Basic Facts |
Official name |
Republic of Cameroon |
Capital |
Yaoundé |
Area |
475,442 sq km |
|
183,569 sq mi |
People |
Population |
16,184,748 (2002 estimate) |
Population growth |
Population growth rate |
2.36 percent (2002 estimate) |
Projected population in 2025 |
24,708,749 (2000 estimate) |
Projected population in 2050 |
34,662,366 (2000 estimate) |
Population density |
34 persons per sq km (2002 estimate) |
|
88 persons per sq mi (2002 estimate) |
Largest cities, with population |
Douala |
1,500,000 (1997 estimate) |
Yaoundé |
1,000,000 (1997 estimate) |
Nkongsamba |
130,000 (1991 estimate) |
Bafoussam |
120,000 (1992 estimate) |
Ethnic groups |
There are some 200 groups, the largest of which are the Fang, Bamileke, Fulani, and Pahouin (Beti). Most groups make up less than 1 percent of the population. |
Languages |
24 major African language groups, English (official), French (official) |
Religious affiliations |
Christian |
53 percent |
Indigenous beliefs |
25 percent |
Muslim |
22 percent |
Health and Education |
Life expectancy |
Total |
54.4 years (2002 estimate) |
Female |
55.2 years (2002 estimate) |
Male |
53.5 years (2002 estimate) |
Infant mortality rate |
69 deaths per 1,000 live births (2002 estimate) |
Population per physician |
15,546 people (1999) |
Population per hospital bed |
392 people (1990) |
Literacy rate |
Total |
94.2 percent (2001 estimate) |
Female |
94.1 percent (2001 estimate) |
Male |
94.3 percent (2001 estimate) |
Education expenditure as a share of gross national product (GNP) |
2.7 percent (1998) |
| Number of years of compulsory schooling |
6 years (1998) |
| Number of students per teacher, primary school |
52 students per teacher (1998) |
| Government |
| Form of government - Multiparty republic |
| Voting qualifications |
Universal at age 21 |
| Constitution |
20 May 1972; amended December 1995 |
| Armed forces |
| Total number of military personnel |
22,100 (2001) |
| Economy |
| Gross domestic product (GDP, in U.S.$) |
$8.9 billion (2000) |
| GDP per capita (U.S.$) |
$600 (2000) |
| GDP by economic sector |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing |
43.8 percent (2000) |
| Industry |
20.2 percent (2000) |
| Services |
35.9 percent (2000) |
| National budget (U.S.$) |
| Total revenue |
$1,409 million (1999) |
| Total expenditure |
$1,396 million (1999) |
| Energy, Communications, and Transportation |
| Electricity production |
| Electricity from thermal sources |
2.59 percent (1999 estimate) |
| Electricity from hydroelectric sources |
97.41 percent (1999 estimate) |
| Electricity from nuclear sources |
0 percent (1999 estimate) |
| Electricity from geothermal, solar, and wind sources |
0 percent (1999 estimate) |
| Number of radios per 1,000 people |
163 (1997) |
| Number of telephones per 1,000 people |
6 (1999) |
| Number of televisions per 1,000 people |
32 (1997 estimate) |
| Number of Internet hosts per 10,000 people |
0.01 (2000) |
| Daily newspaper circulation per 1,000 people |
7 (1996) |
| Number of motor vehicles per 1,000 people |
12 (1997) |
| Paved road as a share of total roads |
13 percent (1999) |
| Sources |
Basic Facts and People sections
Area data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Population, population growth rate, and population projections are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International Data Base (IDB) (www.census.gov). Urban and rural population data are from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), FAOSTAT database (www.fao.org). Largest cities population data and political divisions data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Ethnic divisions and religion data are largely from the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook and from various country censuses and reports. Language data are largely from the Ethnologue, Languages of the World, Summer Institute of Linguistics International (www.sil.org).
Health and Education section
Life expectancy and infant mortality data are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International database (IDB) (www.census.gov). Population per physician and population per hospital bed data are from the World Health Organization (WHO) (www.who.int). Education data are from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org).
Government section
Government, independence, legislature, constitution, highest court, and voting qualifications data are largely from various government Web sites, the latest Europa World Yearbook, and the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook. The armed forces data is from Military Balance.
Economy section
Gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, GDP by economic sectors, employment, and national budget data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). Monetary unit, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, exports, imports, and major trade partner information is from the latest Europa World Yearbook and various International Monetary Fund (IMF) publications.
Energy, Communication, and Transportation section
Electricity information is from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) database (www.eia.doe.gov). Radio, telephone, television, and newspaper information is from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org). Internet hosts, motor vehicles, and road data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). |
