CAMEROON
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CAMEROON
@Cameroon:Geography
Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between
Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria
Map references: Africa
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CAMEROON - MAJOR CITIES
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Latitude, Internat'l Time
Population Longitude Phone Code Zone
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Douala 1,117,000 4.04N, 9.43E 237- GMT+1
YAOUNDE 712,000 3.51N, 11.31E 237- GMT+1
Nkongsamba 112,000 4.59N, 9.53E 237- GMT+1
Maroua 106,000 10.35N, 14.20E 237- GMT+1
Garoua 102,000 9.17N, 13.22E 237- GMT+1
Bafoussam 76,000 5.31N, 10.25E 237- GMT+1
Kumba 54,000 4.39N, 9.26E 237- GMT+1
Bamenda 48,000 5.55N, 10.09E 237- GMT+1
Foumban 41,000 5.43N, 10.55E 237- GMT+1
Limbe 33,000 4.01N, 9.10E 237- GMT+1
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Area:
total area: 475,440 sq km
land area: 469,440 sq km
comparative area: slightly larger than California
Land boundaries: total 4,591 km, Central African Republic 797 km, Chad
1,094 km, Congo 523 km, Equatorial Guinea 189 km, Gabon 298 km,
Nigeria 1,690 km
Coastline: 402 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 50 nm
International disputes: demarcation of international boundaries in
Lake Chad, the lack of which led to border incidents in the past, is
completed and awaits ratification by Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and
Nigeria; dispute with Nigeria over land and maritime boundaries in the
vicinity of the Bakasi Peninsula has been referred to the
International Court of Justice
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
Natural resources: petroleum, bauxite, iron ore, timber, hydropower
potential
Land use:
arable land: 13%
permanent crops: 2%
meadows and pastures: 18%
forest and woodland: 54%
other: 13%
Irrigated land: 280 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues: water-borne diseases are prevalent; deforestation;
overgrazing; desertification; poaching; overfishing
natural hazards: recent volcanic activity with release of poisonous
gases
international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical
Timber 83; signed, but not ratified - Desertification, Nuclear Test
Ban, Tropical Timber 94
Note: sometimes referred to as the hinge of Africa
@Cameroon:People
Population: 13.521 million (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 44% (female 2,978,216; male 3,001,487)
15-64 years: 52% (female 3,562,247; male 3,523,100)
65 years and over: 4% (female 248,314; male 207,636) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.92% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 40.42 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 11.19 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 75.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 57.48 years
male: 55.41 years
female: 59.6 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 5.8 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Cameroonian(s)
adjective: Cameroonian
Ethnic divisions: 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 51%, Christian 33%, Muslim 16%
Languages: 24 major African language groups, English (official),
French (official)
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1987)
total population: 55%
male: 66%
female: 45%
Labor force: NA
by occupation: agriculture 74.4%, industry and transport 11.4%, other
services 14.2% (1983)
@Cameroon:Government
Names:
conventional long form: Republic of Cameroon
conventional short form: Cameroon
former: French Cameroon
Digraph: CM
Type: unitary republic; multiparty presidential regime (opposition
parties legalized 1990)
Capital: Yaounde
Administrative divisions: 10 provinces; Adamaoua, Centre, Est,
Extreme-Nord, Littoral, Nord, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud, Sud-Ouest
Independence: 1 January 1960 (from UN trusteeship under French
administration)
National holiday: National Day, 20 May (1972)
Constitution: 20 May 1972
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); election
last held 11 October 1992; results - President Paul BIYA reelected
with about 40% of the vote amid widespread allegations of fraud; SDF
candidate John FRU NDI got 36% of the vote; UNDP candidate Bello Bouba
MAIGARI got 19% of the vote
head of government: Prime Minister Simon ACHIDI ACHU (since 9 April
1992)
cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the president
Legislative branch: unicameral
National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale): elections last held 1 March
1992 (next scheduled for March 1997); results - (180 seats) CPDM 88,
UNDP 68, UPC 18, MDR 6
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: Cameroon People's Democratic Movement
(CPDM), Paul BIYA, president, is government-controlled and was
formerly the only party, but opposition parties were legalized in 1990
major opposition parties: National Union for Democracy and Progress
(UNDP); Social Democratic Front (SDF); Cameroonian Democratic Union
(UDC); Union of Cameroonian Populations (UPC); Movement for the
Defense of the Republic (MDR)
Other political or pressure groups: Alliance for Change (FAC),
Cameroon Anglophone Movement (CAM)
Member of: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CCC, CEEAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-19,
G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, NAM,
OAU, OIC, PCA, UDEAC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Jerome MENDOUGA
chancery: 2349 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 265-8790 through 8794
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Harriet W. ISOM
embassy: Rue Nachtigal, Yaounde
mailing address: B. P. 817, Yaounde
telephone: [237] 23-40-14
FAX: [237] 23-07-53
consulate(s): none (Douala closed September 1993)
Flag: 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 offshore oil resources and favorable
agricultural conditions, Cameroon has one of the best-endowed, most
diversified primary commodity economies in sub-Saharan Africa. Still,
it faces many of the serious problems facing other underdeveloped
countries, such as political instability, a top-heavy civil service,
and a generally unfavorable climate for business enterprise. The
development of the oil sector led rapid economic growth between 1970
and 1985. Growth came to an abrupt halt in 1986, precipitated by steep
declines in the prices of major exports: coffee, cocoa, and petroleum.
