Cameroon ( French Cameroon) is a country in Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria. Cameroon geographic coordinates 6 00 N, 12 00 E; area 469,440 sq km; area comparative slightly larger than California; land boundaries Central African Republic 797 km, Chad 1,094 km, Republic of the Congo 523 km, Equatorial Guinea 189 km, Gabon 298 km, Nigeria 1,690 km; coastline 402 km; maritime claims 50 nm; 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; elevation extremes Fako (on Mount Cameroon) 4,095 m; natural resources petroleum, bauxite, iron ore, timber, hydropower; land use 84.61% (2001); irrigated land 330 sq km (1998 est.); natural hazards volcanic activity with periodic releases of poisonous gases from Lake Nyos and Lake Monoun volcanoes; environment current issues waterborne diseases are prevalent; deforestation; overgrazing; desertification; poaching; overfishing; environment international agreements none of the selected agreements; geography note sometimes referred to as the hinge of Africa; 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;

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The former French Cameroon and part of British Cameroon merged in 1961 to form the present country. Cameroon has generally enjoyed stability, which has permitted the development of agriculture, roads, and railways, as well as a petroleum industry. Despite movement toward democratic reform, political power remains firmly in the hands of an ethnic oligarchy. government type unitary republic; multiparty presidential regime (opposition parties legalized in 1990) preponderance of power remains with the pre; capital Yaounde; administrative divisions 10 provinces; Adamaoua, Centre, Est, Extreme-Nord, Littoral, Nord, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud, Sud-Ouest; independence 1 January 1960 (from French-administered UN trusteeship); national holiday Republic Day (National Day), 20 May (1972); constitution 20 May 1972 approved by referendum; 2 June 1972 formally adopted; revised January 1996; legal system based on French civil law system, with common law influence; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; suffrage 20 years of age; universal;

people

Cameroon population 16,380,005 estimates for this country explici; age structure 3.3% (male 239,634/female 293,079) (2005 est.); median age 18.76 years (2005 est.); population growth rate 1.93% (2005 est.); birth rate 34.67 births/1,000 population (2005 est.); death rate 15.4 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.); net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.); sex ratio 1.01 male(s)/female (2005 est.); infant mortality rate 72.14 deaths/1,000 live births; life expectancy at birth 48.67 years (2005 est.); total fertility rate 4.47 children born/woman (2005 est.); hiv adult rate 6.9% (2003 est.); hiv people with aids 560,000 (2003 est.); hiv deaths 49,000 (2003 est.); major infectious diseases malaria and yellow fever are; nationality Cameroonian; ethnic groups Cameroon Highlanders 31%, Equatorial Bantu 19%, Kirdi 11%, Fulani 10%, Northwestern Bantu 8%, Eastern Nigritic 7%, other African 13%, non-African less than 1%; religions indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 40%, Muslim 20%; languages 24 major African language groups, English (official), French (official); literacy 73.4% (2003 est.);

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