Cameroon

Map of Cameroon

Country name	Republic of Cameroon
Capital	Yaounde
Independence	1 January 1960 (from French-administered UN trusteeship)
National holiday	Republic Day (National Day), 20 May (1972)
Population	20,129,878 (July 2012 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth	1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2011 est.)
Nationality	Cameroonian
Religions	indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 40%, Muslim 20%
Languages	24 major African language groups, English (official), French (official)
Literacy	Age 15 and over can read and write Total population: 75.9% Male: 84% Female: 67.8% (2001 est.)
Location	Central Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria
Geographic coordinates	6 00 N, 12 00 E
Map references	Africa
Area	total: 475,440 sq km land: 472,710 sq km water: 2,730 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly larger than California
Land boundaries	total: 4,591 km border countries: Central African Republic 797 km, Chad 1,094 km, Republic of the Congo 523 km, Equatorial Guinea 189 km, Gabon 298 km, Nigeria 1,690 km
Coastline	402 km
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm
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
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Fako 4,095 m (on Mt. Cameroon)
Natural resources	petroleum, bauxite, iron ore, timber, hydropower
Exports - commodities	crude oil and petroleum products, lumber, cocoa beans, aluminum, coffee, cotton
Imports – commodities	machinery, electrical equipment, transport equipment, fuel, food
Land use	arable land: 12.6% permanent crops: 2.52% other: 84.86% (2005)
Irrigated land	290 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources	273 cu km (2003)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)	total: 1.18 cu km/yr (18.2%/8.1%/73.7%) per capita: 601 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards	volcanic activity with periodic releases of poisonous gases from Lake Nyos and Lake Monoun volcanoes volcanism: Mt. Cameroon (elev. 4,095 m), which last erupted in 2000, is the most frequently active volcano in West Africa; lakes in Oku volcanic field have released fatal levels of gas on occasion, killing some 1,700 people in 1986
Environment - current issues	waterborne diseases are prevalent; deforestation; overgrazing; desertification; poaching; overfishing
Environment - international agreements	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note	sometimes referred to as the hinge of Africa; throughout the country there are areas of thermal springs and indications of current or prior volcanic activity; Mount Cameroon, the highest mountain in Sub-Saharan west Africa, is an active volcano