Cameroon

Atlantic Ocean drainage:

Congo (3,730,881 sq km), Niger (2,261,741 sq km)

Internal (endorheic basin) drainage:

Lake Chad (2,497,738 sq km)

• sometimes referred to as the hinge of Africa because of its central location on the continent and its position at the west-south juncture of the Gulf of Guinea;
• throughout the country there are areas of thermal springs and indications of current or prior volcanic activity;
• Mount Cameroon, the highest mountain in Sub-Saharan west Africa, is an active volcano

noun:

Cameroonian(s)

adjective:

Cameroonian

total:

18.8 years (2023 est.)

male:

18.5 years

female:

19.1 years

at birth:

1.03 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.02 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.87 male(s)/female

total population:

0.99 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

total:

47.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)

male:

52.2 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

42.5 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

63.7 years (2023 est.)

male:

61.9 years

female:

65.6 years

total:

4.09 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer:

2.36 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine:

0.16 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits:

0.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols:

1.56 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total:

7.3% (2020 est.)

male:

13.2% (2020 est.)

female:

1.4% (2020 est.)

women married by age 15:

10.7%

women married by age 18:

29.8%

men married by age 18:

2.9% (2018 est.)

total:

6.6% (2021 est.)

male:

6%

female:

7.3%

• waterborne diseases are prevalent;
• deforestation and overgrazing result in erosion, desertification, and reduced quality of pastureland;
• poaching;
• overfishing;
• overhunting

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified:

Nuclear Test Ban

urban population:

59.3% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

3.43% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

particulate matter emissions:

56.37 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions:

8.29 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions:

30.71 megatons (2020 est.)

municipal solid waste generated annually:

3,270,617 tons (2013 est.)

municipal solid waste recycled annually:

13,082 tons (2009 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled:

0.4% (2009 est.)

Atlantic Ocean drainage:

Congo (3,730,881 sq km), Niger (2,261,741 sq km)

Internal (endorheic basin) drainage:

Lake Chad (2,497,738 sq km)

municipal:

250 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

industrial:

100 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

agricultural:

740 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

conventional long form:

Republic of Cameroon

conventional short form:

Cameroon

local long form:

Republique du Cameroun (French)/Republic of Cameroon (English)

local short form:

Cameroun/Cameroon

former:

Kamerun, French Cameroon, British Cameroon, Federal Republic of Cameroon, United Republic of Cameroon

etymology:

• in the 15th century, Portuguese explorers named the area near the mouth of the Wouri River the Rio dos Camaroes (River of Prawns) after the abundant shrimp in the water;
• over time the designation became Cameroon in English;
• this is the only instance where a country is named after a crustacean

name:

Yaounde

geographic coordinates:

3 52 N, 11 31 E

time difference:

UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology:

founded as a German colonial settlement of Jaunde in 1888 and named after the local Yaunde (Ewondo) people

history:

several previous; latest effective 18 January 1996

amendments:

• proposed by the president of the republic or by Parliament;
• amendment drafts require approval of at least one third of the membership in either house of Parliament;
• passage requires absolute majority vote of the Parliament membership;
• passage of drafts requested by the president for a second reading in Parliament requires two-thirds majority vote of its membership;
• the president can opt to submit drafts to a referendum, in which case passage requires a simple majority;
• constitutional articles on Cameroon’s unity and territorial integrity and its democratic principles cannot be amended;
• amended 2008

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

at least one parent must be a citizen of Cameroon

dual citizenship recognized:

no

residency requirement for naturalization:

5 years

chief of state:

President Paul BIYA (since 6 November 1982)

head of government:

Prime Minister Joseph Dion NGUTE (since 4 January 2019); Deputy Prime Minister Amadou ALI (since 2014)

cabinet:

Cabinet proposed by the prime minister, appointed by the president

elections/appointments:

• president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 7-year term (no term limits);
• election last held on 7 October 2018 (next to be held in October 2025);
• prime minister appointed by the president

election results:

Paul BIYA reelected president; percent of vote - Paul BIYA (CPDM) 71.3%, Maurice KAMTO (MRC) 14.2%, Cabral LIBII (Univers) 6.3%, other 8.2% (2018)

highest court(s):

• Supreme Court of Cameroon (consists of 9 titular and 6 surrogate judges and organized into judicial, administrative, and audit chambers);
• Constitutional Council (consists of 11 members)

judge selection and term of office:

• Supreme Court judges appointed by the president with the advice of the Higher Judicial Council of Cameroon, a body chaired by the president and includes the minister of justice, selected magistrates, and representatives of the National Assembly;
• judge term NA;
• Constitutional Council members appointed by the president for single 9-year terms

subordinate courts:

• Parliamentary Court of Justice (jurisdiction limited to cases involving the president and prime minister);
• appellate and first instance courts;
• circuit and magistrates' courts

