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Cameroon
Abong-Mbang • Akonolinga • Ambam • Bafang • Bafia • Bafoussam • Bafut • Bagangte • Bali • Bamenda • Bamingie • Bandjoun • Bangem • Banyo • Batouri • Bélabo • Bertoua • Buea • Campo • Dimako • Dizangue • Djoum • Douala - port - railhead • Dschang • Ebolowa • Edéa • Foumban • Foumbot • Garoua • Goura • Guider • Idenau • Kaélé • Kousséri • Kribi • Kumba • Kumbo • Limbé • Lomié • Loum • Mamfe • Maroua • Martap • Mbalmayo • Mbandjock • Mbouda • Meiganga • Melong • Minam • Mokolo • Mora • Mouloudou • Mutengene • Ndu • Ngaoundéré - railhead • Nkambe • Nkongsamba • Sa'a • Sangmélima • Tibati • Tiko • Wum • Yaoundé - capital • Yagoua • Yokadouma •
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THE CAMEROON COAT OF ARMS
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 Location of Cameroon within the continent of Africa | |||
 Map of Cameroon | |||
 Flag Description of Cameroon:three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), red, and yellow, with a yellow five-pointed star centered in the red band; the vertical tricolor recalls the flag of France; red symbolizes unity, yellow the su.../td> | |||
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Official name République du Cameroun (French); Republic of Cameroon (English)
Form of government unitary multiparty republic with two legislative houses (Senate [100]1; National Assembly [180])
Head of state President: Paul Biya
Head of government Prime Minister: Philémon Yang
Capital Yaoundé
Official languages French; English
Official religion none
Monetary unit CFA franc (CFAF)
Population (2013 est.) 21,170,000COLLAPSE
Total area (sq mi) 183,920
Total area (sq km) 476,350
Urban-rural population
- Urban: (2010) 52%
- Rural: (2010) 48%
Life expectancy at birth
- Male: (2006) 51.7 years
- Female: (2006) 53 years
Literacy: percentage of population age 15 and over literate
- Male: (2007) 78.9%
- Female: (2007) 63%
GNI per capita (U.S.$) (2013) 1,270
1Thirty seats are appointed by the president and 70 seats are indirectly elected; the Senate was provided for under the constitutional revision of 1996 but was not formed until 2013.
BACKGROUND OF CAMEROON
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.
Cameroon, country lying at the junction of western and central Africa. Its ethnically diverse population is among the most urban in western Africa. The capital is Yaoundé, located in the south-centre of the country.
The country’s name is derived from Rio dos Camarões (“River of Prawns”)—the name given to the Wouri River estuary by Portuguese explorers of the 15th and 16th centuries. Camarões was also used to designate the river’s neighbouring mountains. Until the late 19th century, English usage confined the term “the Cameroons” to the mountains, while the estuary was called the Cameroons River or, locally, the Bay. In 1884 the Germans extended the word Kamerun to their entire protectorate, which largely corresponded to the present state.
| THE NATIONAL ANTHEM |
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O Cameroon, Thou Cradle of our Fathers, |
Geography of Caameroon
- Location : Central 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
- land: 472,710 sq km
- water: 2,730 sq km
- Area - comparative: slightly larger than California
- Land boundaries
- total: 5,018 km
- border countries: Central African Republic 901 km, Chad 1,116 km, Republic of the Congo 494 km, Equatorial Guinea 183 km, Gabon 349 km, Nigeria 1,975 km
- Coastline: 402 km
- Maritime claims
- territorial sea: 12 nm
- contiguous zone: 24 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: 13.04%
- permanent crops: 2.94%
- other: 84.01% (2011)
- Irrigated land: 256.5 sq km (2003)
- Total renewable water resources: 285.5 cu km (2011)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)
- total: 0.97 cu km/yr (23%/10%/68%)
- per capital: 58.9 cu m/yr (2005)
- Natural hazards: volcanic activity with periodic releases of poisonous gases from Lake Nyos and Lake Monoun volcanoes
- volcanism: Mt. Cameroon (elev. 4,095 m), which last erupted in 2000, is the most frequently active volcano in West Africa; lakes in Oku volcanic field have released fatal levels of gas on occasion, killing some 1,700 people in 1986
- 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, Wetlands, Whaling
- 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
Demographics of Cameroon
Cameroon Demographics Profile 2014
- Population: 23,130,708
- 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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2014 est.)
- Age structure
- 0-14 years: 42.9% (male 5,001,984/female 4,927,122)
- 15-24 years: 19.6% (male 2,286,244/female 2,257,231)
- 25-54 years: 30.4% (male 3,529,203/female 3,491,125)
- 55-64 years: 3.9% (male 445,181/female 468,388)
- 65 years and over
- 3.1% (male 337,490/female 386,740) (2014 est.)
- Dependency ratios
- total dependency ratio: 85.1 %
- youth dependency ratio: 79.1 %
- elderly dependency ratio: 6 %
- potential support ratio: 16.8 (2014 est.)
- Median age
- total: 18.3 years
- male: 18.2 years
- female: 18.4 years (2014 est.)
- Population growth rate: 2.6% (2014 est.)
- Birth rate: 36.58 births/1,000 population (2014 est.)
- Death rate: 10.4 deaths/1,000 population (2014 est.)
- Net migration rate: -0.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2014 est.)
- Urbanization
- urban population: 52.1% of total population (2011)
- rate of urbanization: 3.23% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
- Major cities - population: Douala 2.449 million; YAOUNDE (capital) 2.432 million (2011)
- Sex ratio
- at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
- 0-14 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
- 15-24 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
- 25-54 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
- 55-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female
- total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2014 est.)
- Mother's mean age at first birth: 19.7
- note: median age at first birth among women 25-29 (2011 est.)
- Infant mortality rate
- total: 55.1 deaths/1,000 live births
- male: 58.78 deaths/1,000 live births
- female: 51.31 deaths/1,000 live births (2014 est.)
