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Cameroon Facts and Figures from Encarta Go to article
Basic Facts
Official name Republic of Cameroon
Capital Yaoundé
Area 475,442 sq km
183,569 sq mi
Cameroon: Flag and Anthem
Cameroon: Flag and Anthem
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People
Population 18,879,301 (2009 estimate)
Population growth
Population growth rate 2.19 percent (2009 estimate)
Projected population in 2025 25,522,447 (2009 estimate)
Projected population in 2050 34,908,839 (2009 estimate)
Population density 40 persons per sq km (2009 estimate)
104 persons per sq mi (2009 estimate)
Urban/rural distribution
Share urban 53 percent (2005 estimate)
Share rural 47 percent (2005 estimate)
Largest cities, with population
Douala 1,494,700 (2001)
Yaoundé 1,616,000 (2003 estimate)
Garoua 160,000 (1992 estimate)
Maroua 140,000 (1992 estimate)
Nkongsamba 130,000 (1991 estimate)
Bafoussam 120,000 (1992 estimate)
Ethnic groups
There are some 200 groups, the largest of which are the Fang, Bamileke, Fulani, and Pahouin (Beti). Most groups make up less than 1 percent of the population.
Languages
24 major African language groups, English (official), French (official)
Religious affiliations
Roman Catholic 26 percent
Indigenous beliefs 24 percent
Muslim 21 percent
Protestant 21 percent
Other 8 percent
Health and Education
Life expectancy
Total 53.7 years (2009 estimate)
Female 54.5 years (2009 estimate)
Male 52.9 years (2009 estimate)
Infant mortality rate 63 deaths per 1,000 live births (2009 estimate)
Literacy rate
Total 81.1 percent (2005 estimate)
Female 76.1 percent (2005 estimate)
Male 86.2 percent (2005 estimate)
Economy
Gross domestic product (GDP, in U.S.$) $20.7 billion (2007)
GDP per capita (U.S.$) $1,116.20 (2007)
GDP by economic sector
Agriculture, forestry, fishing 19.5 percent (2007)
Industry 30.6 percent (2007)
Services 49.9 percent (2007)
Monetary unit
1 Communauté Financière Africaine (CFA) franc, consisting of 100 centimes
Major trade partners for exports
Spain, Italy, France, Netherlands, United States
Major trade partners for imports
France, Nigeria, United States, Germany, Japan
Sources
Basic Facts and People sections
Area data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Population, population growth rate, and population projections are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International Data Base (IDB) (www.census.gov). Urban and rural population data are from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), FAOSTAT database (www.fao.org). Largest cities population data and political divisions data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Ethnic divisions and religion data are largely from the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook and from various country censuses and reports. Language data are largely from the Ethnologue, Languages of the World, Summer Institute of Linguistics International (www.sil.org).
Health and Education section
Life expectancy and infant mortality data are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International database (IDB) (www.census.gov). Population per physician and population per hospital bed data are from the World Health Organization (WHO) (www.who.int). Education data are from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org).
Economy section
Gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, GDP by economic sectors, employment, and national budget data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). Monetary unit, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, exports, imports, and major trade partner information is from the statistical bureaus of individual countries, latest Europa World Yearbook, and various United Nations and International Monetary Fund (IMF) publications.
Note
Figures may not total 100 percent due to rounding.
© 2009 Microsoft