Cameroon

unitary republic

Cameroon as the 1990 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 72 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalYaounde
Area475,440 km2
1990

Every edition of Cameroon

Populationas each edition published it
11.09 million July 1990 · 31.52m in 2025
Population growth% a year
Not in this edition 2.9% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 18.4 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
Not in this edition 56.66 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
5.7 children per woman 1990 · 3.87 in 2025
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
120 deaths per 1,000 live births 1990 · 44.6 in 2025
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
Not in this edition $1,040 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
Not in this edition 3% in 1993

Geography

13 fields

Land useshare of 475,440 km2

arable land 13%permanent crops 2%meadows and pastures 18%forest and woodland 54%other 13%includes NEGL% irrigated
Total area
475,440km2
land area: 469,440 km2Comparative area: slightly larger than California
Coastline
402km
Territorial sea: 50 nm
Land boundaries
4,591km total
Central African Republic 797 km, Chad 1,094 km, Congo 523 km, Equatorial Guinea 189 km, Gabon 298 km, Nigeria 1,690 km

Continental shelf

not specific;

Disputes

  • exact locations of the Chad-Niger-Nigeria and Cameroon-Chad-Nigeria tripoints in Lake Chad have not been determined, so the boundary has not been demarcated and border incidents have resulted;
  • Nigerian proposals to reopen maritime boundary negotiations and redemarcate the entire land boundary have been rejected by Cameroon

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

Natural resources

crude oil, bauxite, iron ore, timber, hydropower potential

Environment

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

Note

sometimes referred to as the hinge of Africa

People

14 fields
Population
11,092,470
(July 1990), growth rate 2.7% (1990)

Per 1,000 population(1990)

Birth
42Death
15Net migration
0

Religion

indigenous beliefs 51%Christian 33%Muslim 16%

Infant mortality rate

120 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)

Life expectancy at birth

49 years male, 53 years female (1990)

Total fertility rate

5.7 children born/woman (1990)

Nationality

noun--Cameroonian(s); adjective--Cameroonian

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% non-African

Language

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

Labor force

  • NA;
  • 74.4% agriculture, 11.4% industry and transport, 14.2% other services (1983);
  • 50% of population of working age (15-64 years) (1985)

Organized labor

under 45% of wage labor force

Government

Unitary republic

18 fields

National Assembly, 180 seats, elected 24 April 1988one dot, one seat

RDPC 180

Long-form name

Republic of Cameroon

Type

unitary republic; one-party presidential regime

Capital

Yaounde

Administrative divisions

10 provinces; Adamaoua, Centre, Est, Extreme-Nord, Littoral, Nord, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud, Sud-Ouest

Independence

1 January 1960 (from UN trusteeship under French administration; formerly French Cameroon)

Constitution

20 May 1972

National holiday

National Day, 20 May (1972)

Executive branch

president, Cabinet

Legislative branch

unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court Chief of State and Head of Government President Paul BIYA (since 6 November 1982)

Political parties and leaders

only party--Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (RDPC), Paul Biya, president

Suffrage

  • universal at age 21 President--last held 24 April 1988 (next to be held April 1993);
  • results--President Paul Biya reelected without opposition;
  • National Assembly--last held 24 April 1988 (next to be held April 1993);
  • results--RDPC is the only party;
  • seats--(180 total) RDPC 180

Communists

no Communist party or significant number of sympathizers

Other political or pressure groups

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

Member of

ACP, AfDB, CCC, 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

Diplomatic representation

  • Ambassador Paul PONDI;
  • Chancery at 2349 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008;
  • telephone (202) 265-8790 through 8794;
  • US--Ambassador Frances COOK;
  • Embassy at Rue Nachtigal, Yaounde (mailing address is B. P. 817, Yaounde);
  • telephone [237] 234014;
  • there is a US Consulate General in Douala

Flag

  • three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), red, and yellow with a yellow five-pointed star centered in the red band;
  • uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia

Economy

Over the past decade the economy has registered a remarkable performance because of the development of an offshore oil industry.

16 fields
GDP, purchasing power parity
$12.9billion
per capita $955; real growth rate - 8.6% (1988)
External debt
$4.9billion
(December 1989 est.)

Budget

Revenues
$2.17 billionExpenditures
$2.17 billion
expenditures, including capital expenditures of $833 million (FY88)

Overview

Over the past decade the economy has registered a remarkable performance because of the development of an offshore oil industry. Real GDP growth annually averaged 10% from 1978 to 1985. In 1986 Cameroon had one of the highest levels of income per capita in tropical Africa, with oil revenues picking up the slack as growth in other sectors softened.

Because of the sharp drop in oil prices, however, the economy is now experiencing serious budgetary difficulties and balance-of-payments disequalibrium. Oil reserves currently being exploited will be depleted in the early 1990s, so ways must be found to boost agricultural and industrial exports in the medium term.

The Sixth Cameroon Development Plan (1986-91) stresses balanced development and designates agriculture as the basis of the country's economic future.

Exports

  • $2.0 billion (f.o.b., 1988);
  • commodities--petroleum products 56%, coffee, cocoa, timber, manufactures;
  • partners--EC (particularly the Netherlands) about 50%, US 3%

Imports

  • $2.3 billion (c.i.f., 1988);
  • commodities--machines and electrical equipment, transport equipment, chemical products, consumer goods;
  • partners--France 42%, Japan 7%, US 4%

Industrial production

growth rate - 6.4% (FY87)

Electricity

752,000 kW capacity; 2,940 million kWh produced, 270 kWh per capita (1989)

Industries

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

Agriculture

  • the agriculture and forestry sectors provide employment for the majority of the population, contributing nearly 25% to GDP and providing a high degree of self-sufficiency in staple foods;
  • commercial and food crops include coffee, cocoa, timber, cotton, rubber, bananas, oilseed, grains, livestock, root starches

Aid

  • US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $400 million;
  • Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $3.9 billion;
  • OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $29 million;
  • Communist countries (1970-88), $120 million

Currency

Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (plural--francs); 1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes

Exchange rates

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1--287.99 (January 1990), 319.01 (1989), 297.85 (1988), 300.54 (1987), 346.30 (1986), 449.26 (1985)

Fiscal year

1 July-30 June

Communications

8 fields

Airports, 61 total, 54 usable

permanent-surface runways
10runways over 3,659 m
nonerunways 2,440-3,659 m
5runways 1,220-2,439 m
22

Networkskm

Railroads
1,003Inland waterways
2,090
Railroads: ; 858 km 1.000-meter gauge, 145 km 0.600-meter gauge · Inland waterways: ; of decreasing importance

Railroads

1,003 km total; 858 km 1.000-meter gauge, 145 km 0.600-meter gauge

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

Douala

Merchant marine

2 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 24,122 GRT/33,509 DWT

Civil air

5 major transport aircraft

Telecommunications

  • good system of open wire, cable, troposcatter, and radio relay;
  • 26,000 telephones;
  • stations--10 AM, 1 FM, 1 TV;
  • 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations

Defense Forces

Army, Navy, Air Force; paramilitary Gendarmerie

3 fields

Military manpower

males 15-49
2,553,867fit for military service
1,286,831reach military age (18) annually
121,773
Defense expenditures
1.7%of GDP
or $219 million (1990 est.)

Branches

Army, Navy, Air Force; paramilitary Gendarmerie

Central Intelligence Agency. “Cameroon.” The World Factbook 1990. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/cameroon/1990.

How to cite 1991 edition →