- Life expectancy at birth
- total population: 57.35 years
- male: 56.09 years
- female: 58.65 years (2014 est.)
- Total fertility rate: 4.82 children born/woman (2014 est.)
- Contraceptive prevalence rate: 23.4% (2011)
- HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 4.5% (2012 est.)
- HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 600,500 (2012 est.)
- HIV/AIDS - deaths: 34,600 (2012 est.)
- Drinking water source
improved:
- urban: 94.1% of population
- rural: 51.9% of population
- total: 74.1% of population
unimproved:
- urban: 5.9% of population
- rural: 48.1% of population
- total: 25.9% of population (2012 est.)
- Sanitation facility access
improved:
- urban: 61.7% of population
- rural: 26.8% of population
- total: 45.2% of population
unimproved:
- urban: 38.3% of population
- rural: 73.2% of population
- total: 54.8% of population (2012 est.)
- Major infectious diseases
- degree of risk: very high
- food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
- vectorborne diseases: malaria, dengue fever, and yellow fever
- water contact disease: schistosomiasis
- respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis
- animal contact disease: rabies (2013)
- 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: 71.3%
- male: 78.3%
- female: 64.8% (2010 est.)
- School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
- total: 10 years
- male: 11 years
- female: 10 years (2011)
- Child labor -children ages 5-14
- total number: 1,396,281
- percentage: 31 % (2006 est.)
- Education expenditures: 3.2% of GDP (2011)
- Maternal mortality rate: 690 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)
- Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 15.1% (2011)
- Health expenditures: 5.2% of GDP (2011)
- Physicians density: 0.08 physicians/1,000 population (2009)
- Hospital bed density: 1.3 beds/1,000 population (2010)
- Obesity - adult prevalence rate: 10.3% (2008)
- Ethnic and linguistic composition
The country has been described as an “ethnic crossroads” because of its more than 200 different ethnic groups. There are three main linguistic groups: the Bantu-speaking peoples of the south, the Sudanic-speaking peoples of the north, and those who speak the Semi-Bantu languages, situated mainly in the west.--->>>>>Rean More.<<<<
Location of Cameroon within the continent of Africa | |||
Map of Cameroon | |||
Flag Description of Cameroon:three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), red, and yellow, with a yellow five-pointed star centered in the red band; the vertical tricolor recalls the flag of France; red symbolizes unity, yellow the su.../td> | |||
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Government of Cameroon
- Constitutional framework
Cameroon’s constitution has undergone various developments since the country achieved independence. The constitution of 1961 linked the states of West Cameroon and East Cameroon together into a federation. The constitution of 1972, subsequently revised, replaced the federation with a centralized government. The constitution of 1996 provided for the establishment of a bicameral legislature—although a second body has yet to be created—and, to a minor extent, decentralized the government.
Executive powers are conferred upon the president, who serves as chief of state and head of the armed forces; the president also appoints a prime minister and a cabinet. The president is elected to a seven-year term by direct universal suffrage. A controversial constitutional amendment promulgated in 2008 eliminated presidential term limits and granted immunity to the country’s president for any acts committed in an official capacity during the president’s time in office. Legislative power is vested in the unicameral National Assembly, which can force the resignation of a prime minister through passage of a vote of no confidence. Members of the National Assembly are directly elected for five-year terms, although the president is enabled to alter the length of that term.
- Local government
Cameroon is divided into provinces, each of which is administered by a governor appointed by the president. Each province is further divided into départements. The 1996 constitution addressed, albeit nominally, popular demand for decentralization of the government; to that end, provinces were to be replaced by régions, which would be administered by councils composed of indirectly elected members and representatives of traditional leaders. The new administrative structure, however, has not been implemented.
- Justice
Although the constitution calls for an independent court system, in practice the president has a powerful role in judicial appointments. The legal system of Cameroon consists of the Supreme Court, a Court of Appeal, and high and circuit courts. The Supreme Court decides whether a bill is receivable by the National Assembly in the event of a dispute between the president and the legislature. It also passes judgment on appeals concerning administrative actions of the government and decisions of the Court of Appeal. The Court of Impeachment passes judgment on the president in case of high treason and on other government ministers in the event of a plot against the government.
- Political process
Cameroon became a de facto one-party state in 1966 and was dominated by the Cameroon National Union, a union of six political parties; it was renamed the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement in 1985. After significant political unrest and a number of violent clashes, a constitutional amendment in 1990 established a multiparty system. Other major political parties include the National Union for Democracy and Progress, the Cameroon People’s Union, and the Social Democratic Front.
The constitution guarantees every Cameroonian the right of participation in the government of the country, whether directly or by way of elected officials. Women have held a number of posts within the government, including seats in the National Assembly and the cabinet and positions in some of the major political parties. Although all ethnic groups have the right to participate in the political process, the constitution does not guarantee that they are represented proportionally in government positions; historically, the Beti have held a disproportionately high number of government posts.
- Security
Cameroon’s defense forces are composed of an army, a navy and naval infantry, an air force, and a paramilitary force. The army is the largest contingent, although the paramilitary force is also sizable. Service in the military is voluntary, and recruits are eligible at age 18. Cameroon maintains a bilateral defense agreement with France.
- Health and welfare
Although the incidence of HIV/AIDS is generally lower in Cameroon than in neighbouring countries, it is nevertheless one of Cameroon’s gravest health concerns. HIV/AIDS is particularly widespread among young women. Malaria is prevalent everywhere except in the mountainous regions, where respiratory and pulmonary diseases and dysentery are common. There are incidences of leprosy and schistosomiasis, as well as syphilis, sleeping sickness, and rheumatism. The infant mortality rate remains high by world standards but is nonetheless comparatively low for sub-Saharan Africa.
