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We love nature and we exploid nature to make perfection.
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Cameroon, republic, western Africa, bounded on the north by Lake Chad; on the east by Chad and the Central African Republic; on the south by the Congo, Gabon, and Equatorial Guinea; and on the west by the Bight of Bonny (an arm of the Atlantic Ocean) and Nigeria. The country is shaped like an elongated triangle, and forms a bridge between western Africa and central Africa. Until 1972 the republic was divided into two states, East Cameroon, the former French Cameroons, and West Cameroon, part of the former British Cameroons. The country has a total area of 475,442 sq km (183,569 sq mi).
Land and Resources
Cameroon has four distinct topographical regions. In the south is a coastal plain, a region of dense equatorial rain forests. In the center is the Adamawa Massif, a plateau region with elevations reaching about 1370 m (about 4500 ft) above sea level. This is a transitional area where forest gives way in the north to savanna country. In the far north the savanna gradually slopes into the marshland surrounding Lake Chad. In the west is an area of high, forested mountains of volcanic origin. Located here is Mount Cameroon (4069 m/13,350 ft), the highest peak in western Africa and an active volcano. The country's most fertile soils are found in this region. Among the principal streams, the Sanaga and Nyong rivers flow generally west to the Atlantic Ocean, and the Mbéré and Logone rivers flow north from the central plateau into Lake Chad. A network of rivers in the Chad Basin, including the Benue River, links the country with the vast Niger River system to the east and north.
Climate
Cameroon has a tropical climate, humid in the south but increasingly dry to the north. On the coast the average annual rainfall is about 3890 mm (about 153 in). On the exposed slopes of the Cameroon Mountains in the west, rainfall is almost constant and sometimes reaches 10,160 mm (400 in) a year. In the semiarid northwest annual rainfall averages about 380 mm (about 15 in). A dry season in the north lasts from October to April. The average temperature in the south is 25° C (77° F), on the plateau it is 21.1° C (70° F), and in the north it is 32.2° C (90° F).
Plants and Animals
Cameroon's valuable rain forests contain a number of species of trees, including oil palms, bamboo palms, mahogany, teak, ebony, and rubber. Wildlife is diverse and abundant and includes monkeys, chimpanzees, gorillas, antelopes, lions, and elephants, as well as numerous species of birds and snakes.
Natural Resources
Cameroon is dependent primarily on its agricultural and timber resources. High-yield deposits of bauxite exist in northern Cameroon. Natural gas is found near Douala, and offshore deposits of petroleum are exploited. A small amount of gold is mined. Hydroelectric potential is significant; the largest power station is at Edéa, on the Sanaga River.
Population
The majority of the people are farmers who live in small towns or villages in southern and central Cameroon. Seminomadic herders inhabit the north.
Population Characteristics
The population of Cameroon (1993 estimate) was 12,775,883. The overall population density was 27 persons per sq km (69 per sq mi).
The capital is Yaounde (population, 1981 estimate, 435,900). Douala, on the Bight of Bonny, with an estimated population of 637,000, is the chief port. Other principal towns include Nkongsamba (86,900), Maroua (81,900), Bafoussam (75,800) and Foumban (41,400). Less than one quarter of the population adheres to traditional religions; about 20 percent of the population is Muslim; the remainder is Christian. Muslims predominate in the north and Christians in the south. Cameroon contains about 140 ethnic groups who speak 24 major languages. In general, Bantu-speaking peoples inhabit the south, and Sudanic-speaking peoples dominate in the north. Among the more important ethnic groups are the Bamileke, a Bantu-speaking people, and the Fulani, a Muslim people. French and English are both official languages. French dominates, however; English is confined mainly to the west.
Education
French principles of education predominate in Cameroon's secondary and technical schools. Mission schools play an important role in education and are partly subsidized by the government. In the late 1980s total annual enrollment in primary schools was about 1,723,000, and in secondary schools, about 288,500. The University of Yaoundé, which was established in 1962, has faculties of law, arts, and science. A total of more than 19,500 students are enrolled in institutions of higher education.
Economy
Agricultural activities are the main occupation of the vast majority of the population of Cameroon. Agricultural and forestry products constitute more than half of all exports. In the late 1980s the |
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