Form of Government: Republic
Area: 475 650 sq km
Population: 26 545 864 inhab. (estimate 2020)
Density: 55.81 inhab./sq km
Coordinates: lat. 13° - 2° N; long. 9° - 16° E
Capital: Yaoundé (capital) 1 801 000 inhab. (2010); Yaoundé 3 655 656 inhab. (2018), urban agglomeration
Currency: CFA franc (100 centimes)
Human development index: 0.563 (rank: 153)
President: Paul Biya (RDPC), since 6 November 1982, last re-elected 7 October 2018
Prime Minister: Joseph Ngute (RDPC), since 4 January 2019
National Assembly: seats based on the elections of 9 February 2020: CPDM (Cameroon People's Democratic Movement), 139; others, 28; vacant, 13
Internet: //ins-cameroun.cm (Institut National de la Statistique)
Member of AU, CEMAC, Commonwealth, OIC, UN, WTO
Cameroon

International license plate code CAM
International dialling code 00237
Travel vaccinations requirement yellow fever (required); malaria prophylaxis (recommended)
Electricity (Voltage) 220
Driving side rigth
Internet code .cm
GMT +1
DST not applied
Annual average temperature (°C) Yaoundé 23.3
Average temperature in January/July (°C) Yaoundé 24/22
Daily sunshine hours in June/December (average) Yaoundé 4/6
Annual average precipitation (mm) Yaoundé 1542
Days of rainfall (annual average) Yaoundé 130
Geography.
Cameroon is bordered by Nigeria to the north and west, Chad to the north-east, the Central African Republic to the east, and by Congo, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea to the south. Cameroon faces out to the Atlantic Ocean (Gulf of Guinea) to the west and Lake Chad to the north. Mount Cameroon (4095 m) rises proud on the flat coastal strip, and the coastal strip then leads into the Adamawa plateau that slopes down from north to south. The country is crossed by the River Sanaga and the River Nyong to the south and the River Benue to the north.
The climate is equatorial, humid along the coast, and tropical inland with savannah areas to the north. The border with Nigeria was altered in 2002-03 by the International Court of Justice in The Hague, which assigned the Bakassi peninsula and roughly 1000 km2 of land to the north, in the Lake Chad area, to Cameroon.
Government
Formerly a German protectorate, what we know now as present-day Cameroon was divided in 1920 between France and the United Kingdom, originally under a League of Nations mandate and then as a United Nations Trusteeship.
The Republic of Cameroon came into being on 1 October 1961 with the reunification of the French part (which had already achieved independence on 1 January 1960) and the southern part of the British territory. The northern section of the British territory was unified with Nigeria. In 1972, modifications to the original federal organization gave the country a unified structure. Despite the opening up of the political system to multi-party elections (in 1990), the original party of the single party state (CPDM) has maintained a tight grip over the leadership of the country.
In the English-speaking west, there are active secessionist movements; rebel groups in the Bakassi peninsula have been responsible for carrying out armed attacks and kidnappings; in the north, incursions take place by Islamic militants from Nigeria. The president, who enjoys ample executive powers, is elected by direct suffrage for a seven-year term. The Parliament consists of the National Assembly (180 members elected by direct suffrage) and the Senate (70 members elected by the municipal councils and 30 elected by the president), each of which has a five-year term.
Administrative division
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
Douala | 2 125 000 | inhab. | 2010 |
Yaoundé | 1 801 000 | inhab. | 2010 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
Yaoundé | 3 655 656 | inhab. | 2018 |
Population
Population by age and gender (% - 2020) | ||||||||
| ||||||||
MALE | AGE | FEMALE |
Bantu tribes are main inhabitants of the south of the country; Islamized Sudanese groups are spread throughout the centre and centre-north, while small groups of pygmies live in the equatorial forests.
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
Birth rate | 34.891 | ‰ | 2019 |
Death rate | 9.059 | ‰ | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
other | 35.8 | % | 1983 |
Fang | 20$ | % | 1983 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
Catholic | 38.3 | % | 2010 |
Protestant | 31.4 | % | 2010 |
DESCRIPTION |
---|
Bantu |
English (official) |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
0-14 years | 42.3 | % | 2020 |
15-29 years | 28$ | % | 2020 |
Economy
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
Agricultural prod. index (2004-06=100) | 175.16 | index | 2016 |
Agricultural prod. index (2014-16=100) | 107.16 | index | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
Active population | 11 679 000 | units | 2020 |
Active population, Females | 47$ | % | 2020 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
Unemployment rate | 3.6 | % | 2020 |
Unemployment rate, Females | 53.9 | % | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
Expenses | 4 235 000 | M LCU | 2019 |
Revenues | 3 716 000 | M LCU | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
agriculture | 43.4 | % | 2019 |
industry | 15$ | % | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
agriculture | 15.893 | % | 2019 |
industry | 28.144 | % | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
Currency in circulation | 1 250.7 | BN LCU | 2018 |
International reserves | 3 459.3 | M US$ | 2018 |
Agriculture
Primary sector.