The government emphasized the improvement of the country’s health facilities in the first decade after independence and increased the number of hospitals, dispensaries, and elementary health centres about sevenfold. Hospitals in major cities were modernized, and in the late 1980s the country had one of the lowest ratios of population to hospital beds in western Africa. A Health Sciences University Centre was established at the University of Yaoundé in 1969 to train physicians and other medical personnel. Precipitated by the country’s economic crisis, the quality of health care declined significantly following the major cutbacks in health care spending during the 1990s.
There is no government system of social security covering the whole population. Most assistance is obtained through the traditional kinship system. The National Social Insurance Fund, financed by employee and employer contributions, provides limited pension benefits for wage employees.
- Education
Educational services have greatly expanded since independence, and, at the beginning of the 21st century, Cameroon had one of the highest rates of school attendance in Africa. Access to and quality of educational facilities vary regionally. Attendance is low especially in the north, where a significant proportion of girls in particular do not attend school. Educational structure varies between the eastern and western regions of the country, and schooling is not compulsory everywhere.
Primary education generally begins at age six and lasts for six or seven years, depending on the region. Secondary education begins at age 12 or 13 and varies in length. About three-fourths of all children of primary-school age are enrolled either in government schools or in Christian mission schools. This attendance rate is not constant throughout the country, however, because the availability of school facilities varies regionally.
There are general-education secondary schools, vocational schools, and teacher-training schools. Manual labour is compulsory in secondary and technical schools as a means of encouraging graduates to take up farming instead of seeking white-collar jobs in the cities. The University of Yaoundé was established in 1962 and divided into two universities in 1992. Additional government universities were subsequently opened in Buea, Dschang, Douala, and Ngaoundéré. There are a number of private universities in operation, including those in Baruenda and Yaoundé.
More than three-fourths of those age 15 and older are literate; although there is a notable literacy gap between the genders, the literacy rates for both are higher than the regional averages.
- Country name
- conventional long form: Republic of Cameroon
- conventional short form: Cameroon
- local long form: Republique du Cameroun/Republic of Cameroon
- local short form: Cameroun/Cameroon
- former: French Cameroon, British Cameroon, Federal Republic of Cameroon, United Republic of Cameroon
- Government type: republic; multiparty presidential regime
- Capital
- name: Yaounde
- geographic coordinates: 3 52 N, 11 31 E
- time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
- Administrative divisions: 10 regions (regions, singular - region); Adamaoua, Centre, East (Est), Far North (Extreme-Nord), Littoral, North (Nord), North-West (Nord-Ouest), West (Ouest), South (Sud), South-West (Sud-Ouest)
- Independence: 1 January 1960 (from French-administered UN trusteeship)
- National holiday: Republic Day (National Day), 20 May (1972)
- Constitution: several previous; latest effective 18 January 1996; amended 2008 (2008)
- Legal system: mixed legal system of English common law, French civil law, and customary law
- International: law organization participation accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; non-party state to the ICCt
- Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal
- Executive branch
- chief of state: President Paul BIYA (since 6 November 1982)
- head of government: Prime Minister Philemon YANG (since 30 June 2009)
- cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from proposals submitted by the prime minister
- elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (with no term limits per 2008 constitutional amendment); election last held on 9 October 2011 (next to be held in October 2018); prime minister appointed by the president
- election results: President Paul BIYA reelected; percent of vote - Paul BIYA 78.0%, John FRU NDI 10.7%, Garga Haman ADJI 3.2%, Adamou Ndam NJOYA 1.7%, Paul Abine AYAH 1.3%, other 5.1%
- Legislative branch
- bicameral legislature consisting of an upper house or Senate (100 seats; 70 indirectly elected by municipal councils, 30 appointed by the President) and a 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; a senate was initially designated in 1996 by constitutional amendment but was only convened following a presidential decree in 2013
- elections: Senate last held on 14 April 2013 (next to be held NA); National Assembly last held on 30 September 2013 (next to be held in 2018)
- election results: Senate percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CPDM 56, SDF 14; National Assembley percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CPDM 148, SDF 18, UNDP 5, UDC 4, UPC 3, other 2
- Judicial branch
- highest court(s): Supreme Court of Cameroon (consists of 9 titular and 6 surrogate judges and organized into judicial, administrative, and audit chambers); Constitutional Council (consists of 11 members)
judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges appointed by the president with the advice of the Higher Judicial Council of Cameroon (a body chaired by the president and includes the minister of justice, selected magistrates, and representatives of the National Assembly); judge term NA; Constitutional Council members appointed by the president for single 9-year terms
- subordinate courts: Parliamentary Court of Justice (jurisdiction limited to cases involving the president and prime minister); appellate and first instance courts; circuit and magistrate's courts
- Political parties and leaders Cameroon People's Democratic Movement or CPDM [Paul BIYA]
- Cameroon People's Party or CPP [Edith Kah WALLA]
- Cameroonian Democratic Union or UDC [Adamou Ndam NJOYA]
- Movement for the Defense of the Republic or MDR [Dakole DAISSALA]
- Movement for the Liberation and Development of Cameroon or MLDC [Marcel YONDO]
- National Union for Democracy and Progress or UNDP [Maigari BELLO BOUBA]
- Progressive Movement or MP [Jean-Jacques EKINDI]
- Social Democratic Front or SDF [John FRU NDI]
