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Geography, agriculture and the economy Geography
Located on the Gulf of Guinea in Central Africa, the Republic of Cameroon is often described as ‘ Africa in miniature’ because of the diversity of its plant and animal wildlife and its population, and its wide variations in climate, landscape and vegetation. It covers an area of 475,442 km2 .
The population was estimated at more than 16 million in 2006, and 42 per cent of Cameroonians are under 14 years old. Life expectancy is 48 years. The population is growing at an annual rate of 2.8 per cent, and it has a relatively low density. Living conditions in rural areas are precarious and people tend to live in urban areas, where the population is growing rapidly and presently constitutes 51 per cent of the total population, compared with 37.8 per cent in 1990. Economy Cameroon is a low-income country with a gross domestic product (GDP) estimated at US$490 per inhabitant in 2004. Because the country’s GDP represents half that of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (EMCCA), Cameroon has an important place at the regional level. It is also a member of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and the Bank of Central African States (BEAC). The country’s economy was formerly dominated by agriculture, forestry and fisheries, but in the 1980s it was given a boost by the petroleum sector, which brought in more than 60 per cent of export revenue in 1984. But in 2004 there was a drop in GDP growth involving the agricultural and petroleum sectors. Agriculture Cameroon’s agricultural potential is rich and very varied, but still underexploited. The main crops are cocoa, coffee, cotton, palm oil, rubber, bananas, pineapples, roots and tubers, plantains, cereals (maize, sorghum and millet) and groundnuts. There are also animal, forest and fishery resources, and the economic outlets offered by the Atlantic seaboard, all of which give Cameroon a high potential for sustainable economic development.
Source: IFAD |
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