]! ^! 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 a slow movement toward democratic reform, political power remains firmly in the hands of an ethnic oligarchy headed by President Paul BIYA. 
]" ^" Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria ^# 6 00 N, 12 00 E ^$ Africa ^% `! 475,440 sq km `" 469,440 sq km `# 6,000 sq km ^& slightly larger than California ^' `! 4,591 km `Y 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 ^( 402 km ^) `$ 12 nm `M 24 nm ^* varies with terrain, from tropical along coast to semiarid and hot in north ^+ diverse, with coastal plain in southwest, dissected plateau in center, mountains in west, plains in north ^, `% Atlantic Ocean 0 m `& Fako 4,095 m (on Mt. Cameroon) ^- petroleum, bauxite, iron ore, timber, hydropower ^. `' 12.54% `( 2.52% `) 84.94% (2005) ^/ 260 sq km (2003) ^0 volcanic activity with periodic releases of poisonous gases from Lake Nyos and Lake Monoun volcanoes ^1 waterborne diseases are prevalent; deforestation; overgrazing; desertification; poaching; overfishing _P `P Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling `Q none of the selected agreements ^2 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 
]# ^3 18,060,382 `* estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2007 est.) ^4 `+ 41.3% (male 3,763,332/female 3,695,053) `, 55.5% (male 5,029,658/female 4,994,786) `- 3.2% (male 266,616/female 310,937) (2007 est.) ^5 `! 18.9 years `. 18.7 years `/ 19 years (2007 est.) ^6 2.241% (2007 est.) ^7 35.07 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^8 12.66 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^9 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^: `0 1.03 male(s)/female `1 1.018 male(s)/female `, 1.007 male(s)/female `- 0.857 male(s)/female `2 1.007 male(s)/female (2007 est.) ^; `! 65.84 deaths/1,000 live births `. 70.73 deaths/1,000 live births `/ 60.79 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) ^< `2 52.86 years `. 52.15 years `/ 53.59 years (2007 est.) ^= 4.49 children born/woman (2007 est.) ^> 6.9% (2003 est.) ^? 560,000 (2003 est.) ^@ 49,000 (2003 est.) _` `h very high `i bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis `s meningococcal meningitis `* highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified among birds in this country or surrounding region; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2007) ^A `3 Cameroonian(s) `4 Cameroonian ^B Cameroon Highlanders 31%, Equatorial Bantu 19%, Kirdi 11%, Fulani 10%, Northwestern Bantu 8%, Eastern Nigritic 7%, other African 13%, non-African less than 1% ^C indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 40%, Muslim 20% ^D 24 major African language groups, English (official), French (official) ^E `5 age 15 and over can read and write `2 79% `. 84.7% `/ 73.4% (2003 est.) 
]$ ^F `6 Republic of Cameroon `7 Cameroon `Z Republique du Cameroun/Republic of Cameroon `[ Cameroun/Cameroon `\ French Cameroon, British Cameroon, Federal Republic of Cameroon, United Republic of Cameroon ^H republic; multiparty presidential regime ^I `8 Yaounde `9 3 52 N, 11 31 E `: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) ^J 10 provinces; Adamaoua, Centre, Est, Extreme-Nord, Littoral, Nord, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud, Sud-Ouest ^K 1 January 1960 (from French-administered UN trusteeship) ^L Republic Day (National Day), 20 May (1972) ^M 20 May 1972 approved by referendum, adopted 2 June 1972; revised January 1996 ^N based on French civil law system, with common law influence; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction ^O 20 years of age; universal ^P `; President Paul BIYA (since 6 November 1982) `< Prime Minister Ephraim INONI (since 8 December 2004) `= Cabinet appointed by the president from proposals submitted by the prime minister `> president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 11 October 2004 (next to be held by October 2011); prime minister appointed by the president `? President Paul BIYA reelected; percent of vote - Paul BIYA 70.9%, John FRU NDI 17.4%, Adamou Ndam NJOYA 4.5%, Garga Haman ADJI 3.7% ^Q unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (180 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms); note - the president can either lengthen or shorten the term of the legislature `> last held 23 June 2002 (next to be held in June 2007) `? percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RDCP 133, SDF 21, UDC 5, other 21 `* the constitution calls for an upper chamber for the legislature, to be called a Senate, but it has yet to be established ^R Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president); High Court of Justice (consists of nine judges and six substitute judges, elected by the National Assembly) ^S Cameroonian Democratic Union or UDC [Adamou Ndam NJOYA]; Cameroon People's Democratic Movement or RDCP [Paul BIYA]; Movement for the Defense of the Republic or MDR [Dakole DAISSALA]; Movement for the Liberation and Development of Cameroon or MLDC [Marcel YONDO]; Movement for the Youth of Cameroon or MYC [Dieudonne TINA]; National Union for Democracy and Progress or UNDP [Maigari BELLO BOUBA]; Social Democratic Front or SDF [John FRU NDI]; Union of Peoples of Cameroon or UPC [Augustin Frederic KODOCK] ^T Southern Cameroon National Council [Ayamba Ette OTUN]; Human Rights Defense Group [Albert MUKONG, president] ^U ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, C, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO ^V `R Ambassador Jerome MENDOUGA `S 2349 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 `T [1] (202) 265-8790 `U [1] (202) 387-3826 ^W `R Ambassador Niels MARQUARDT `_ Rue Nachtigal, Yaounde `` P. O. Box 817, Yaounde; pouch: American Embassy, US Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-2520 `T [237] 220 15 00; Consular: [237] 220 16 03 `U [237] 220 16 20; Consular FAX: [237] 220 17 52 `u Douala ^X 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 
