Cameroon

Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

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Average high temperature (in Farenheit)

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Rainfall

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Distance to other capitals (kilometers)

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Proximity

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Gross Domestic Product per capita

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Absolute earnings for every 1$

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GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

GDP in PPP per capita

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GDP per capita (in US$)

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

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Relative GDP in PPP

Population

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Emigration

Immigration

Literacy

Health

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

Buddhism (share of the total population)

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

Other religions (share of the total population)

Non-religious (share of the total population)

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

Cameroon spends a total of US$422 million annually on its military which is around one percent of its GDP.

Due to its French colonial history, its military equipment is mainly inherited from France and its armed forces are largely trained by the French military. However, a shift has taken place in recent years where the renewal of its military equipment as well as the technical training of its military is being done by China.

Military membership

It is also a member of four international organizations. These are:

Conference on Disarmament
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
International Atomic Energy Agency
Non-Aligned Movement

Military membership

International wars

Cameroon has partaken in a total of one international war. This is the following:

Cameroon War (1955 – 1964)

Number of international wars fought

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

Cameroon is a member of 11 international political organizations. It is a member of the following:

Member state of the United Nations
International Labour Organization
Asia Cooperation Dialogue
ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nations
Mekong–Ganga Cooperation
Mekong River Commission
Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia
International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property
Member states of the Organization internationale de la Francophonie
International Criminal Court

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

It is ranked as the 136th most democratic state in the world. Even though it has a multiparty democracy, the power of the president of Cameroon is unmatched within its border. Another factor is that the Cameroon people's democratic movements has been in power for nearly 40 years which demonstrates a lack of transition of power.

Democracy/Dictatorship

The politics of Cameroon is in the form of a presidential republic. This presidential republic is represented by a multiparty system where the President of Cameroon is head of government and of state.

Interpol
Global Green Growth Institute
South Centre (organization)
World Organization for Animal Health

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Share of water (%)

Temperature

Rainfall

Proximity

Economics

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Surface GDP

Gross Domestic Product per capita

Relative earnings

GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

Population

Demographics

Population density

Emigration

Immigration

Literacy

Health

Religion

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

Buddhism (share of the total population)

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

Other religions (share of the total population)

Non-religious (share of the total population)

Military

International wars

Number of international wars fought

Military membership

Military spending

Military spending (in US$ million)

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Politics

Political Membership

Membership (international political organizations)

Democracy/Dictatorship

Democracy/dictatorship rating

Named after crustaceans found in its river, Cameroon has derived its name from the Portuguese word for shrimp, Camaroes. The first contact between Cameroon and the Western world was in 1470 when the Portuguese arrived on the mainland. During this period, the territory of Cameroon was mainly inhabited by the Bantu people and later became inhabited by the Yoruba and Hausa tribes. At the end of the 19th century, it became colonized by Germany which seceded its territory mostly to France and a part to Britain after losing the first world war. After attaining self-governance in 1946, the Cameroons People's Union emerged as the ruling party which sought to unite the British and French controlled territories of former German Cameroon. After waging a war against the aforementioned states, the Cameroons People's Union lost its power and was succeeded by the Cameroon national Democratic Party which attained full independence in 1960.

Cameroon has a large variety of landscapes within its area. To the north it has savanna planes, in the middle it has a large mountain range and to the south it has a relatively hilly terrain. To the northeast it borders Chad, to the west it borders the Central African Republic, to the southeast it borders Congo Brazzaville, to the south it borders Gabon and Equatorial Guinea and to the northeast it borders Nigeria.

It has a total surface area of 478,000 square kilometers or 184,500 square miles which makes it, as the 53rd largest state, slightly smaller than Turkmenistan and slightly larger than Papua New Guinea.

It has a total water surface area of 2,740 square kilometers or 1,055 square miles.

Below, a graph is shown which displays the absolute amount of water of each state in square kilometers and square miles.

Most of the surface water comes in the form of rivers which cover around 0.6 percent of its total surface. However, most of the drinking water comes from wells as well as volcanic aquifers.

Cameroon is the third warmest state in the world with an average temperature of 24.2 degrees Celsius or 75.5 degrees Fahrenheit. Most of the territory is warm all year round, with the exception of its mountain range.

The average highest temperature in Cameroon is around 28.7 degrees Celsius or 83.6 degrees Fahrenheit.

The average coldest temperature is around 18.7 degrees Celsius or 65.6 degrees Fahrenheit.

