Cameroon became a German colony in 1884. After World War I, the territory was divided between France and Britain as League of Nations mandates.

The Union des Populations du Cameroun political party advocated independence but was outlawed in the 1950s. It waged war on French and Cameroonian forces until 1971.

In 1960, French Cameroun became independent as the Republic of Cameroun under President Ahmadou Ahidjo.

The southern part of British Cameroons merged with it in 1961 to form the Federal Republic of Cameroon.

The country was renamed the United Republic of Cameroon in 1972 and the Republic of Cameroon in 1984.

Cameroon has generally enjoyed stability, which has permitted the development of agriculture, roads, and railways, as well as a petroleum industry.

Despite a slow movement toward democratic reform, political power remains firmly in the hands of an ethnic oligarchy headed by President Paul BIYA.

Source: CIA World Fact Book

Population: 18,060,382 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2007 est.)

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Age structure: 0-14 years: 41.3% (male 3,763,332/female 3,695,053) 15-64 years: 55.5% (male 5,029,658/female 4,994,786) 65 years and over: 3.2% (male 266,616/female 310,937) (2007 est.)

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Median age: total: 18.9 years male: 18.7 years female: 19 years (2007 est.)

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Population growth rate: 2.241% (2007 est.)

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Birth rate: 35.07 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)

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Death rate: 12.66 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)

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Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)

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Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.018 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.007 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.857 male(s)/female total population: 1.007 male(s)/female (2007 est.)

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Infant mortality rate: total: 65.84 deaths/1,000 live births male: 70.73 deaths/1,000 live births female: 60.79 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)

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Life expectancy at birth: total population: 52.86 years male: 52.15 years female: 53.59 years (2007 est.)

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Total fertility rate: 4.49 children born/woman (2007 est.)

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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 6.9% (2003 est.)

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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 560,000 (2003 est.)

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HIV/AIDS - deaths: 49,000 (2003 est.)

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Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified among birds in this country or surrounding region; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2007)

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Nationality: noun: Cameroonian(s) adjective: Cameroonian

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Ethnic groups: Cameroon Highlanders 31%, Equatorial Bantu 19%, Kirdi 11%, Fulani 10%, Northwestern Bantu 8%, Eastern Nigritic 7%, other African 13%, non-African less than 1%

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Religions: indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 40%, Muslim 20%

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Languages: 24 major African language groups, English (official), French (official)

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Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 67.9% male: 77% female: 59.8% (2001 est.)

Because of its modest oil resources and favorable agricultural conditions, Cameroon has one of the best-endowed primary commodity economies in sub-Saharan Africa. Still, it faces many of the serious problems facing other underdeveloped countries, such as a top-heavy civil service and a generally unfavorable climate for business enterprise. Since 1990, the government has embarked on various IMF and World Bank programs designed to spur business investment, increase efficiency in agriculture, improve trade, and recapitalize the nation's banks. In June 2000, the government completed an IMF-sponsored, three-year structural adjustment program; however, the IMF is pressing for more reforms, including increased budget transparency, privatization, and poverty reduction programs. International oil and cocoa prices have a significant impact on the economy.

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GDP (purchasing power parity): $42.64 billion (2006 est.)

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GDP (official exchange rate): $16.33 billion (2006 est.)

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GDP - real growth rate: 3.9% (2006 est.)

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GDP - per capita (PPP): $2,500 (2006 est.)

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GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 45.2% industry: 16.1% services: 38.7% (2006 est.)

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Labor force: 6.394 million (2006 est.)

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Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 70% industry: 13% services: 17%

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Unemployment rate: 30% (2001 est.)

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Population below poverty line: 48% (2000 est.)

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Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.9% highest 10%: 36.6% (1996)

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Distribution of family income - Gini index: 44.6 (2001)

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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.4% (2006 est.)

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Investment (gross fixed): 16.8% of GDP (2006 est.)

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Budget: revenues: $3.339 billion expenditures: $3.157 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.)

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Public debt: 28.4% of GDP (2006 est.)

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Agriculture - products: coffee, cocoa, cotton, rubber, bananas, oilseed, grains, root starches; livestock; timber

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Industries: petroleum production and refining, aluminum production, food processing, light consumer goods, textiles, lumber, ship repair

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Industrial production growth rate: 4.2% (1999 est.)

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Electricity - production: 3.924 billion kWh (2004)

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Electricity - consumption: 3.649 billion kWh (2004)

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Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2004)

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Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2004)

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Oil - production: 82,300 bbl/day (2005 est.)

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Oil - consumption: 24,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

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Oil - exports: NA bbl/day

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Oil - imports: NA bbl/day

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Oil - proved reserves: 90 million bbl (2006 est.)

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Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2004 est.)

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Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2004 est.)

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Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2004 est.)

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Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2004 est.)

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Natural gas - proved reserves: 110.4 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)

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Current account balance: $419 million (2006 est.)

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Exports: $4.318 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

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Exports - commodities: crude oil and petroleum products, lumber, cocoa beans, aluminum, coffee, cotton

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Exports - partners: Spain 21.1%, Italy 15.3%, France 11.5%, South Korea 7.7%, Netherlands 7.1%, US 5.6%, Belgium 4.3% (2006)

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Imports: $3.083 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

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Imports - commodities: machinery, electrical equipment, transport equipment, fuel, food

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Imports - partners: France 23.6%, Nigeria 13.2%, China 7.3%, Belgium 6.2%, US 4.6%, Brazil 4.1% (2006)

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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $1.336 billion (2006 est.)

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Debt - external: $3.657 billion (2006 est.)

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Economic aid - recipient: in January 2001, the Paris Club agreed to reduce Cameroon's debt of $1.3 billion by $900 million; debt relief now totals $1.26 billion

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Currency (code): Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States

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Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002)

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Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June