- Union of Peoples of Cameroon or UPC [The PMB, provisionary management bureau]
- Political pressure groups and leaders Human Rights Defense Group [Albert MUKONG, president]
- Southern Cameroon National Council [Ayamba Ette OTUN]
- International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, C, CEMAC, EITI (candidate country), FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MONUSCO, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
- Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph FOE-ATANGANA (since 12 September 2008)
- chancery: 2349 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008; current temporary address - 3400 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
- telephone: [1] (202) 265-8790
- FAX: [1] (202) 387-3826
- Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Gregory THOME
- embassy: Avenue Rosa Parks, Yaounde
- mailing address: P. O. Box 817, Yaounde; pouch: American Embassy, US Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-2520
- telephone: [237] 2220 15 00; Consular: [237] 2220 16 03
- FAX: [237] 2220 15 00 Ext. 4531; Consular FAX: [237] 2220 17 52
- branch office(s): Douala
- National anthem
- name: "O Cameroun, Berceau de nos Ancetres" (O Cameroon, Cradle of Our Forefathers)
lyrics/music: Rene Djam AFAME, Samuel Minkio BAMBA, Moise Nyatte NKO'O [French], Benard Nsokika FONLON [English]/Rene Djam AFAME note: adopted 1957; Cameroon's anthem, also known as "Chant de Ralliement" (The Rallying Song), has been used unofficially since 1948 and officially adopted in 1957; the anthem has French and English versions whose lyrics differ
ECONOMY OF CAMEROON
In the two decades following independence, Cameroon was quite prosperous. The government initially concentrated on expansion of educational facilities, diversification of farm production, selective industrialization, rural development, and the introduction of rural cooperatives. In subsequent years, however, less central planning and more reliance on private enterprise and free trade became the dominant trends.--->>>>>Read More.<<<<
- Economy - overview
- Because of its modest 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 confronting other underdeveloped countries, such as stagnant per capita income, a relatively inequitable distribution of income, a top-heavy civil service, endemic corruption, 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. The IMF is pressing for more reforms, including increased budget transparency, privatization, and poverty reduction programs. Subsidies for electricity, food, and fuel have strained the budget. Cameroon has several large infrastructure projects under construction, including a deep sea port in Kribi and the Lom Pangar Hydropower Project. It also recently opened a natural gas powered electricity generating plant. Cameroon must attract more investment to improve its inadequate infrastructure, but its business environment is a deterrent to foreign investment.
- GDP (purchasing power parity)
- $53.16 billion (2013 est.)
- $50.85 billion (2012 est.)
- $48.62 billion (2011 est.)
- note: data are in 2013 US dollars
- GDP (official exchange rate): $27.88 billion
- GDP - real growth rate
- 4.6% (2013 est.)
- 4.6% (2012 est.)
- 4.1% (2011 est.)
- GDP - per capita (PPP)
- $2,400 (2013 est.)
- $2,400 (2012 est.)
- $2,300 (2011 est.)
- note: data are in 2013 US dollars
- Gross national saving
- 21.6% of GDP (2013 est.)
- 21% of GDP (2012 est.)
- 19.8% of GDP (2011 est.)
- GDP - composition, by end use
- household consumption: 65.6%
- government consumption: 16%
- investment in fixed capital: 21.7%
- investment in inventories: 0%
- exports of goods and services: 31.7%
- imports of goods and services: -35%
(2013 est.)
- GDP - composition by sector
- agriculture: 20.6%
- industry: 27.3%
- services: 52.1% (2013 est.)
- Population below poverty line: 48% (2000 est.)
- Labor force: 8.426 million (2013 est.)
- Labor force - by occupation
- agriculture: 70%
- industry: 13%
- services: 17% (2001 est.)
- Unemployment rate: 30% (2001 est.)
- Household income or consumption by percentage share
- lowest 10%: 2.3%
- highest 10%: 35.4% (2001)
- Distribution of family income - Gini index
- 44.6 (2001)
- 47.7 (1996)
- Budget revenues: $5.089 billion
- expenditures: $6.28 billion (2013 est.)
- Taxes and other revenues: 18.3% of GDP (2013 est.)
- Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-): -4.3% of GDP (2013 est.)
- Public debt
- 16.7% of GDP (2013 est.)
- 16.1% of GDP (2012 est.)
- Inflation rate (consumer prices)
- 2.6% (2013 est.)
- 2.9% (2012 est.)
- Central bank discount rate: 4.25% (31 December 2009 est.)
- Commercial bank prime lending rate
- 14% (31 December 2013 est.)
- 14% (31 December 2012 est.)
- Stock of narrow money
- $3.764 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
- $3.482 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
- Stock of broad money
- $6.195 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
- $5.731 billion (31 December 2012 est.
- Stock of domestic credit
- $2.898 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
- $2.772 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
- Market value of publicly traded shares: $230 million (31 December 2012 est.)
- Agriculture - products coffee, cocoa, cotton, rubber, bananas, oilseed, grains, cassava (manioc, tapioca); livestock; timber
- Industries: petroleum production and refining, aluminum production, food processing, light consumer goods, textiles, lumber, ship repair
- Industrial production growth rate: 4.1% (2013 est.)
- Current Account Balance
- -$1.461 billion (2013 est.)
- -$956.2 million (2012 est.)
- Exports
- $6.002 billion (2013 est.)
- $6.015 billion (2012 est.)
- Exports - commodities crude oil and petroleum products, lumber, cocoa beans, aluminum, coffee, cotton
- Exports - partners: China 15.2%, Netherlands 9.7%, Spain 9.1%, India 8.6%, Portugal 8.1%, Italy 6%, US 5.5%, France 4% (2012)
- Imports
- $6.795 billion (2013 est.)
- $6.321 billion (2012 est.)
- Imports - commodities machinery, electrical equipment, transport equipment, fuel, food
- Imports - partners: China 18.7%, France 14.9%, Nigeria 12.3%, Belgium 5.2%, US 4.4%, India 4.2% (2012)
- Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
- $3.353 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
- $3.431 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
- Debt - external
- $3.455 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
- $3.207 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
- Exchange rates Cooperation Financiere en Afrique Centrale francs (XAF) per dollar -
- 500.7 (2013 est.)
- 510.53 (2012 est.)
- 495.28 (2010 est.)
