10 provinces; Adamaoua, Centre, Est, Extreme-Nord, Littoral, Nord, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud, Sud-Ouest.
Population:
15,803,220
note: 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 2001 est.)
Currency:
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States
Languages:
24 major African language groups, English (official), French (official)
Elevation:
highest point: Fako 4,095 m
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Natural hazards:
recent volcanic activity with release of poisonous gases
Climate:
varies with terrain, from tropical along coast to semiarid and hot in north
Because of its 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 and privatization. Higher oil prices in 2000 helped to offset the country's lower cocoa export revenues. A rebound in the cocoa market should increase growth to over 5% in 2001.
Industry:
petroleum production and refining, food processing, light consumer goods, textiles, lumber
Ethnicgroups:
Cameroon Highlanders 31%, Equatorial Bantu 19%, Kirdi 11%, Fulani 10%, Northwestern Bantu 8%, Eastern Nigritic 7%, other African 13%, non-African less than 1%
Yellow fever:
A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from all travellers over 1 year of age.
Malaria:
Malaria risk—predominantly due to P. falciparum—exists throughout the year in the whole country. P. falciparum resistant to chloroquine and sulfadoxine–pyrimethamine reported.
