ial
Land use:
arable land:
13%
permanent crops:
2%
meadows and pastures:
18%
forest and woodland:
54%
other:
13%
Irrigated land:
280 km2 (1989 est.)
Environment:
recent volcanic activity with release of poisonous gases; deforestation;
overgrazing; desertification
Note:
sometimes referred to as the hinge of Africa

*Cameroon, People

Population:
12,755,873 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.9% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
40.66 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
11.63 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
78.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population:
56.66 years
male:
54.65 years
female:
58.74 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
5.88 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Cameroonian(s)
adjective:
Cameroonian
Ethnic divisions:
Cameroon Highlanders 31%, Equatorial Bantu 19%, Kirdi 11%, Fulani 10%,
Northwestern Bantu 8%, Eastern Nigritic 7%, other African 13%, non-African
less than 1%
Religions:
indigenous beliefs 51%, Christian 33%, Muslim 16%
Languages:
24 major African language groups, English (official), French (official)
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
total population:
54%
male:
66%
female:
43%
Labor force:
NA
by occupation:
agriculture 74.4%, industry and transport 11.4%, other services 14.2% (1983)
note:
50% of population of working age (15-64 years) (1985)

*Cameroon, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
Republic of Cameroon
conventional short form:
Cameroon
former:
French Cameroon
Digraph:
CM
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)
Constitution:
20 May 1972
Legal system:
based on French civil law system, with common law influence; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday:
National Day, 20 May (1972)
Political parties and leaders:
Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM), Paul BIYA, president, is
government-controlled and was formerly the only party, but opposition