1985 Edition

Agriculture

mainly subsistence except for rubber plantations; main crops — rice, rubber, corn; food shortages — rice, meat, vegetables, dairy products, sugar, flour

commercial and food crops — coffee, cocoa, timber, cotton, rubber, bananas, peanuts, palm oil and palm kernels; root starches, livestock, millet, sorghum, and

Aid

economic commitments — US (FY7082), $709 million; other Western (1970-82), $227 million; military (FY70-82)— US, $1,260 million; Communist data not available

Airfields

34 total, 14 usable; 7 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways 2,4403,659 m, 5 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

58 total, 54 usable; 7 with permanent-surface runways; 4 with runways 2,4403,659 m, 22 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Branches

CGDK consists of National Army of Democratic Cambodia, Khmer Peoples National Liberation Front, and Sihanoukist National Army; PRK — People's Republic of Cambodia Armed Forces

executive (President), legislative (National Assembly), and judicial (Supreme Court)

Army, Navy, Air Force; paramilitary Gendarmerie

Budget

no budget data available since Communists took over government

(1984 est.) revenues $1,777 million, current expenditures $1,696 million

(1978 est.) public revenue $67.4 million, current revenue $89.0 million

Capital

Yaounde

Civil air

6 major transport aircraft

Coastline

402 km People

Communists

no Communist party or significant number of sympathizers

Elections

parliamentary elections held May 1983; presidential elections held January Political parties and leaders: single party, Cameroon National Union (UNC), instituted in 1966, Paul Biya, president

Electric power

120,000 kW capacity (1984); 144 million kWh produced (1984), 23 kWh per capita

569,000 kW capacity (1984); 1.793 billion kWh produced (1984), 188 kWh per capita

Ethnic divisions

over 200 tribes of widely differing background; 31% Cameroon Highlanders, 19% Equatorial Bantu, 11% Kirdi, 10% Fulani, 8% Northwestern Bantu, 7% Eastern Nigritic, 13% other African, less than 1% nonAfrican

Exports

probably less than $10 million est. (1983); natural rubber, rice, pepper, wood

$1.904 billion (f.o.b., 1983); crude oil, cocoa, coffee, timber, aluminum, cotton, natural rubber, bananas, peanuts, tobacco, and tea

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications

1 July-30 June Communications

calendar year

Fishing

23,000 metric tons (1982/83)

GDP

$6.7 billion (1983), about $724 per capita; real annual growth rate, 5.0% (1983)

GNP

no aggregate information available (January 1985)

Government leader

Paul BIYA, President (since November 1982)

Highways

13,351 km total; 2,622 km bituminous, 7,105 km crushed stone, gravel, or improved earth; and 3,624 km unimproved earth; some roads in disrepair

approximately 65,000 km total; including 2,500 km bituminous, 7,000 km gravel and earth, 7,400 km improved earth, 28,000 km unimproved

Imports

probably less than $30 million (1983); international food aid; Soviet bloc economic development aid — value unknown (post1979)

$1.100 billion (f.o.b., 1982); consumer goods, machinery, transport equipment, alumina for refining, petroleum products, food and beverages

Inland waterways

3,700 km navigable all year to craft drawing 0.6 meters; 282 km navigable to craft drawing 1.8 meters

2,090 km; of decreasing importance

Labor force

(1983) 74.4% agriculture, 11.4% industry and transport, 9.7% other services

Land boundaries

4,554 km Water

Language

English and French (official), 24 major African language groups

Legal system

based on French civil law system, with common law influence; unitary constitution adopted 1972; judicial review in Supreme Court, when a question of constitutionality is referred to it by the President of the Republic; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Limits of territorial waters (claimed)

50 nm

Literacy

65%

Major industries

rice milling, fishing, wood and wood products

crude oil; small aluminum plant, food processing, and light consumer goods industries; sawmills

Major trade partners

most trade with France, other EC countries, and the US

Member of

Af BD, KAMA, EGA, EIB (associate), FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IDB— Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ISO, ITU, Lake ('had Basin Commission, NAM, Niger River Commission, OAU, OIC, UDEAC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Economy

Military budget

for fiscal year ending 30 June 1984, $85.4 million; 10.7% of central government budget

Military manpower

males 15-49, 1,711,000; 919,000 fit for military service; about 80,000 reach military age (18) annually 300 km .Lake Chad ff Gulf of Gutne See region*! map VII Land 475,439 km2; somewhat larger than California;50% forest; 18% meadow; 13% fallow; 4% cultivated; 15% other

males 15-49, 2,170,000; 1,092,000 fit for military service; about 90,000 reach military age (18) annually

Monetary conversion rate

4 riels=US$l (1984)

417.4 Communaute Financiere Africaine francs=US$l (October 1983)

422.25 Communaute Financiere Africaine (CFA) francs=US$l (February 1984)

National holiday

National Day, 20 May

Nationality

noun — Cameroonian(s); adjective— Cameroonian

Official name

United Republic of Came-

Organized labor

under 45% of wage labor force Government

Other political or pressure groups

Cameroon People's Union (UPC), remains an illegal group with its factional leaders in exile

Political subdivisions

10 provinces further divided into departments, arrondissements, districts

Population

9,77 1,000 (July 1985), average annual growth rate 2.7%

Ports

2 major, 5 minor

1 major (Douala), 3 minor

Railroads

612 km 1.000-meter gauge; government owned

1,173 km total; 858 km 1.000meter gauge, 145 km 0.600-meter gauge

Religion

over one-half indigenous beliefs, one-third Christian, one-sixth Muslim

Shortages

fossil fuels

Suffrage

universal over age 21

Telecommunications

service barely adequate for government requirements and virtually nonexistent for general public; international service limited to Vietnam and other adjacent countries; radiobroadcasts limited to 1 station; 1 TV station Defense Forces

good system of open wire and radio relay; 30,000 telephones (0.3 per 100 popl.); 10 AM, 1 FM, no TV stations; 1 Atlantic Ocean satellite station; planned TV network Defense Forces

Trade partners

Vietnam and USSR

Type

unitary republic; one-party presidential regime