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 movement toward democratic reform,
  political power remains firmly in the hands of an ethnic oligarchy.

§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 kmē
  land: 469,440 kmē
  water: 6,000 kmē

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

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 kmē (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

§3. Cameroon People

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.)

§4. Cameroon Government

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, 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

§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 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:
  NA

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

Currency code:
  XAF

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

§6. Cameroon Communications

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)

§7. Cameroon Transportation

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 (2000 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 (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.)

§8. Cameroon Military

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)

§9. Cameroon Transnational Issues

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
