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Cameroon regions. At the border of the northern Sahel giraffes and antelopes, also abounds in region lies Lake Chad and the Chad basin; monkeys – screaming red and green monkeys further south the land forms a sloping plain, and mandrills – and lions and leopards. There rising to the Mandara Mountains. The central are gorillas in the great tracts of hardwood region extends from the Benue (Bénoué) rainforest in the south and east. Some 38 River to the Sanaga River, with a plateau in mammal species and 21 bird species are the north. This region includes the Adamaoua thought to be endangered (2014). plateau which separates the agricultural Main towns: Yaoundé (capital, in Centre south from the pastoral north. In the west, Region, pop. 1.81m in 2010), Douala the land is mountainous, with a double chain (principal port, in Coastal Region, 2.13m), of volcanic peaks, rising to a height of 4,095 Garoua (North Region, 573,700), Bamenda metres at Mount Cameroon. This is the (North-West, 546,400), Maroua (Far North, highest and wettest peak in western Africa. 436,700), Bafoussam (West, 383,200), The fourth region, to the south, extends from Ngaoundéré (Adamaoua, 314,100), Bertoua the Sanaga River to the southern border, (East, 297,200), Loum (Coastal, 249,100), comprising a coastal plain and forested Kumbo (North-West, 222,600), Edéa plateau. There is a complicated system of (Coastal, 209,600), Mbouda (West, 188,200), drainage. Several rivers flow westwards: the Kumba (South-West, 180,000), Foumban KEY FACTS Benue River which rises in the Mandara (West, 171,600), Dschang (West, 149,300), Joined Commonwealth: 1995 Mountains and later joins the River Niger, and Nkongsamba (Coastal, 131,100), Ebolowa Population: 22,254,000 (2013) the Sanaga and Nyong rivers which flow into (South, 129,600), Kousséri (contiguous with the Gulf of Guinea. The Dja and Sangha GDP p.c. growth: 0.0% p.a. 1990–2013 Ndjamena in Chad, Far North, 95,100) and drain into the Congo Basin. The Logone and UN HDI 2014: World ranking 152 Chari rivers flow north into Lake Chad. Buea (South-West, 59,700). Official languages: French, English Climate: In the northern Sahel region, there Transport: There is a significant road network of 51,350 km, eight per cent paved. Time: GMT plus 1 hr is a long dry season from October–April, with temperatures varying from cool to very hot. The rail network runs 977 km north–south Currency: CFA franc (CFAfr) Further south, on the Adamaoua plateau, from Ngaoundéré to Yaoundé, with there are sharp drops in temperature at night. connections between Douala and Yaoundé, Geography In the south the climate is hot and humid, and from Douala to Nkongsamba and Kumba. Area: 475,442 sq km with two rainy seasons, in September/October and from March–June. Douala is the principal port, Kribi handles Coastline: 402 km Environment: The most significant issues are mainly wood exports, Garoua on the Benue Capital: Yaoundé (constitutional); Douala overgrazing, desertification, deforestation, River is navigable only during the wet season (economic) poaching and overfishing. and Limbo-Tiko is a minor port, severely silted Cameroon is called Cameroun in French, up. Vegetation: There is tropical rainforest Kamerun in German, Camarões in (including ebony and mahogany) in the hot International airports are at Douala (10 km Portuguese, and Cameroon in English. The humid south, with mangroves along the south-east of the city), Yaoundé (25 km from country’s name derives from camarões, coast and river mouths. The southern coastal the city) and Garoua. meaning ‘shrimps’, so called by the 15th- plain and south-east plateau also contain the century Portuguese explorer Fernando Po cocoa and banana farms and the rubber and who named the River Wouri Rio dos Society oil palm plantations. The central region has Camarões (‘shrimp river’), after the many KEY FACTS 2013 mixed deciduous and evergreen forest. Above shrimps. Cameroon in central Africa is the forest zone are drier woodlands, with Population per sq km: 47 bounded clockwise (from the west) by the taller grasses and mountain bamboos. High in Gulf of Guinea, Nigeria, Chad, Central Life expectancy: 55 years the interior and on Mount Cameroon the African Republic, Congo, Gabon and Net primary enrolment: 92% grasses are shorter. Further north there is Equatorial Guinea. savannah bushland, with trees becoming Population: 22,254,000 (2013); 53 per cent The country comprises ten regions: sparse towards the Chad basin. Forest covers of people live in urban areas and 20 per cent Adamaoua, Centre, Coastal, East, Far North, 41 per cent of the land area, having declined in urban agglomerations of more than one North, North-West, South, South-West and at 1.0 per cent p.a. 1990–2010. Arable land million people; growth 2.7 per cent