Map of Cameroon

Republic of Cameroon

National name: République du Cameroun

President: Paul Biya (1982)

Prime Minister: Ephraïm Inoni (2004)

Current government officials

Land area: 181,251 sq mi (469,440 sq km); total area: 183,567 sq mi (475,440 sq km)

Population (2008 est.): 18,467,692 (growth rate: 2.2%); birth rate: 34.5/1000; infant mortality rate: 64.5/1000; life expectancy: 53.3; density per sq mi: 39

Capital: Yaoundé, 1,395,200 (metro. area), 1,154,400 (city proper)

Largest city: Douala, 1,490,500 (metro. area), 1,274.300 (city proper)

Monetary unit: CFA Franc

Languages: French, English (both official); 24 major African language groups

Ethnicity/race: Cameroon Highlanders 31%, Equatorial Bantu 19%, Kirdi 11%, Fulani 10%, Northwest Bantu 8%, Eastern Nigritic 7%, other African 13%, non-African less than 1%

National Holiday: Republic Day (National Day), May 20

Religions: indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 40%, Islam 20%

Literacy rate: 67.2% (2006 est.)

Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2007 est.): $39.37 billion; per capita $2,100. Real growth rate: 3.3%. Inflation: 0.9%. Unemployment: 30% (2001 est.). Arable land: 13%. Agriculture: coffee, cocoa, cotton, rubber, bananas, oilseed, grains, root starches; livestock; timber. Labor force: 6.86 million; agriculture 70%, industry and commerce 13%, other 17%. Industries: petroleum production and refining, aluminum production, food processing, light consumer goods, textiles, lumber, ship repair. Natural resources: petroleum, bauxite, iron ore, timber, hydropower. Exports: $3.236 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): crude oil and petroleum products, lumber, cocoa beans, aluminum, coffee, cotton. Imports: $2.514 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): machinery, electrical equipment, transport equipment, fuel, food. Major trading partners: Spain, Italy, UK, France, U.S., South Korea, Netherlands, Nigeria, Belgium, China, Germany (2004).

Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 110,900 (2002); mobile cellular: 1.077 million (2003). Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 3 (2002). Television broadcast stations: 1 (2002). Internet hosts: 479 (2004). Internet users: 60,000 (2002); note: Cameroon also had more than 100 cyber-cafes in 2001.

Transportation: Railways: total: 1,008 km (2004). Highways: total: 34,300 km; paved: 4,288 km; unpaved: 30,012 km (1999 est.). Waterways: navigation mainly on Benue River; limited during rainy season (2004). Ports and harbors: Douala, Limboh Terminal. Airports: 47 (2004 est.).

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

Major sources and definitions