- 472.19 (2009)
- 447.81 (2008)
Fiscal year 1 July - 30 June
Cultural life of Cameroon
Each major ethnic group of the country has developed its own culture. The vigorous rhythms played on the drums by the people of the southern forest region contrast with the flute music of northern Cameroonians. In the Adamawa area, the Muslim Fulani produce elaborately worked leather goods and ornate calabashes (gourds used as containers), and the Kirdi and the Matakam of the western mountains produce distinctive types of pottery. The powerful masks of the Bali, which represent elephants’ heads, are used in ceremonies for the dead, and the statuettes of the Bamileke are carved in human and animal figures. The Tikar people are famous for beautifully decorated brass pipes, the Ngoutou people for two-faced masks, and the Bamum for smiling masks.
Holidays in Cameroon include those associated with the majority Christian population, including Good Friday, Easter, and Christmas. The Feast of the Assumption is observed by the Roman Catholic community on August 15. Holidays celebrated by the Muslim community, including Ramadan, are governed by the lunar calendar. Other holidays include Youth Day, which is celebrated on February 11, and National Day, which commemorates the unification of the English- and French-speaking portions of the country in 1972, observed on May 20.
- Cultural institutions
Of the country’s several museums, the Diamaré Museum at Maroua has anthropological collections relating to the local Sudanic peoples that include musical instruments, jewelry, and other cultural artifacts; the Cameroon Museum of Douala exhibits objects of prehistory and natural history; and the International Museum and Library in Bamenda houses numerous cultural items. Italian sponsorship enabled the establishment of a series of cultural heritage museums in north and northwest Cameroon. The national library, national museum, and national archives are located in Yaoundé.
- Sports and recreation
Traditional sports are an important part of Cameroonian life, and wrestling—found in one form or another in almost every village of the country—is particularly popular. Tug-of-war is another common village sport, and dancing competitions are popular in the northwest. In the north, where the keeping of cattle is significant, horse racing is an important recreation, especially among the Fulani. Canoe racing is enjoyed along the coast, and villages often compete against each other. In areas where game is hunted for food, shooting contests are held just before hunting seasons. As more people move to the cities, however, these traditional activities are slowly losing influence.
The most popular sport in Cameroon, football (soccer), is played throughout the country. The sport has been viewed as an important part of nation building: patriotic pride swelled when the national team, the Indomitable Lions, won the African Cup of Nations in 1984 and in 2000 and when it became the first African team to advance to the semifinals of the World Cup in 1990. In 1999 the Lions won the gold medal at the All-Africa Games.
Cameroon made its Olympic debut at the 1964 Games in Tokyo. Joseph Bessala won the country’s first medal, a silver in welterweight boxing, at the 1968 Games in Mexico City. The men’s soccer team later won gold at the 2000 Sydney Games, and Francoise Mbango Etone became the first female Cameroonian to win a gold medal when she won the women’s triple jump at the 2004 Athens Games.
- Media and publishing
Dailies in circulation in Cameroon include Le Quotidien, which is issued in French, and the Cameroon Tribune, which is published in both French and English. Popular periodicals include La Gazette and Le Messager, each issued in French, and the Cameroon Outlook and Cameroon Times, both of which are published in English. Radio programming is available in French, English, and a variety of other languages, depending on the station; satellite broadcasts are also available. Domination of television broadcasting by the state was broken by the country’s first private television station in 2001. The government exercises substantial control over the media.
History of Cameroon
- Early history
From archaeological evidence it is known that humans have inhabited Cameroon for at least 50,000 years, and there is strong evidence of the existence of important kingdoms and states in more recent times. Of these, the most widely known is Sao, which arose in the vicinity of Lake Chad, probably in the 5th century ce. This kingdom reached its height from the 9th to the 15th century, after which it was conquered and destroyed by the Kotoko state, which extended over large portions of northern Cameroon and Nigeria. Kotoko was incorporated into the Bornu empire during the reign of Rābiḥ al-Zubayr (Rabah) in the late 19th century, and its people became Muslims.
Islam became a powerful force in the northern and central portions of the country through conquest, immigration, and the spread of commerce from north and northwestern Africa. The most significant bearers of this faith, the Fulani, entered northern Cameroon in the 18th century. The first small groups of pastoralists were welcomed by the host populations. Eventually the Fulani, frustrated under non-Muslim rule and encouraged by the teachings of the mystic Usman dan Fodio, revolted. In the early 1800s Modibbo Adama was appointed by Usman to lead a jihad over large areas centred in northern Nigeria, which were subsequently incorporated into Usman’s Sokoto empire.
The Fulani expansion reached its southernmost point with the conquest of Bamum, a kingdom founded in the 17th century by Nshare, the son of a Tikar chief. Bamoum was one of the largest of numerous kingdoms that emerged in the grassland areas of Cameroon at that time. The Fulani conquest was brief and did not result in Islamization, although this faith was accepted by a later ruler, Sultan Njoya, in the early 20th century.
Islam was a significant influence entering Cameroon from the north. Other powerful influences entered from the southern coastal region. In 1472 the Portuguese explorer Fernão do Pó was the first European to view the Cameroon coast, although Hanno, a Carthaginian, may have sailed there 2,000 years earlier. Pó was followed by traders, many of whom were involved in the Atlantic slave trade. Cameroon became a significant source of slaves, a number of whom were sold and traded at Bimbia, Douala, and other ports. Routes linked these ports far inland where the Bamileke, Bamoum, and other kingdoms provided a greater supply of slaves. In the early 1800s the slave trade declined, and attention turned to trade in rubber, palm oil, and other items. Earlier Portuguese and Dutch influences were largely replaced by the British and the Germans.
Christian missionaries also began to play a role in the region. Under the leadership of Englishman Alfred Saker and West Indians such as Joseph Merrick, a Baptist station was established in 1845 at Akwa Town (now Douala). Saker established a larger post at Victoria (now Limbe) in 1858. The American Presbyterian mission opened a station in 1871. The origin and denomination of the missions changed frequently, but the Presbyterians, Baptists, and Roman Catholics have been the most prominent.
