volcanic activity with release of poisonous
gases
international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical
Timber 83; signed, but not ratified - Desertification, Nuclear Test
Ban, Tropical Timber 94

Note: sometimes referred to as the hinge of Africa

@Cameroon:People

Population: 13.521 million (July 1995 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 44% (female 2,978,216; male 3,001,487)
15-64 years: 52% (female 3,562,247; male 3,523,100)
65 years and over: 4% (female 248,314; male 207,636) (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.92% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 40.42 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate: 11.19 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 75.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 57.48 years
male: 55.41 years
female: 59.6 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.8 children born/woman (1995 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 (1987)
total population: 55%
male: 66%
female: 45%

Labor force: NA
by occupation: agriculture 74.4%, industry and transport 11.4%, other
services 14.2% (1983)

@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)

National holiday: National Day, 20 May (1972)

Constitution: 20 May 1972

Legal system: based on French civil law system, with common law
influence; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Presiden