CIA World Fact Book, 2004/Cameroon


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!| 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.
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!| Location: !| Geographic coordinates: !| Map references: !| Area: water: 6,000 sq km land: 469,440 sq km !| Area - comparative: !| 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 !| Coastline: !| Maritime claims: !| Climate: !| Terrain: !| Elevation extremes: highest point: Fako (on Mount Cameroon) 4,095 m !| Natural resources: !| Land use: permanent crops: 2.58% other: 84.61% (2001) !| Irrigated land: !| Natural hazards: !| Environment - current issues: !| Environment - international agreements: signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements !| Geography - note:
 * Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria
 * 6 00 N, 12 00 E
 * Africa
 * total: 475,440 sq km
 * slightly larger than California
 * total: 4,591 km
 * 402 km
 * territorial sea: 50 nm
 * varies with terrain, from tropical along coast to semiarid and hot in north
 * diverse, with coastal plain in southwest, dissected plateau in center, mountains in west, plains in north
 * lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
 * petroleum, bauxite, iron ore, timber, hydropower
 * arable land: 12.81%
 * 330 sq km (1998 est.)
 * volcanic activity with periodic releases of poisonous gases from Lake Nyos and Lake Monoun volcanoes
 * water-borne diseases are prevalent; deforestation; overgrazing; desertification; poaching; overfishing
 * 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
 * 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
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!| Population: 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 2004 est.) !| Age structure: 15-64 years: 54.8% (male 4,425,246; female 4,370,329) 65 years and over: 3.2% (male 233,506; female 283,607) (2004 est.) !| Median age: male: 18.3 years female: 18.6 years (2004 est.) !| Population growth rate: !| Birth rate: !| Death rate: !| Net migration rate: !| Sex ratio: under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2004 est.) !| Infant mortality rate: female: 65.09 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 73.16 deaths/1,000 live births !| Life expectancy at birth: male: 47.1 years female: 48.83 years (2004 est.) !| Total fertility rate: !| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: !| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: !| HIV/AIDS - deaths: !| Major infectious diseases: overall degree of risk: very high (2004) !| Nationality: adjective: Cameroonian !| Ethnic groups: !| Religions: !| Languages: !| Literacy: total population: 79% male: 84.7% female: 73.4% (2003 est.)
 * 16,063,678
 * 0-14 years: 42% (male 3,416,086; female 3,334,904)
 * total: 18.5 years
 * 1.97% (2004 est.)
 * 35.08 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * 15.34 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
 * total: 69.18 deaths/1,000 live births
 * total population: 47.95 years
 * 4.55 children born/woman (2004 est.)
 * 6.9% (2003 est.)
 * 560,000 (2003 est.)
 * 49,000 (2003 est.)
 * typhoid fever, malaria, yellow fever, schistosomiasis
 * noun: Cameroonian(s)
 * Cameroon Highlanders 31%, Equatorial Bantu 19%, Kirdi 11%, Fulani 10%, Northwestern Bantu 8%, Eastern Nigritic 7%, other African 13%, non-African less than 1%
 * indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 40%, Muslim 20%
 * 24 major African language groups, English (official), French (official)
 * definition: age 15 and over can read and write
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!| Country name: conventional short form: Cameroon former: French Cameroon !| Government type: note: preponderance of power remains with the president !| Capital: !| Administrative divisions: !| Independence: !| National holiday: !| Constitution: !| Legal system: !| Suffrage: !| Executive branch: elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 11 October 2004 (next to be held NA October 2011); prime minister appointed by the president head of government: Prime Minister Ephraim INONI (since 8 Dec 2004) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from proposals submitted by the prime minister 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: elections: last held 23 June 2002 (next to be held NA 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: !| Political parties and leaders: !| Political pressure groups and leaders: !| International organization participation: !| Diplomatic representation in the US: chancery: 2349 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 FAX: [1] (202) 387-3826 telephone: [1] (202) 265-8790 !| Diplomatic representation from the US: embassy: Rue Nachtigal, Yaounde mailing address: P. O. Box 817, Yaounde; pouch: American Embassy, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-2520 telephone: [237] 223-05-12, 222-25-89, 222-17-94, 223-40-14 FAX: [237] 223-07-53 branch office(s): Douala !| Flag description:
 * conventional long form: Republic of Cameroon
 * unitary republic; multiparty presidential regime (opposition parties legalized in 1990)
 * Yaounde
 * 10 provinces; Adamaoua, Centre, Est, Extreme-Nord, Littoral, Nord, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud, Sud-Ouest
 * 1 January 1960 (from French-administered UN trusteeship)
 * Republic Day (National Day), 20 May (1972)
 * 20 May 1972 approved by referendum; 2 June 1972 formally adopted; revised January 1996
 * based on French civil law system, with common law influence; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
 * 20 years of age; universal
 * chief of state: President Paul BIYA (since 6 November 1982)
 * 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)
 * Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president); High Court of Justice (consists of 9 judges and 6 substitute judges, elected by the National Assembly)
 * 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]; Social Democratic Front or SDF [John FRU NDI]; Union of Cameroonian Populations or UPC [Augustin Frederic KODOCK]
 * Southern Cameroon National Council [Ayamba Ette OTUN]; Human Rights Defense Group [Albert MUKONG, president]
 * ABEDA, 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, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIK, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
 * chief of mission: Ambassador Jerome MENDOUGA
 * chief of mission: Ambassador George McDade STAPLES
 * 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
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!| Economy - overview: !| GDP: !| GDP - real growth rate: !| GDP - per capita: !| GDP - composition by sector: industry: 19.8% services: 37.6% (2003 est.) !| Investment (gross fixed): !| Population below poverty line: !| Household income or consumption by percentage share: highest 10%: 36.6% (1996) !| Distribution of family income - Gini index: !| Inflation rate (consumer prices): !| Labor force: !| Labor force - by occupation: !| Unemployment rate: !| Budget: expenditures: $1.941 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003 est.) !| Public debt: !| Agriculture - products: !| Industries: !| Industrial production growth rate: !| Electricity - production: !| Electricity - consumption: !| Electricity - exports: !| Electricity - imports: !| Oil - production: !| Oil - consumption: !| Oil - exports: !| Oil - imports: !| Oil - proved reserves: !| Natural gas - production: !| Natural gas - consumption: !| Natural gas - exports: !| Natural gas - imports: !| Natural gas - proved reserves: !| Current account balance: !| Exports: !| Exports - commodities: !| Exports - partners: !| Imports: !| Imports - commodities: !| Imports - partners: !| Reserves of foreign exchange & gold: !| Debt - external: !| Economic aid - recipient: !| Currency: !| Currency code: !| Exchange rates: !| Fiscal year:
 * 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.
