1987 Edition

Administrative divisions

10 provinces divided into departments, arrondissements, districts, led by provincial governors appointed by President

Boundary disputes

none; sporadic border dispute with Nigeria

Branches

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

Capital

Yaoundé

Climate

varies with terrain from tropical along coast to semiarid and hot in north

Coastline

402 km

Communists

no Communist party or significant number of sympathizers

Comparative area

slightly larger than California

Continental shelf

not specific

Elections

parliamentary elections held May 1983; presidential elections held January 1984 Cameroon (continued) Political parties and leaders: Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (known as the Cameroon People’s National Union during 1966-85), Paul Biya, President

Environment

recent volcanic activity with release of poisonous gases; deforestation; overgrazing; desertification

Government leader

Paul BIYA, President (since November 1982)

Land boundaries

4,554 km total

Land use

13% arable land; 2% permanent crops; 18% meadows and pastures; 54% forest and woodland; 13% other; includes NEGL% irrigated

Legal system

based on French civil law system, with common law influence; unitary constitution adopted 1972; judicial review by Supreme Court when a question of constitutionality is referred to it by the President; has not accepted compulsory 1C] jurisdiction

Member of

AfBD, EAMA, ECA, 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 Chad Basin Commission, NAM, Niger River Commission, OAU, OIC, UDEAC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

National holiday

National Day, 20 May

Other political or pressure groups

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

Special notes

sometimes referred to as the hinge of Africa

Suffrage

universal over age 21]

Terrain

diverse with coasta] plain in southwest, dissected plateau in center, mountains in west, plains in north

Territorial sea

50 nm

Total area

300 km Ngaounderé > -bafoussam rf Bertoua » e Dovele Yaounde Gulf of Guinea

475,440 km?; land area: 469,440 km?

Type

unitary republic; one-party presidential regime

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, 18% other African, less than 1% non-African

Infant mortality rate

113/1,000 (1985)

Labor force

(1983) 74.4% agriculture, 11.4% industry and transport, 14.2% other services

Language

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

Life expectancy

44

Literacy

65%

Nationality

noun—Cameroonian(s); adjective—Cameroonian 4l

Organized labor

under 45% of wage labor force

Population

10,255,332 (July 1987), average annual growth rate 2.66%

Religion

51% indigenous beliefs, 33% Christian, 16% Muslim

Official name

United Republic of

Agriculture

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

Budget

revenues, $1.6 billion; current expenditures, $2.3 billion (1986-87 projected)

Electric power

604,000 kW capacity; 4,200 million kWh produced, 2,540 kWh per capita (1986)

Exports

$855.2 million (f.o.b., 1984); crude oil, cocoa, coffee, timber, aluminum, cotton, natural rubber, bananas, peanuts, tobacco, tea, mineral products, food, alcohol, metal and metal products, textiles, wood products

Fiscal year

| July-30 June

Fishing

75,000 metric tons (1984)

GDP

$7.3 billion (1983-84), about $770 per capita; average annual growth rate 6.5% (1984); average inflation rate 15% (1984)

Imports

$1.101 billion (f.o.b., 1984); consumer goods, machinery, transport equipment, alumina for refining, petroleum products, food, beverages, electrical equipment, chemical products

Major industries

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

Major trade partners

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

Monetary conversion rate

331.24 Communauté Financiére Africaine francs=US$1 (November 1986)

Natural resources

oil, natural gas, bauxite, iron ore, timber

Airfields

63 total, 58 usable; 9 with permanent-surface runways; 5 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 25 with runways 1,220-2,489 m

Civil air

7 major transport aircraft

Highways

about 65,000 km total; includes 2,682 km bituminous, 30,000 km unimproved earth, 32,318 km gravel, earth, and improved earth

Inland waterways

2,090 km; of decreasing importance

Ports

1 major (Douala), 8 minor

Railroads

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

Telecommunications

good system of open wire and radio-relay; 26,000 telephones (0.2 per 100 popl.); 10 AM, 1 FM, and | TV stations; 1 Atlantic Ocean satellite station

Branches

Army, Navy, Air Force; paramilitary Gendarmerie

Military budget

for fiscal year ending 30 June 1987, $153.6 million; 6.5% of central government budget

Military manpower

males 15-49, 2,345,000; 1,181,000 fit for military service; 111,000 reach military age (18) annually