p.a. West. comprises 13 per cent and permanent 1990–2013; birth rate 37 per 1,000 people (45 cropland three per cent of the total land area. in 1970); life expectancy 55 years (44 in 1970). Topography: The physical geography is varied, with forests, mountains, large Wildlife: The Waza National Park in the The population is ethnically diverse. In the waterfalls and deserts, falling into four north, originally created for the protection of north, the people are mostly Hausa, Fulbé The CommonwealTh Yearbook 2015 Cameroon (Fulani), Sudanese and Choa Arab. In the West Region). The female–male ratio for Real growth in GDP west, the Bamiléké are the biggest ethnic gross enrolment in tertiary education is % group, followed by Tiker and Bamoun. South 0.70:1 (2011). Literacy among people aged 6 of the River Sanaga, there are Bantu groups: 15–24 is 83 per cent (2007). 5 Fang, Ewondo, Boulou, Eton, Bassa, Bakoko, Media: Cameroon Tribune (daily in French Douala. Some pygmies (including Baka) live in and English editions) is the official newspaper. 4 the south-eastern forested country. Le Messager is the leading independent daily 3 g Language: French and English are both in French, published in Douala since 1979. official languages. There are about 240 Other independent papers include The 2 indigenous languages including 24 major Herald , Mutations , La Nouvelle Expression language groups. and The Post . 1 Religion: Christians about 69 per cent, CRTV operates the national radio and TV 0 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Muslims 21 per cent and six per cent networks. After broadcasting was liberalised Animists, while other religious groups in 2000, dozens of private radio stations and Inflation including Jews and Baha’is make up less than several private TV channels were launched. % 3.0 five per cent of the population (2005 census). Some 31 per cent of households have TV sets Health: Public spending on health was two (2007). There are 11 personal computers per 2.5 per cent of GDP in 2012. There are three 1,000 people (2005). 2.0 referral hospitals, 70 general hospitals, 50 Communications: Country code 237; private hospitals, plus a wide network of public internet domain ‘.cm’. There are telephone 1.5 and private health centres – some of which are booths in all towns. Mobile phone coverage for the treatment of leprosy. Some 74 per cent is patchy but more extensive in the south. 1.0 of the population uses an improved drinking For every 1,000 people there are 36 landlines, water source and 45 per cent have access to 0.5 704 mobile phone subscriptions and 64 adequate sanitation facilities (2012). Infant internet users (2013). 0.0 mortality was 61 per 1,000 live births in 2013 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 (151 in 1960). In 2013, 4.3 per cent of people Public holidays: New Year’s Day, Youth Day (11 February), Labour Day (1 May), National aged 15–49 were HIV positive. state-o wne d rail co mpany Régifercam (having Day (20 May), Sheep Festival (21 May), Education: Public spending on education been streamlined by halving its staff), Assumption (15 August), Unification Day (1 was 3.1 per cent of GDP in 2012. There are CAMSUCO (sugar), SOCAPALM (palm oil), October) and Christmas Day. six years of compulsory education starting at BICEC (the last remaining state-owned bank) the age of six. Primary school comprises six Religious festivals whose dates vary from year and SONEL (electricity) were privatised; SNEC years and secondary seven, with a first cycle to year include Prophet’s Birthday, Good (water) was restructured as a public–private Friday, Easter Monday, Ascension Day, partnership; and Cameroon Airlines was of four years. School attendance is lower in the Far North Region, where the population is Ascension of the Prophet, Eid al-Fitr (End of liquidated (2006). partly nomadic. Some 57 per cent of pupils Ramadan), Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice) Cameroon reached the IMF/World Bank complete primary school (2010). The school and Islamic New Year. Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative year starts in September. Many secondary completion point in 2006, qualifying for schools are bilingual, with instruction in both Economy present value debt-relief of US$1.3 billion. French and English. Faith schools play an KEY FACTS 2013 From the mid-1990s, growth was sustained important role in the education system and at four to five per cent p.a. in a climate of are partly subsidised by the government. GNI: US$28.7bn relatively low inflation, as a result of the GNI p.c.: US$1,270 The public universities are the University of prudent monetary policies of the regional Yaoundé (founded in 1962); University of GDP growth: 3.9% p.a. 2009–13 central bank. From 2003 the Cameroon Douala (1977, Coastal Region); University of Inflation: 2.4% p.a.