 * purchasing power parity - $27.75 billion (2003 est.)
 * 4.2% (2003 est.)
 * purchasing power parity - $1,800 (2003 est.)
 * agriculture: 42.6%
 * 19.4% of GDP (2003)
 * 48% (2000 est.)
 * lowest 10%: 1.9%
 * 47.7 (1996)
 * 2.3% (2003 est.)
 * 6.49 million NA (2003)
 * agriculture 70%, industry and commerce 13%, other 17%
 * 30% (2001 est.)
 * revenues: $2.442 billion
 * 57.1% of GDP (2003)
 * coffee, cocoa, cotton, rubber, bananas, oilseed, grains, root starches; livestock; timber
 * petroleum production and refining, food processing, light consumer goods, textiles, lumber
 * 4.2% (1999 est.)
 * 3.613 billion kWh (2001)
 * 3.36 billion kWh (2001)
 * 0 kWh (2001)
 * 0 kWh (2001)
 * 76,650 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * 22,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * NA (2001)
 * NA (2001)
 * 200 million bbl (1 January 2002)
 * 0 cu m (2001 est.)
 * 0 cu m (2001 est.)
 * 0 cu m (2001 est.)
 * 0 cu m (2001 est.)
 * 55.22 billion cu m (1 January 2002)
 * $-564 million (2003)
 * $1.873 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
 * crude oil and petroleum products, lumber, cocoa beans, aluminum, coffee, cotton
 * Spain 21.9%, Italy 13.4%, France 10.8%, Netherlands 10.6%, US 7.5%, China 4.4% (2003)
 * $1.959 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
 * machinery, electrical equipment, transport equipment, fuel, food
 * France 21.9%, Nigeria 9.5%, Japan 6.8%, US 5.7%, China 4.9%, Germany 4.3% (2003)
 * $634 million (2003)
 * $7.236 billion (2003 est.)
 * on 23 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
 * Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States
 * XAF
 * Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 581.2 (2003), 696.988 (2002), 733.039 (2001), 711.976 (2000), 615.699 (1999)
 * 1 July - 30 June
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!| Telephones - main lines in use: !| Telephones - mobile cellular: !| Telephone system: 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: !| Radios: !| Television broadcast stations: !| Televisions: !| Internet country code: !| Internet hosts: !| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): !| Internet users: note: Cameroon also had more than 100 cyber-cafes in 2001
 * 110,900 (2002)
 * 1.077 million (2003)
 * general assessment: available only to business and government
 * AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 3 (2002)
 * 2.27 million (1997)
 * 1 (2002)
 * 450,000 (1997)
 * .cm
 * 479 (2004)
 * 1 (2002)
 * 60,000 (2002)
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!| Railways: narrow gauge: 1,008 km 1.000-m gauge (2003) !| Highways: paved: 4,288 km unpaved: 30,012 km (1999 est.) !| Waterways: !| Pipelines: !| Ports and harbors: !| Merchant marine: by type: petroleum tanker 1 (2004 est.) !| Airports: !| Airports - with paved runways: 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 (2004 est.) !| Airports - with unpaved runways: 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 20 under 914 m: 9 (2004 est.)
 * total: 1,008 km
 * total: 34,300 km
 * navigation mainly on Benue River; limited during rainy season (2004)
 * gas 90 km; liquid petroleum gas 9 km; oil 1,120 km (2004)
 * Bonaberi, Douala, Garoua, Kribi, Tiko
 * total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 169,593 GRT/357,023 DWT
 * 47 (2003 est.)
 * total: 11
 * total: 36
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!| Military branches: !| Military manpower - military age and obligation: !| Military manpower - availability: !| Military manpower - fit for military service: !| Military manpower - reaching military age annually: !| Military expenditures - dollar figure: !| Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
 * Army, Navy (includes Naval Infantry), Air Force
 * 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (1999)
 * males age 15-49: 3,898,944 (2004 est.)
 * males age 15-49: 1,979,151 (2004 est.)
 * males: 184,054 (2004 est.)
 * $189.2 million (2003)
 * 1.4% (2003)
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