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Map of Cameroon

About Cameroon

About Cameroon

Cameroon is located on the Central West African Coast, bordering Nigeria, Chad, and the Central African Republic. It covers an area slightly larger than California. The climate varies from tropical along the coast to semiarid and hot in the north. Cameroon's terrain includes a coastal plain in the southwest, a plateau in the center, mountains in the west, and plains in the north. Natural resources include petroleum, bauxite, iron ore, timber and hydropower.

People:
More than 16.2 million people inhabit Cameroon. Official languages are French and English, with 24 major African language groups as well. Ethnically, the nation is comprised of: Cameroon Highlanders (31%), Equatorial Bantu (19%), Kirdi (11%), Fulani (10%), Northwestern Bantu (8%), Eastern Nigritic (7%), other African groups (13%). Non-African groups are less than one percent of the population. Religious practices include: indigenous beliefs (40%); Christian (40%); and Muslim (20%).

Government:
The official name of the country is the Republic of Cameroon. Yaounde, the capital city, is located in the centre province. Cameroon gained its independence from a UN trusteeship on January 1, 1960. It is composed of the former French Cameroon and parts of British Cameroon. Its constitution was adopted on May 20, 1972. Cameroon is a unitary republic. The president is elected by popular vote to a seven-year term and the prime minister is appointed by the president. The major political parties are the Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM), the Social Democratic Front (SDF), the National Union for Democracy and Progress (UNDP), and others.

Economy:
With rich oil resources and favorable agricultural conditions, Cameroon has a wonderful primary commodity economy and potential for growth. Unfortunately, it faces many serious problems in a top-heavy civil service and a generally unfavorable climate for business enterprise. 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 and privatization. The capital, Yaounde, now hosts one of sub-Saharan Africa's few stock exchanges, which was opened in 2002. The gross domestic product (GDP) is comprised of: agriculture (44%), industry (20%) and services (36%).