• Alliance for Democracy and Development [Marcel YONDO]
• Cameroon People's Democratic Movement or CPDM [Paul BIYA]
• Cameroon People's Party or CPP [Edith Kah WALLA]
• Cameroon Renaissance Movement or MRC [Maurice KAMTO]
• Cameroonian Democratic Union or UDC [Adamou Ndam NJOYA]
• Cameroonian Party for National Reconciliation or PCRN [Cabral LIBII]
• Front for the National Salvation of Cameroon or FSNC [Issa Tchiroma BAKARY]
• Movement for the Defense of the Republic or MDR [Dakole DAISSALA]
• Movement for the Liberation and Development of Cameroon or MLDC [Marcel YONDO]
• National Union for Democracy and Progress or UNDP [Maigari BELLO BOUBA]
• Progressive Movement or MP [Jean-Jacques EKINDI]
• Social Democratic Front or SDF [John FRU NDI]
• Union of Peoples of Cameroon or UPC [Provisionary Management Bureau] [Cecil ODHIAMBO]
• Union of Socialist Movements NA

chief of mission:

Ambassador Henri ETOUNDI ESSOMBA (since 27 June 2016)

chancery:

2349 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 265-8790

FAX:

[1] (202) 387-3826

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://www.cameroonembassyusa.org/mainFolder/index.html

chief of mission:

Ambassador Christopher J. LAMORA (since 21 March 2022)

embassy:

Avenue Rosa Parks, Yaoundé

mailing address:

2520 Yaounde Place, Washington, DC 20521-2520

telephone:

[237] 22251-4000/[237] 22220-1500

FAX:

[237] 22220-1500, Ext. 4531

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://cm.usembassy.gov/

branch office(s):

Douala

• three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), red, and yellow, with a yellow five-pointed star centered in the red band;
• the vertical tricolor recalls the flag of France;
• red symbolizes unity, yellow the sun, happiness, and the savannahs in the north, and green hope and the forests in the south;
• the star is referred to as the "star of unity"

note: uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia

name:

"O Cameroun, Berceau de nos Ancetres" (O Cameroon, Cradle of Our Forefathers)

lyrics/music:

Rene Djam AFAME, Samuel Minkio BAMBA, Moise Nyatte NKO'O [French], Benard Nsokika FONLON [English]/Rene Djam AFAME

note: adopted 1957; Cameroon's anthem, also known as "Chant de Ralliement" (The Rallying Song), has been used unofficially since 1948 and officially adopted in 1957; the anthem has French and English versions whose lyrics differ

total World Heritage Sites:

2 (both natural)

selected World Heritage Site locales:

Dja Faunal Reserve; Sangha Trinational Forest

• largest CEMAC economy with many natural resources;
• recent political instability and terrorism reducing economic output;
• systemic corruption;
• poor property rights enforcement;
• increasing poverty in northern regions

Fitch rating:

B (2006)

Moody's rating:

B2 (2016)

Standard & Poors rating: B- (2020)

note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.

agriculture:

70%

industry:

13%

services:

17% (2001 est.)

total:

6.6% (2021 est.)

male:

6%

female:

7.3%

on food:

45.3% of household expenditures (2018 est.)

on alcohol and tobacco:

2.1% of household expenditures (2018 est.)

lowest 10%:

37.5%

highest 10%:

35.4% (2001)

production:

0 metric tons (2020 est.)

consumption:

0 metric tons (2020 est.)

exports:

0 metric tons (2020 est.)

imports:

0 metric tons (2020 est.)

proven reserves:

0 metric tons (2019 est.)

total petroleum production:

63,200 bbl/day (2021 est.)

refined petroleum consumption:

37,900 bbl/day (2019 est.)

crude oil and lease condensate exports:

62,200 bbl/day (2018 est.)

crude oil and lease condensate imports:

20,200 bbl/day (2018 est.)

crude oil estimated reserves:

200 million barrels (2021 est.)

production:

2,678,486,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)

consumption:

986.189 million cubic meters (2019 est.)

exports:

1,603,156,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)

imports:

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

proven reserves:

135.071 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

general assessment:

• Cameroon was for many years one of the few countries in Africa with only two competing mobile operators;
• the investment programs among operators over the next few years will considerably boost mobile broadband services in rural areas of the country, many of which are under served by fixed-line infrastructure;
• the government has also been supportive, having launched its ‘Cameroon Digital 2020’ program, aimed at improving connectivity nationally;
• improved submarine and terrestrial cable connectivity has substantially increased international bandwidth, in turn leading to reductions in access prices for consumers;
• other projects such as Acceleration of the Digital Transformation of Cameroon are aimed at developing the digital economy (2022)

domestic:

• only a little above 3 per 100 persons for fixed-line subscriptions;
• mobile-cellular usage has increased sharply, reaching a subscribership base of roughly 83 per 100 persons (2021)

international:

• country code - 237;
• landing points for the SAT-3/WASC, SAIL, ACE, NCSCS, Ceiba-2, and WACS fiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe, South America, and West Africa;
• satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2019)

• government maintains tight control over broadcast media;
• state-owned Cameroon Radio Television (CRTV), broadcasting on both a TV and radio network, was the only officially recognized and fully licensed broadcaster until August 2007, when the government finally issued licenses to 2 private TV broadcasters and 1 private radio broadcaster;
• about 70 privately owned, unlicensed radio stations operate but are subject to closure at any time;
• foreign news services required to partner with state-owned national station (2019)

number of registered air carriers:

1 (2020); inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 3

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

265,136 (2018)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

70,000 (2018) mt-km

total:

987 km (2014)

narrow gauge:

987 km (2014) 1.000-m gauge

note: railway connections generally efficient but limited; rail lines connect major cities of Douala, Yaounde, Ngaoundere, and Garoua; passenger and freight service provided by CAMRAIL