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
  agriculture 70%, industry and commerce 13%, other 17%

Unemployment rate:
  30% (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line:
  48% (2000 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
  lowest 10%: 1.9%
  highest 10%: 36.6% (1996)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
  44.6 (2001)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  1.5% (2005 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
  17.3% of GDP (2005 est.)

Budget:
  revenues: $3.263 billion
  expenditures: $2.705 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005
    est.)

Public debt:
  64.8% of GDP (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products:
  coffee, cocoa, cotton, rubber, bananas, oilseed, grains, root starches;
  livestock; timber

Industries:
  petroleum production and refining, aluminum production, food processing,
  light consumer goods, textiles, lumber, ship repair

Industrial production growth rate:
  4.2% (1999 est.)

Electricity - production:
  2.988 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - consumption:
  2.779 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
  0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
  0 kWh (2003)

Oil - production:
  82,300 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption:
  23,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
  NA bbl/day

Oil - imports:
  NA bbl/day

Oil - proved reserves:
  85 million bbl (2005 est.)

Natural gas - production:
  0 m³ (2003 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
  0 m³ (2003 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
  NA m³

Natural gas - imports:
  NA m³

Natural gas - proved reserves:
  110.4 billion m³ (2005)

Current account balance:
  $159 million (2005 est.)

Exports:
  $3.236 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities:
  crude oil and petroleum products, lumber, cocoa beans, aluminum, coffee,
  cotton

Exports - partners:
  Spain 15.2%, Italy 12.3%, UK 10.2%, France 9.2%, US 8.8%, South Korea 7.1%,
  Netherlands 4.3% (2004)

Imports:
  $2.514 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Imports - commodities:
  machinery, electrical equipment, transport equipment, fuel, food

Imports - partners:
  France 28.2%, Nigeria 9.9%, Belgium 7.6%, US 4.9%, China 4.8%, Germany
  4.6%, Italy 4.1% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
  $1.092 billion (2005 est.)

Debt - external:
  $9.223 billion (2005 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
  in January 2001, the Paris Club agreed to reduce Cameroon's debt of $1.3
  billion by $900 million; debt relief now totals $1.26 billion

Currency (code):
  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 - 527.47 (2005),
  528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001)

Fiscal year:
  1 July - 30 June

§6. Cameroon Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:
  110,900 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
  1,536,600 (2004)

Telephone system:
  general assessment: available only to business and government
  domestic: cable, microwave radio relay, and tropospheric scatter
  international: country code - 237; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat
    (Atlantic Ocean); fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC) provides
    connectivity to Europe and Asia

Radio broadcast stations:
  AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 3 (2002)

Television broadcast stations:
  1 (2002)

Internet country code:
  .cm

Internet hosts:
  34 (2005)

Internet users:
  167,000 (2005)

§7. Cameroon Transportation

Airports:
  47 (2005)

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 (2005)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
  total: 36
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 7
  914 to 1,523 m: 20
  under 914 m: 9 (2005)

Pipelines:
  gas 90 km; liquid petroleum gas 9 km; oil 1,120 km (2004)

Railways:
  total: 1,008 km
  narrow gauge: 1,008 km 1.000-m gauge (2004)

Roadways:
  total: 80,932 km
  paved: 5,398 km
  unpaved: 75,534 km (2002)

Waterways:
  navigation mainly on Benue River; limited during rainy season (2005)

Merchant marine:
  total: 1 ships (1000 GRT or over) 38,613 GRT/68,820 DWT
  by type: petroleum tanker 1
  foreign-owned: 1 (France 1) (2005)

Ports and terminals:
  Douala, Limboh Terminal

§8. Cameroon Military

Military branches:
  Cameroon Armed Forces: Army, Navy (includes Naval Infantry), Air Force
    (Armee de l'Air du Cameroun, AAC) (2006)

Military service age and obligation:
  18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (1999)

Manpower available for military service:
  males age 18-49: 3,410,440 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
  males age 18-49: 1,720,385 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
  males: 188,662 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
  $230.2 million (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
  1.5% (2005 est.)

§9. Cameroon Transnational Issues

Disputes - international:
  ICJ ruled in 2002 on the entire Cameroon-Nigeria land and maritime boundary
  but the parties formed a Joint Border Commission, which continues to meet
  regularly to resolve differences bilaterally and have commenced with
  demarcation in less-contested sections of the boundary, starting in Lake
  Chad in the north; implementation of the ICJ ruling on the
  Cameroon-Equatorial Guinea-Nigeria maritime boundary in the Gulf of Guinea
  is impeded by imprecisely defined coordinates, the unresolved Bakassi
  allocation, and a sovereignty dispute between Equatorial Guinea and
  Cameroon over an island at the mouth of the Ntem River; Nigeria initially
  rejected cession of the Bakasi Peninsula, then agreed, but has yet to
  withdraw its forces while much of the indigenous population opposes
  cession; 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

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
  refugees (country of origin): 39,290 (Chad) 16,686 (Nigeria) 9,634 (Cote
    d'Ivoire) (2005)


<Factbook 2006>
