pen maritime boundary negotiations and
redemarcate the entire land boundary have been rejected by Cameroon

_#_Climate: varies with terrain from tropical along coast to semiarid
and hot in north

_#_Terrain: diverse with coastal plain in southwest, dissected plateau
in center, mountains in west, plains in north

_#_Natural resources: crude oil, bauxite, iron ore, timber,
hydropower potential

_#_Land use: arable land 13%; permanent crops 2%; meadows and pastures
18%; forest and woodland 54%; other 13%; includes irrigated NEGL%

_#_Environment: recent volcanic activity with release of poisonous
gases; deforestation; overgrazing; desertification

_#_Note: sometimes referred to as the hinge of Africa

_*_People
_#_Population: 11,390,374 (July 1991), growth rate 2.7% (1991)

_#_Birth rate: 41 births/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Death rate: 15 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Infant mortality rate: 118 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

_#_Life expectancy at birth: 49 years male, 53 years female (1991)

_#_Total fertility rate: 5.6 children born/woman (1991)

_#_Nationality: noun--Cameroonian(s); adjective--Cameroonian

_#_Ethnic divisions: over 200 tribes of widely differing background;
Cameroon Highlanders 31%, Equatorial Bantu 19%, Kirdi 11%, Fulani 10%,
Northwestern Bantu 8%, Eastern Nigritic 7%, other African 13%,
non-African less than 1%

_#_Religion: indigenous beliefs 51%, Christian 33%, Muslim 16%

_#_Language: English and French (official), 24 major African language
groups

_#_Literacy: 54% (male 66%, female 43%) age 15 and over can
read and write (1990 est.)

_#_Labor force: NA; agriculture 74.4%, industry and transport 11.4%,
other services 14.2% (1983); 50% of population of working age (15-64
years) (1985)

_#_Organized labor: under 45% of wage labor force

_*_Government
_#_Long-form name: Republic of Cameroon

_#_Type: unitary republic; multiparty presidential regime (opposition
parties legalized 1990)

_#_Capital: Yaounde

_#_Administrative divisions: 10 provinces; Adamaoua, Centre, Est,
Extreme-Nord, Littoral, Nord, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud, Sud-Ouest

_#_Independence: 1 January 1960 (from UN trusteeship under
French administration; formerly French Cameroon)

_#_Constitution: 20 May 1972

_#_Legal system: based on French civil law system, with common law
influence;