Most of the precipitation occurs between March to December. Between January and February, it receives the lowest amount of precipitation. The average amount of rainfall in Cameroon its 193 centimetres or 76 inches per year.

The capital of Cameroon, Yaoundé is home to around 1.3 million people. The capital that is closest located to Yaoundé is Malabo Equatorial Guinea with a distance of just over 300 kilometers or 190 miles. The capital that is furthest removed from Yaoundé is Apia Samoa with a distance of 18,846 kilometers or 11,700 miles.

Cameroon is relatively rich in terms of resources. Much of its income comes from petroleum related products. However, due to its versatile so and prosperous climates, Cameroon also has an agricultural surplus which mainly comes in the form of timber and cocoa beans. The economy of Cameroon is characterized by being a market based centrally planned economy with limited freedom for private enterprise. Some of the problems that the Cameroonian economy is facing is corruption which in turn deters foreign investment. Its main import partners are China and France which combined represent more than 25 percent of its total imports while its main export partners are China, France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands which combined represent more than 50 percent of its total exports.

In total, Cameroon is a member of 11 international economic organizations. These are:

African development Bank
International Monetary Fund
Islamic Development Bank
World Bank Group
World Customs Organization
World Trade Organization
International Bamboo and Rattan Organization
Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States
International Renewable Energy Agency
International Solar Alliance
Group of 77

The absolute earnings (GDP per capita) reflect the average yearly income. The figure below shows how much, on average, an inhabitant of another state earns for every $1 earned by a citizen of this state.

Cameroon has a total population of just over 29 million people. The people of Cameroon largely speak the language of their local tribe. Aside from the local language, the official language in Cameroon is English as well as French.

The relative Gross Domestic Product in Purchasing Power Parity compares the purchasing power of this state with that of the rest of the world. The graph on the left shows how much purchasing power of 1$ compared to the purchasing power of other states

The population density is around 60 people per square kilometer or 157 people per square mile.

Around 1.3 million people have emigrated to other states. The destinations are split into two categories, namely the neighbouring states, or the high economically developed economies of North America or Europe.

Around 500,000 people have immigrated to Cameroon which mainly come from neighbouring states with the Central African Republic being the largest supplier of immigrants.

Cameroon is the 151st most literate state in the world with an estimated 75.4 percent of the people being able to read. One of the reasons for this low percentage is the inability to register for schooling in rural areas and the emigration of educated people to more economically prosperous regions.

There are several health risks that are present in Cameroon. One of the most prevalent health risk is from communicable diseases, especially malaria which disproportionately affects children under the age of five. Other diseases such as cancers and cardiovascular diseases are also the main causes of death. Aside from disease, several political disputes in the Sahel region are endangering the lives of Cameroonians living in the northern part. Another problem that arises is the armed conflict in the Central African Republic which creates an influx of refugees and puts extra pressure on the health care system of Cameroon. This has placed the life expectancy of the average citizen under 60 years.

The Constitution of Cameroon provides freedom of religion to every citizen in Cameroon. Due to its high religious diversity and religious tolerance, it is the 47th most multi religious state in the world.

Christianity is the largest religion within Cameroon which is estimated to be around 73.8 percent. The denominations within Cameroon are mostly separated by its colonial history. The provinces that had an English colonial history are mostly Protestant while the provinces with a French history are mostly Catholic.

Islam is the second largest religion in Cameroon. Around 25 percent of the population adheres to Islam, with the majority being from the Sunni denomination. The Islamic population is mainly located in the northern part of Cameroon as well as a small province on its western border.

On the right, the global share of Christians per state is displayed

There are no known Buddhist organizations in Cameroon. It is estimated that fewer than 100 Buddhist reside within Cameroon, mainly represented by migrant workers.

Hinduism is represented in the same way as Buddhism, but there are more migrant workers residing within Cameroon that adhere to Hinduism. It is estimated that around 1.4 percent of the population of Cameroon adheres to Hinduism, also largely represented by migrant workers.

There is a small Jewish community residing within Cameroon which is largely active in the diamond industry of Cameroon and represents less than 100 people.

The third largest religion in Cameroon is the Baha'i faith which is represented by more than 50,000 people, or around 1.4 percent of its total population. Aside from Christianity and Islam, the Baha'i faith is one of the few other religions that is officially recognized by the Cameroonian government.

There are no official numbers for people that are registered as nonreligious. During government censuses, the inhabitants of Cameroon only have the opportunity to select one of the formal recognized religions. Atheism is not recognized by the state and its organizations are not permitted without government approval.