General
Information
|
Total Land Area: |
475,440 km2 |
|
Land boundaries: |
4,591 km |
|
Coastline: |
402 km |
|
Capital: |
Yaoundé |
|
Other Large
Cities: |
Douala, Garoua,
Maroua |
|
Official
Language: |
French and
English |
|
National
Currency Unit: |
Communauté
Financière
Africaine Franc
(XAF) |
|
National Day: |
May 20
|
Location and
Geography
Cameroon is located
in West Africa with
a coastline on the
Atlantic Ocean and a
triangular shape
wedged between West
and Central Africa.
The country has
borders with the
Central African
Republic in the
East, Chad in the
North-east, Nigeria
in the North,
Republic of the
Congo in the
South-east, and
Equatorial Guinea
and Gabon in the
South. Meadows and
pastures take up a
limited land area
while forests and
woodlands cover more
than half of the
country. The land is
diverse with coastal
plains in the
South-west,
dissected plateau in
the central region,
mountains in the
West and plains in
the North. The low
coastal plains in
the South are
covered with
equatorial rain
forests extending to
the river Sanaga.
Mount Cameroon is
the highest summit
in sub-Saharan West
Africa. The climate
is tropical along
the coast and
semiarid and hot in
the North. It varies
depending on the
terrain.
Demography
|
Population:
|
15.50 million
(2002) |
|
Crude Birth
Rate:
|
36 per thousand
people (2002) |
|
Crude Death
Rate:
|
16 per thousand
people (2002) |
|
Infant Mortality
Rate:
|
95 per thousand
(2002) |
|
Life Expectancy:
|
Male: 48 years,
Female: 49 years
(2002) |
|
Urban
Population:
|
50.0 percent
(2002) |
|
Adult Literacy:
|
72.40 percent
(2001) |
Economy
Cameroon is one of
the best-endowed
primary commodity
economies in
Sub-Saharan Africa
thanks to its oil
resources and
favourable
agricultural
conditions. Its main
natural resources
are petroleum,
bauxite, tin ore,
iron ore, timber,
and hydropower.
Despite the
country’s oil
endowment,
agriculture still
constitutes the
major economic
activity a priority
in Cameroon,
employing most of
the adult
population. The main
crops include
coffee, cocoa,
cotton, rubber,
bananas, and grains.
Cameroon is a member
of the Franc zone
(CFA), which is a
regional currency
union with 14 member
States. The
country’s
non-agricultural
sectors are
dominated by
State-owned
enterprises.
|
GDP at Current
Market Prices:
|
10917 million
US$ (2002) |
|
Per Capita GDP:
|
704 US$ (2002) |
|
Share of Sectors
in GDP:
|
43.0%
Agriculture,
20.0% Industry,
37.0% Services,
(2002) |
|
Total Exports:
|
1999 million US$
(2002) |
|
Total Imports:
|
2151 million US$
(2002) |
|
Major Exports
Items: |
Crude oil and
semi-processed
petroleum
products,
lumber, cotton
and coffee |
|
Major Imports
Items: |
Machinery and
electrical
equipment, fuel
and foodstuffs |
|
Major Trading
Partners: |
France, Italy,
Spain and
Nigeria |
|
