Country Info:
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Cameroon Location:
Physical. Cameroon is located on the Central West African Coast, bordering Nigeria, Chad, and the Central African Republic. It is divided into tropical forests in the south, the drier savanna in the north-central region and mountains along the western border. It covers an area slightly larger than California. The climate varies from tropical along the coast to semiarid and hot in the north. Natural resources include petroleum, bauxite, iron ore, timber and hydropower.
Cameroon Geography:
Geography
Area: 183,568 square miles
Capital: Yaounde (pop 1,119,000)
Environmental concerns: deforestation; over-grazing; desertification; poaching; over fishing; water-borne disease
Geographical features: diverse with coastal plain in southwest, dissected plain in center, mountains in west and plains in north
Climate: from tropical to semiarid
Cameroon People:
People. Around 16.2 million people inhabit Cameroon. Official languages are French and English, with such language groups as Fulbe, Ewondo, Duala, Bamelke, Bassa, and Bali. The languages of southern Cameroon are Bantu. In fact, scholars believe that the roots of the Bantu language were derived from Cameroon. Ethnically, the nation is comprised of: Cameroon Highlanders (31%) Equatorial Bantu (19%) Kirdi (11%) Fulani (10%) and other groups (29%). Religious practices include: indigenous beliefs (40%); Christian (40%); and Muslim (20%).
16,185,000 people; 31% Cameroonian Highlander; 19% Equatorial Bantu; 11% Kirdi; 10% Fulani
Annual growth rate: 2.36%
Major languages are English; French; Fulde; Ewondo; Duala; Bamelke; Bassa; Bali
Religions: indigenous beliefs (40%), Christian (40%), Muslim (20%)
Cameroon Government:
Government. Cameroon has experienced political unrest over the last several years as various political factions have moved to establish a stable form of government. At the heart of the political turmoil is the need to raise the living standards of the population through an increase in agricultural production. President Paul Biya was elected with 92% of the vote in the October 1998 elections and re-elected in October 2004. However, the opposition boycotted the elections because of earlier electoral misconduct in 1992 by Biya’s party, the Cameroon People’s Democratic Party (CPDM). The CPDM ruled the country for a quarter-century before 1992 and after losing its monopoly following those elections, still retained control of the government with a plurality of seats.
Cameroon is also unique in that it shares two European languages, English and French. This linguistic division was created after World War I when Cameroon was divided under British and French rule. Relations between the groups in each area have been troubled. In October 2001, violence flared between government forces and protesters favoring the separation of English-speaking Cameroon.
The hope that democratic reform would move Cameroon away from its consistent Transparency International rating as one of the world’s most corrupt countries has not been attained. This corruption has been associated with environmental degradation. There are concerns about the construction of an oil pipeline financed by the World Bank, without an environmental-impact study, and the opening of 80% of the forests for logging.
There is a long-simmering border dispute with Nigeria. In October 2002, the International Court of Justice ruled in favor of Cameroon, but the government of Nigeria reneged on its previous agreement to accept the verdict.
Cameroon is a unitary republic that became independent from UN trusteeship under the
French on January 1, 1960
President Paul Biya is head of state
5 major political parties
Universal suffrage at 20
Cameroon Communication:
Communication and transportation
95,000 main telephone lines
60,000 Internet users (2002)
20,580 miles of highway
489 miles of railroad
49 airfields
153,000 motor vehicles
Cameroon Economy:
Economics. The country has relied on export agriculture. Cocoa and coffee comprise more than 50% of Cameroon’s exports. The country’s income has consequently been reduced due lower prices for these commodities. Almost 50% of the population lives in poverty.
Currency: francs
Per capita GDP: $1,700
GDP: $ 26.4 billion
GDP growth rate: 4.9%
Inflation rate: 2%
Labor force: 70% agriculture; 13% industry and commerce
Cameroon More Information:
www.sas.upenn.edu
www.cameroon.net
www.telp.com/cameroon/home.htm |