- German Kamerun (1884–1916)
In spite of the predominant role of the British along the coast, in 1884 the Germans claimed the region as Kamerun. The explorer Gustav Nachtigal arrived in July 1884 to annex the Douala coast. The Germans moved inland over the years, extending their control and their claims. Initially, their major dealings were with African traders, but direct trade with the interior promised greater profits, and colonial power was used to break the African monopoly. Plantation agriculture was another major German economic activity. Large estates were established in southwestern Kamerun to provide tropical produce for Germany. Traders, plantation owners, and government officials competed for labour, and force was used to obtain it. The system established was harsh, and many workers died serving German interests.
British Cameroons (1916–61) and French Cameroun (1916–60) In World War I British, French, and Belgian troops drove the Germans into exile, beginning a period of British rule in two small portions and French rule in the remainder of the territory. These League of Nations mandates (later United Nations [UN] trusts) were referred to as French Cameroun and British Cameroons.
The British trust territory consisted of a strip of land bisected by the Benue River along the eastern border of Nigeria. British rule was a period of neglect, and this, coupled with the influx of numerous Nigerians, caused great resentment. The old German plantations were eventually united into a single parastatal (government-owned enterprise), the Cameroon Development Corporation, and were the mainstay of the economy. Development also occurred in agriculture, especially in the latter years of British rule. The production of cacao, coffee, and bananas grew rapidly.
The French territory had an administration based on that of the other territories of French Equatorial Africa. Greater agricultural development took place in French Cameroun. Limited industrial and infrastructural growth also occurred, largely after World War II. At independence, French Cameroun had a much higher gross national product per capita, higher education levels, better health care, and better infrastructure than British Cameroons.
Although there were differences in the French and British colonial experiences, there were also strong similarities. Most important, these rulers continued drawing Cameroon into the international economic system. By the time of independence, the trusts produced raw materials for European industries but were dependent on Europe, and especially France, for finished goods. This fragile economy would long continue to plague Cameroon.
- Moving toward independence
After World War II, developments in Cameroon and Europe brought about independence. In French Cameroun the major question was the type and intensity of the relationship with France after independence. The first nationalist party, the Cameroon People’s Union (Union des Populations Camerounaises; UPC), led by Felix-Roland Moumie and Reuben Um Nyobe, demanded a thorough break with France and the establishment of a socialist economy. French officials suppressed the UPC, leading to a bitter civil war, while encouraging alternative political leaders. On Jan. 1, 1960, independence was granted. In elections held soon after independence, Ahmadou Ahidjo was elected the first president of the Republic of Cameroon. Ahidjo and his party, the Cameroon Union (Union Camerounaise), pledged to build a capitalist economy and to maintain close ties to France.
In British Cameroons the major question was whether to remain with Nigeria or to unite with the newly independent Republic of Cameroon. In a UN-supervised plebiscite in February 1961, the south decided to unite with the former French Cameroun, creating the Federal Republic of Cameroon. The north voted to join the Federation of Nigeria.
- Ahidjo presidency (1960–82)
Ahidjo ruled from independence until 1982. He centralized political power in himself and in the capital, Yaoundé. Cameroon became an authoritarian, single-party state (under the Cameroon National Union [Union Nationale Camerounaise; UNC], formed in the mid-1960s by the merger of a number of parties) in which civil rights meant little. Ahidjo declared nation building to be a major goal, using the fear of ethnic conflict to justify authoritarianism.
Ahidjo’s policy of planned liberalism was formulated to encourage private investment, with government to play a strong role in guiding development. Expansion of export crops was to provide the foreign capital needed. The 1973 announcement of the Green Revolution proposed that the country was to become self-sufficient in food and to become the primary food source for its neighbours.
The discovery of exploitable petroleum in the 1970s was of great benefit to the economy, and petroleum swiftly became Cameroon’s most valuable export. Petroleum revenues were used to increase prices to farmers, to pay for imports of materials and technology, and to build financial reserves. Unfortunately, petroleum income also paid for a number of costly and poorly planned projects.
Large-scale industrial development projects met with little success, and much capital was lost. Although there was more success in assisting the growth of agribusinesses and small and medium-sized enterprises producing goods for local use, the country still largely depended on imported industrial goods. Exceptions to this were refined petroleum products, cement, textiles and clothing, beverages, and aluminum. Expansion of transportation facilities, the development of hydroelectric capability, and tremendous growth in education took place.
- Cameroon under Biya
- TRANSITION
On Nov. 4, 1982, Ahidjo resigned and was succeeded by Prime Minister Paul Biya under the constitution; however, Ahidjo remained head of the UNC, the sole political party. Despite Ahidjo’s resignation, he still had expectations of retaining control over the government—intentions that did not sit well with Biya. A confrontation soon followed when Ahidjo tried to assert party domination over the government. The bid was unsuccessful, however, and in August 1983 Ahidjo was forced to resign as head of the party. A minor coup attempt and a subsequent uprising by the Republican Guard on April 6, 1984—perhaps favoured or directed by Ahidjo or his supporters—followed. Biya emerged unscathed, while Ahidjo, who had taken refuge in France, was tried and sentenced in absentia for his role in the plot. What remained of Ahidjo’s UNC was soon restyled as Biya’s Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (Rassemblement Démocratique du Peuple Camerounaise; RDPC).
- CONSOLIDATION AND CHALLENGE
At first Biya had sought the development of a more democratic society. Competitive elections for party offices and the National Assembly were permitted, even though the country was still a single-party state. The conflict with Ahidjo and the 1984 coup attempt, however, brought back some of the restrictions of the Ahidjo era. As the sole candidate for the country’s only legal political party, Biya won uncontested presidential elections in both 1984 and 1988. In the 1990s Biya resisted both domestic and international pressure to democratize. Although he supported legislation in late 1990 that provided for a change to a multiparty political system, he employed a variety of tactics to ensure the status of the RDPC as the dominant party.