Export earnings were cut by almost one-third, and inefficiencies in
fiscal management were exposed. In 1990-93, with support from the IMF
and World Bank, the government began to introduce reforms designed to
spur business investment, increase efficiency in agriculture, and
recapitalize the nation's banks. Political instability, following
suspect elections in 1992, brought IMF/WB structural adjustment to a
halt. Although the 50% devaluation of the currency in January 1994
improved the potential for export growth, mismanagement remains and is
the main barrier to economic improvement.
National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $15.7 billion (1994
est.)
National product real growth rate: -2.9% (1994 est.)
National product per capita: $1,200 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): -0.8% (FY91/92)
Unemployment rate: 25% (1990 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $1.6 billion
expenditures: $2.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $226
million (FY92/93 est.)
Exports: $1.6 billion (f.o.b., 1993)
commodities: petroleum products, lumber, cocoa beans, aluminum,
coffee, cotton
partners: EC (particularly France) about 40%, African countries, US
Imports: $1.96 billion (c.i.f., 1993)
commodities: machines and electrical equipment, food, consumer goods,
transport equipment
partners: EC about 60% (France 38%, Germany 9%), African countries,
Japan, US 5%
External debt: $6 billion (1991)
Industrial production: growth rate -2.1% (FY90/91); accounts for about
20% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity: 630,000 kW
production: 2.7 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 196 kWh (1993)
Industries: petroleum production and refining, food processing, light
consumer goods, textiles, lumber
Agriculture: the agriculture and forestry sectors provide employment
for the majority of the population, contributing about 25% to GDP and
providing a high degree of self-sufficiency in staple foods;
commercial and food crops include coffee, cocoa, timber, cotton,
rubber, bananas, oilseed, grains, livestock, root starches
Economic aid:
recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-90), $479 million;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
(1970-90), $4.75 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $29 million;
Communist countries (1970-89), $125 million
Currency: 1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1
- 529.43 (January 1995), 555.20 (1994), 283.16 (1993), 264.69 (1992),
282.11 (1991), 272.26 (1990)
note: beginning 12 January 1994, the CFA franc was devalued to CFAF
100 per French franc from CFAF 50 at which it had been fixed since
1948
Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June
@Cameroon:Transportation
Railroads:
total: 1,111 km
narrow gauge: 1,111 km 1.000-m gauge
Highways:
total: 65,000 km
paved: 2,682 km
unpaved: gravel, improved earth 32,318 km; unimproved earth 30,000 km
Inland waterways: 2,090 km; of decreasing importance
Ports: Bonaberi, Douala, Garoua, Kribi, Tiko
Merchant marine:
total: 2 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 24,122 GRT/33,509
DWT
Airports:
total: 60
with paved runways over 3,047 m: 2
with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 1
with paved runways under 914 m: 20
with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 9
with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 21
@Cameroon:Communications
Telephone system: 26,000 telephones; telephone density - 2
telephones/1,000 persons; available only to business and government
local: NA
intercity: cable, microwave radio relay, and troposcatter
international: 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations
Radio:
broadcast stations: AM 11, FM 11, shortwave 0
radios: NA
Television:
broadcast stations: 1
televisions: NA
@Cameroon:Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy (includes Naval Infantry), Air Force, National
Gendarmerie, Presidential Guard
Manpower availability: males age 15-49 3,038,007; males fit for
military service 1,532,303; males reach military age (18) annually
147,293 (1995 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $102 million, NA% of
GDP (1994)
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