: 11,092,470 (July 1990), growth rate 2.7% (1990)

Birth rate: 42 births/1,000 population (1990)

Death rate: 15 deaths/1,000 population (1990)

Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)

Infant mortality rate: 120 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)

Life expectancy at birth: 49 years male, 53 years female (1990)

Total fertility rate: 5.7 children born/woman (1990)

Nationality: noun--Cameroonian(s); adjective--Cameroonian

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

Religion: 51% indigenous beliefs, 33% Christian, 16% Muslim

Language: English and French (official), 24 major African language groups

Literacy: 56.2%

Labor force: NA; 74.4% agriculture, 11.4% industry and transport,
14.2% other services (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; one-party presidential regime

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; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

National holiday: National Day, 20 May (1972)

Executive branch: president, Cabinet

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government President Paul BIYA (since
6 November 1982)

Political parties and leaders: only party--Cameroon People's
Democratic Movement (RDPC), Paul Biya, president

Suffrage: universal at age 21

Elections:
President--last held 24 April 1988 (next to be held April 1993);
results--President Paul Biya reelected without opposition;

National Assembly--last held 24 April 1988 (next to be
held April 1993);
results--RDPC is the only party;
seats--(180 total) RDPC 180

Communists: no Communist party or significant number of sympathizers

Other political or pressure groups: Cameroon People's Union (UPC),
remains an illegal group with its factional leaders in exile

Mem