At the same time, calls for democracy were also increasing in the English-speaking part of the country. There, many citizens claiming oppression by the French-speaking majority made demands for a return to a federal system, while extremists called for Anglophone independence and threatened violence if their demands were not met. Tensions between the Anglophone community and the Biya administration continued into the 2000s.
In addition to political strife, Biya also had to deal with growing economic troubles. He had inherited a country poised on the brink of severe economic crisis; although the crisis had taken root during Ahidjo’s tenure, it did not surface until after his resignation. Cameroon’s economy, extremely dependent on such exports as cocoa, coffee, and oil, was adversely affected by decreases in the prices of these commodities during the 1980s. In addition, poor economic management had long plagued the country. Cameroonians placed the blame on Biya, and by the late 1980s opposition to the government had grown. In 1987 Biya admitted that the country faced an economic crisis, and the necessity of an International Monetary Fund structural adjustment program and budget cuts was recognized. The realization that Cameroon had not been able to change the dependent nature of its economy, regardless of the economic progress made since independence, was the cause of much frustration.
Despite the subsequent efforts made toward economic reform, conditions in Cameroon were less than ideal, and corruption was rampant. By the 1990s the country was in severe recession. Numerous jobs had been lost, many workers had received salary cuts, and education and health care funding had been reduced. Discontent with the government—manifested in part by periodic demonstrations and strikes to protest the country’s economic policies—was extremely high. Cameroon did benefit from debt relief by international creditors, particularly in 2006, when the majority of the country’s sizable debt to the Paris Club, a group of creditor countries, was cancelled.
Despite the array of challenges facing him, Biya’s rule was extended with his victories in multiparty elections held in 1992, 1997, and 2004 (the presidential term had been extended, first to five and then to seven years)—all marred by irregularities, although the 2004 election experienced fewer problems than the others and was generally viewed as free and fair. In April 2008 the National Assembly passed a controversial constitutional amendment abolishing presidential term limits, thereby providing Biya with the option to run again in the future, which he did in 2011. The October 9, 2011, election, like previous ones, was marred by complaints of irregularities. Before the results were even released, opposition groups had filed several suits asking the Supreme Court to annul the election; the court dismissed the suits. When the results were released on October 21, they indicated that Biya had won another term, with more than 77 percent of the vote.
- FOREIGN RELATIONS
Meanwhile, tensions from a long-standing border dispute with Nigeria over the oil-rich Bakassi Peninsula came to a head in late 1993 and early 1994 when Nigerian troops advanced into the region. New skirmishes occurred in early 1996, and, although a truce was signed, sporadic fighting continued for the next few years. After eight years of investigation and deliberation, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) awarded the peninsula to Cameroon in October 2002. Nigeria and Cameroon entered into two years of mediation and discussion to facilitate the implementation of the ICJ ruling, reaching an agreement to transfer sovereignty of the peninsula in September 2004. Despite these measures, Nigeria did not meet the deadline, citing technical problems with preparing for the transfer. In August 2006 the handover of the Bakassi Peninsula from Nigeria to Cameroon was largely completed. Although the transfer was not without its problems—including the dissatisfaction of many peninsula residents who would have preferred to retain their Nigerian identity—the region enjoyed relative peace until November 2007, when Cameroonian troops stationed in the peninsula were killed by assailants who were reportedly wearing Nigerian military uniforms. Nigeria quickly declared that its military was not involved and cited recent criminal activity in the Niger delta region, where military supplies—including uniforms—were stolen. A ceremony held on Aug. 14, 2008, marked the completion of the peninsula’s transfer from Nigeria to Cameroon.
ENERGY OF CAMEROON
- Electricity - production: 5.761 billion kWh (2010 est.)
- Electricity - consumption: 5.181 billion kWh (2010 est.)
- Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2012 est.)
- Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2012 est.)
- Electricity - installed generating capacity: 1.115 million kW (2010 est.)
- Oil - production: 63,520 bbl/day (2012 est.)
- Oil - exports: 55,680 bbl/day (2010 est.)
- Oil - imports: 34,220 bbl/day (2010 est.)
- Oil - proved reserves: 200 million bbl (1 January 2013 est.)
- Refined petroleum products - production: 43,500 bbl/day (2010 est.)
- Refined petroleum products - consumption: 29,410 bbl/day (2011 est.)
- Refined petroleum products - exports: 13,370 bbl/day (2010 est.)
- Refined petroleum products - imports: 6,018 bbl/day (2010 est.)
- Natural gas - production: 150 million cu m (2011 est.)
- Natural gas - consumption: 210 million cu m (2010 est.)
- Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2011 est.)
- Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2011 est.)
- Natural gas - proved reserves: 135.1 billion cu m (1 January 2013 est.)
- Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy: 8.126 million Mt (2011 est.)