The principal export crops are cocoa, cotton (from North and Far North regions), bananas, coffee (Nkongsamba area and in the centre-south), and palm oil (South-West, Littoral, Centre). Pineapples, tomatoes and peanuts are also produced. Subsistence agriculture (cassava, bananas, maize, taro, sorghum, yams, beans, rice, potatoes and sweet potatoes) is more widely practiced in inland regions. As a whole, the country has achieved self-sufficiency in terms of food. The forests supply several valuable kinds of wood (ebony, okoumé, mahogany and iroko). The main products of the transformation industry are palm oil and rubber (Dizangué plantation near Edea). The large numbers and variety of animals raised helps to satisfy the demand for food.
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
arable land | 16.395 | % | 2018 |
forests | 43.266 | % | 2018 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
cereals, total | 3 945.682 | 1000 t | 2019 |
maize | 2 309.535 | 1000 t | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
cassava | 6 092.549 | 1000 t | 2019 |
potatoes | 363.556 | 1000 t | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
cabbages | 73.743 | 1000 t | 2019 |
chillies and peppers | 66.856 | 1000 t | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
beans, dry | 413.723 | 1000 t | 2019 |
beans, green | 4.925 | 1000 t | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
groundnuts | 500 | 1000 t | 2019 |
sesame seed | 70$ | 1000 t | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
oil palm fruits | 2 165.487 | 1000 t | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
coconuts | 3.945 | 1000 t | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
cocoa | 280 | 1000 t | 2019 |
coffee | 28.058 | 1000 t | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
sugar cane | 1 285.769 | 1000 t | 2019 |
tobacco | 6.819 | 1000 t | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
seed cotton | 322.464 | 1000 t | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
jute | 0.107 | 1000 t | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
apricots | 1.146 | 1000 t | 2019 |
figs | 0.101 | 1000 t | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
hazelnuts | 0.185 | 1000 t | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
citrus fruits | 0.197 | 1000 t | 2019 |
citrus fruits, nes | 0.08 | 1000 t | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
avocados | 74.668 | 1000 t | 2019 |
bananas | 1 207.375 | 1000 t | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
maize | 1 420.018 | 1000 ha | 2019 |
millet | 75.063 | 1000 ha | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
cassava | 407.017 | 1000 ha | 2019 |
potatoes | 21.471 | 1000 ha | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
cabbages | 2.41 | 1000 ha | 2019 |
chillies and peppers | 30.378 | 1000 ha | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
beans, dry | 307.02 | 1000 ha | 2019 |
beans, green | 0.774 | 1000 ha | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
groundnuts | 445 | 1000 ha | 2019 |
sesame seed | 54$ | 1000 ha | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
oil palm fruit | 155 | 1000 ha | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
coconuts | 1.567 | 1000 ha | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
cocoa | 672.745 | 1000 ha | 2019 |
coffee | 89.898 | 1000 ha | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
sugar cane | 135.814 | 1000 ha | 2019 |
tobacco | 4.182 | 1000 ha | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
seed cotton | 250 | 1000 ha | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
jute | 0.296 | 1000 ha | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
apricots | 0.214 | 1000 ha | 2019 |
figs | 0.035 | 1000 ha | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
hazelnuts | 0.164 | 1000 ha | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
avocados | 16.298 | 1000 ha | 2019 |
bananas | 91.975 | 1000 ha | 2019 |
Forests-Livestock-Fishing
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
natural rubber | 50 521 | t | 2019 |
timber | 14 477 798 | m³ | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
cattle | 5 770.179 | 1000 heads | 2019 |
cattle and buffaloes | 5 770.179 | 1000 heads | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
pigs | 1 960.026 | 1000 heads | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
sheep | 3 434.881 | 1000 heads | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
goats | 5 548.749 | 1000 heads | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
asses | 40.056 | 1000 heads | 2019 |
asses and mules | 40.056 | 1000 heads | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
birds | 55 116 | 1000 heads | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
honey | 4.633 | 1000 t | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
eggs | 18.796 | 1000 t | 2019 |
hides and skins | 15.98 | 1000 t | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
crustaceans and molluscs | 43 880.039 | t | 2019 |
freshwater fishes | 33 485 | t | 2019 |
Minerals
Secondary and tertiary sector.
