Country Name: CAMEROON
Capital: Yaounde

US Contact:

Chancery:
2349 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20008

1.202.265.8790
1.202.387.3826

Related Link: http://www.compufix.demon.co.uk/camweb/

Geography

Location: Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria
Total: 475,440 sq km land: 469,440 sq km water: 6,000 sq km
Geographic coordinates: 6 00 N, 12 00 E

Population

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 (July 2001 est.).

Growth rate: 2.41% (2001 est.)
Birth rate: 36.12 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate: 11.99 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Climate

Varies with terrain, from tropical along coast to semiarid and hot in north.

Natural Resources/Land Use

Petroleum, bauxite, iron ore, timber, hydropower

Arable land: 13% permanent crops: 2% permanent pastures: 4%
Forests and woodland: 78%
Other: 3% (1993 est.)
Irrigated Land: 210 sq km (1993 est.)
Agricultural porducts: coffee, cocoa, cotton, rubber, bananas, oilseed, grains, root starches; livestock; timber

Natural Hazards/Environmental Issues

Recent volcanic activity with release of poisonous gases.

Water-borne diseases are prevalent; deforestation; overgrazing; desertification; poaching; overfishing.

Party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94
Signed, but not ratified: Nuclear Test Ban

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. Higher oil prices in 2000 helped to offset the country's lower cocoa export revenues. A rebound in the cocoa market should increase growth to over 5% in 2001.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $26 billion (2000 est.)
GDP per capital: purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2000 est.)

Information Source: http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/