]% ^Y Because of its modest oil resources and favorable agricultural conditions, Cameroon has one of the best-endowed primary commodity economies in sub-Saharan Africa. Still, it faces many of the serious problems facing other underdeveloped countries, such as a top-heavy civil service and a generally unfavorable climate for business enterprise. Since 1990, the government has embarked on various IMF and World Bank programs designed to spur business investment, increase efficiency in agriculture, improve trade, and recapitalize the nation's banks. In June 2000, the government completed an IMF-sponsored, three-year structural adjustment program; however, the IMF is pressing for more reforms, including increased budget transparency, privatization, and poverty reduction programs. International oil and cocoa prices have a significant impact on the economy. ^Z $42.2 billion (2006 est.) ^[ $16.37 billion (2006 est.) ^\ 4.1% (2006 est.) ^] $2,400 (2006 est.) ^^ `@ 45.2% `A 16.1% `B 38.7% (2006 est.) ^_ 6.394 million (2006 est.) ^` `@ 70% `A 13% `B 17% ^a 30% (2001 est.) _! 48% (2000 est.) _" `C 1.9% `D 36.6% (1996) _d 44.6 (2001) _# 2.4% (2006 est.) _V 16.8% of GDP (2006 est.) _$ `E $3.339 billion `F $3.157 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.) _% 28.4% of GDP (2006 est.) _& coffee, cocoa, cotton, rubber, bananas, oilseed, grains, root starches; livestock; timber _' petroleum production and refining, aluminum production, food processing, light consumer goods, textiles, lumber, ship repair _( 4.2% (1999 est.) _) 3.924 billion kWh (2004) _* 3.649 billion kWh (2004) _+ 0 kWh (2004) _, 0 kWh (2004) _- 82,300 bbl/day (2005 est.) _. 24,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) _/ NA bbl/day _0 NA bbl/day _W 90 million bbl (2006 est.) _1 0 cu m (2004 est.) _2 0 cu m (2004 est.) _X 0 cu m (2004 est.) _Y 0 cu m (2004 est.) _Z 110.4 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.) _Q $419 million (2006 est.) _3 $4.318 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) _4 crude oil and petroleum products, lumber, cocoa beans, aluminum, coffee, cotton _5 Spain 17.3%, Italy 13.8%, France 9.5%, South Korea 8.1%, UK 8.1%, Netherlands 7.9%, Belgium 4.9%, US 4.3% (2005) _6 $3.083 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) _7 machinery, electrical equipment, transport equipment, fuel, food _8 France 24%, Nigeria 12%, Belgium 6.3%, China 5.6%, US 5.1%, Thailand 4.5%, Germany 4.2% (2005) _[ $1.336 billion (2006 est.) _9 $3.657 billion (2006 est.) _: in January 2001, the Paris Club agreed to reduce Cameroon's debt of $1.3 billion by $900 million; debt relief now totals $1.26 billion _; Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States _< Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002) _= 1 July - 30 June 
]& _> 99,400 (2004) _? 2.259 million (2005) _@ `G available only to business and government `H cable, microwave radio relay, and tropospheric scatter `I country code - 237; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia _A AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 3 (2002) _B 1 (2002) _C .cm _D 39 (2006) _E 167,000 (2005) 
]' _F 47 (2006) _G `! 11 `a 2 `J 4 `b 3 `c 1 `W 1 (2006) _R `! 36 `b 7 `c 20 `W 9 (2006) _^ gas 70 km; liquid petroleum gas 9 km; oil 1,107 km (2006) _e `! 987 km `n 987 km 1.000-m gauge (2005) _H `! 50,000 km `K 5,000 km `L 45,000 km (2004) _b navigation mainly on Benue River; limited during rainy season (2005) _S `! 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 38,613 GRT/68,820 DWT by type: petroleum tanker 1 `X 1 (France 1) (2006) _I Douala, Limboh Terminal 
]( _J Cameroon Armed Forces: Army, Navy (includes naval infantry), Air Force (Armee de l'Air du Cameroun, AAC) (2006) _T 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (1999) _K males age 18-49: 3,525,307 females age 18-49: 3,461,406 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 1,946,767 females age 18-49: 1,834,600 (2005 est.) _L males age 18-49: 191,619 females age 18-49: 187,082 (2005 est.) _U 1.4% (2006 est.) 
]) _N Joint Border Commission with Nigeria reviewed 2002 ICJ ruling on the entire boundary and bilaterally resolved differences, including June 2006 Greentree Agreement that immediately cedes sovereignty of the Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon with a phase-out of Nigerian control within two years while resolving patriation issues; implementation of the ICJ ruling on the Cameroon-Equatorial Guinea-Nigeria maritime boundary in the Gulf of Guinea is pending due to imprecisely defined coordinates and a sovereignty dispute between Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon over an island at the mouth of the Ntem River; only Nigeria and Cameroon have heeded the Lake Chad Commission's admonition to ratify the delimitation treaty, which also includes the Chad-Niger and Niger-Nigeria boundaries _c `o 39,303 (Chad), 9,711 (Nigeria), 13,000 (Central African Republic); note - there are an additional 10,000 Central African refugees unregistered with UNHCR as of December 2006 (2006) 