Crude oil is extracted in the Logone-Birni basin and from offshore reserves at Bibundi, Kombo, Boa, Bakassi, Kole, Bavo, Mokoko, Abana and Moudi, and a refinery operates in Limbe.
A 1070 km oil pipeline carries crude oil extracted in Chad to the Cameroonian port of Kribi, which is being expanded. Natural gas, extracted at Douala, Sanaga, Kribi and Moudi, feeds the Kribi power station and the liquefaction terminal off the city. Bauxite deposits are found around Bamileke and Martap, iron ore is found around Kribi, cassiterite around Garoua and Banyo, gold around Bétaré-Oya and Batouri, diamonds around Limokoali and Mobilong. Most of the electricity produced is hydro-electric with dams and power plants at Edea, Song Loulou, Lagdo and Lom Pangar (under construction).
The aluminium industry located in Edea is of importance as are chemicals (in Bonabéri), petrochemicals (in Limbe), the mechanical sector and textile plants (at Doula, Maroua and Garoua) as well tanneries at Ngaoundéré. A hub of technological innovation has been developed in the Buéa area. Other industrial activities have to do with the pressing of oleaginous seeds (at Kaélé), cotton shelling (at Maroua), rubber, cocoa and tobacco processing (at Yaoundé), sugar production (at Mbandjock and Nkoteng), paper mills at Edéa and cement works (at Douala, Figuil and Yaoundé). The country’s main trading partners are the EU member states. The CFA franc is pegged to the Euro at a fixed rate of exchange.
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
natural gas | 2 382 | M m³ | 2019 |
oil, crude | 3 325 | 1000 t | 2020 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
clay | 8$ | 1000 t | 2018 |
kyanite | 0.2 | 1000 t | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
granite | 1.8 | 1000 t | 2014 |
kaolin | 22$ | 1000 t | 2016 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
diamonds | 1.8 | 1000 ct | 2018 |
gold | 1 000 | kg | 2018 |
Energy
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
- hydro | 5 340 | M kWh | 2019 |
- thermal | 3 331.36 | M kWh | 2018 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
- thermal | 1 215 | 1000 kW | 2018 |
- hydro | 792 | 1000 kW | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
total net generation | 8 363.13 | M kWh | 2018 |
total installed capacity | 1 979 | 1000 kW | 2018 |
Industry
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
aluminium | 70$ | 1000 t | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
petrol | 982 | 1000 t | 2014 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
soap | 32.7 | 1000 t | 2009 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
cotton fabrics | 0.02 | M m² | 2005 |
cotton fabrics - m | 8.9 | M m | 2003 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
beer of barley | 600 | 1000 t | 2018 |
coconut oil | 0.708 | 1000 t | 2018 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
cigarettes | 1 755 | M units | 2005 |
cigarettes - t | 0.2 | 1000 t | 2009 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
cement | 2 900 | 1000 t | 2018 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
manufacturing production | 5 738.286 | M US$ | 2020 |
Trade
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
fuels | 43.449 | % of goods exports | 2017 |
food products | 21.937 | % of goods exports | 2017 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
Spain | 928 | M US$ | 2006 |
Italy | 870 | M US$ | 2007 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
France | 773 | M US$ | 2007 |
Nigeria | 735 | M US$ | 2006 |
Tourism
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
Expenditures | 984 | M US$ | 2019 |
Number of arrivals | 997 000 | units | 2018 |
Communications
The main rail line is the Trans Cameroon railway which links Douala with Ngaoundéré. The River Benue is an important waterway for trade with Nigeria.
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
Civil aviation, km flown | 10 800 000 | km flown | 2004 |
Civil aviation, passengers carried | 198.9 | 1000 units | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
Broadband subscribers | 15.494 | per 1000 pop. | 2019 |
Computers | 11.2 | per 1000 pop. | 2005 |
Social and welfare
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
Expected years of schooling | 12.104 | years | 2016 |
Graduates | 69 195 | units | 2017 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
Students, primary level | 4 201 988 | units | 2018 |
Students, secondary level | 2 206 878 | units | 2016 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
Hospital beds | 1.3 | per 1000 pop. | 2010 |
Physicians | 0.09 | per 1000 pop. | 2011 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
HIV | 3.1 | % of adults | 2019 |
HIV, total | 6$ | % | 2001 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
Museums | 76$ | units | 2013 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
Access to clean fuels and technologies for cooking | 21.9 | % | 2019 |
Access to electricity | 63.452 | % | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
clothing, footwear | 13.1 | % | 2004 |
food, non-alcoholic beverages | 44.1 | % | 2004 |