TELECOMMUNICATIONS OF CAMEROON
Cameroon Telecommunications Profile 2014
- Telephones - main lines in use: 737,400 (2012)
- Telephones - mobile cellular: 13.1 million (2012)
- Telephone system
- general assessment: system includes cable, microwave radio relay, and tropospheric scatter; Camtel, the monopoly provider of fixed-line service, provides connections for only about 3 per 100 persons; equipment is old and outdated, and connections with many parts of the country are unreliable
- domestic: mobile-cellular usage, in part a reflection of the poor condition and general inadequacy of the fixed-line network, has increased sharply, reaching a subscribership base of 50 per 100 persons
- international: country code - 237; landing point for the SAT-3/WASC fiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe and Asia; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2011)
- Broadcast media
- government maintains tight control over broadcast media; state-owned Cameroon Radio Television (CRTV), broadcasting on both a TV and radio network, was the only officially recognized and fully licensed broadcaster until August 2007 when the government finally issued licenses to 2 private TV broadcasters and 1 private radio broadcaster; about 70 privately owned, unlicensed radio stations operating but are subject to closure at any time; foreign news services required to partner with state-owned national station (2007)
- Internet country code: .cm
- Internet hosts: 10,207 (2012)
- Internet users: 749,600 (2009)
TRANSPORTATION OF CAMEROON
Cameroon Transportation Profile 2014
- Railways
- total: 1,245 km
- narrow gauge: 1,245 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)
- Roadways
- total: 51,350 km
- paved: 4,108 km
- unpaved: 47,242 km
- note: there are 28,857 km of national roads (2011)
- Waterways
- (major rivers in the south, such as the Wouri and the Sanaga, are largely non-navigable; in the north, the Benue, which connects through Nigeria to the Niger River, is navigable in the rainy season only to the port of Garoua) (2010)
- Pipelines: gas 53 km; liquid petroleum gas 5 km; oil 1,107 km; water 35 km (2013)
- Ports and terminals
- river port(s): Douala (Wouri); Garoua (Benoue)
- oil/gas terminal(s): Limboh Terminal
- Airports: 33 (2013)
- Airports - with paved runways
- total: 11
- over 3,047 m: 2
- 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
- 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
- 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2013)
- Airports - with unpaved runways
- total: 22
- 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
- 914 to 1,523 m: 10
- under 914 m:
- 8 (2013)
MILITARY OF CAMEROON
Cameroon Military Profile 2014
- Military branches
- Cameroon Armed Forces (Forces Armees Camerounaises, FAC), Army (L'Armee de Terre), Navy (Marine Nationale Republique (MNR), includes naval infantry), Air Force (Armee de l'Air du Cameroun, AAC), Fire Fighter Corps, Gendarmerie (2013)
- Military service age and obligation
- 18-23 years of age for male and female voluntary military service; no conscription; high school graduation required; service obligation 4 years; the government makes periodic calls for volunteers (2012)
- Manpower available for military service
- males age 16-49: 4,667,251
- females age 16-49: 4,548,909 (2010 est.)
- Manpower fit for military service
- males age 16-49: 2,794,998
- females age 16-49: 2,718,110 (2010 est.)
- Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually
- male: 215,248
- female: 211,636 (2010 est.)
- Military expenditures
- 1.42% of GDP (2012)
- 1.37% of GDP (2011)
- 1.42% of GDP (2010)
TRANSNATIONAL OF CAMEROON
Cameroon Transnational Issues Profile 2014
- Disputes - international
- Joint Border Commission with Nigeria reviewed 2002 ICJ ruling on the entire boundary and bilaterally resolved differences, including June 2006 Greentree Agreement that immediately ceded sovereignty of the Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon with a full phase-out of Nigerian control and patriation of residents in 2008; Cameroon and Nigeria agreed on maritime delimitation in March 2008; sovereignty dispute between Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon over an island at the mouth of the Ntem River; 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): 184,536 (Central African Republic); 12,400 (Nigeria) (2014)
ENVIRONMENT OF CAMEROON
Carbon dioxide emissions of Cameroon
Consumption of ozone-depleting substancesof Cameroon
Energy efficiencyo f Cameroon
Habitat protection of Cameroon
Marine habitat protection of Cameroon
Resource usage of Cameroon
Terrestrial habitat protection of Cameroon
HEALTH OF CAMEROON
AIDS morbidity of Cameroon
AIDS mortality of Cameroon
AIDS orphans of Cameroon
Child malnutrition of Cameroon
Condom use of Cameroon
Contraceptive use among currently married women 15-49 years old of Cameroon
HIV prevalence rate of Cameroon
HIV prevention of Cameroon
Infant health of Cameroon
Malaria morbidity of Cameroon
Malaria mortality of Cameroon
Malaria prevention of Cameroon
Malaria treatment of Cameroon
Malnutrition of Cameroon
Maternal health of Cameroon
Proportion of the population using improved drinking water sources of Cameroon
Proportion of the population using improved sanitation facilities of Cameroon
Tuberculosis morbidity of Cameroon
Tuberculosis mortality of Cameroon
Tuberculosis prevention of Cameroon
Tuberculosis treatment of Cameroon
Unmet need for family planning of Cameroon
THE PRESIDENT OF CAMEROON
| THE NATIONAL ANTHEM | MOTTO |
|---|---|
|
O Cameroon, Thou Cradle of our Fathers, |
"Peace - Work - Fatherland" |
Mount Cameroon
Mount Cameroon, French Mont Cameroun , volcanic massif of southwestern Cameroon that rises to a height of 13,435 feet (4,095 metres) and extends 14 miles (23 km) inland from the Gulf of Guinea. It is the highest peak in sub-Saharan western and central Africa and the westernmost extension of a series of hills and mountains that form a natural boundary between northern Cameroon and Nigeria. The Englishman Sir Richard Burton (1821–90) climbed its summit in 1861. The volcano is still active.
The town of Buea lies on the southeastern slope of the mountain, and the port of Limbe (formerly Victoria) lies at its southern foot. The side of the mountain facing the sea has a mean annual precipitation level of more than 400 inches (10,000 mm) and is one of the wettest places in the world. The mountain’s rich volcanic soils support bananas, rubber, oil palms, tea, and cacao; valleys are used as pasture.
Cameroon in 2004
Cameroon Area: 475,442 sq km (183,569 sq mi) Population (2004 est.): 16,064,000 Capital: Yaoundé Chief of state: President Paul Biya Head of government: Prime Ministers Peter Mafany Musonge ...>>>read on<<<
Disclaimer
This is not the official site of this country. Most of the information in this site were taken from the U.S. Department of State, The Central Intelligence Agency, The United Nations, [1],[2], [3], [4], [5],[6], [7], [8], [9], [10], [11], [12], [13], [14],[15], [16], [17], [18], [19], [20], [21], [22], [23], [24],[25], [26], [27], [28], [29], [30],[31], [32], [33], [34], and the [35].
Other sources of information will be mentioned as they are posted.