About
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 a slow movement toward democratic reform, political power remains firmly in the hands of an ethnic
oligarchy headed by President Paul BIYA.
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Source: The World Factbook
Population: 16,380,005
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 2005 est.)
Capital: Yaounde
Languages: 24 major African language groups, English (official), French (official)
Religions: indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 40%, Muslim 20%
Government: unitary republic;
multiparty presidential regime (opposition parties legalized in 1990)
preponderance of power remains with the president
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
Geography: 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
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%
Economy: 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.
GDP per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,000 (2005 est.)
GDP real growth: 5% (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate: 30% (2001 est.)
Internet country code: .cm
Dial code: +237
Cities
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Local currency is the CFA Franc BEAC
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