Cameroon - Geography
Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Cameroon. Sometimes referred to as the hinge of Africa because of its central location on the continent and its position at the west-south juncture of the Gulf of Guinea; throughout the country there are areas of thermal springs and indications of current or prior volcanic activity; Mount Cameroon, the highest mountain in Sub-Saharan west Africa, is an active volcano. Mother's mean age at first birth is 20.1 years (2018 est.) (Note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 438 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
Geographical data of Cameroon
| Location | Central Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria |
|---|---|
| Geographic coordinates | 6 00 N, 12 00 E |
| Map references | Africa |
| Tarrain | diverse, with coastal plain in southwest, dissected plateau in center, mountains in west, plains in north |
| Natural Resources | petroleum, bauxite, iron ore, timber, hydropower |
| Natural Hazards | volcanic activity with periodic releases of poisonous gases from Lake Nyos and Lake Monoun volcanoes volcanism: Mt. Cameroon (4,095 m), which last erupted in 2000, is the most frequently active volcano in West Africa; lakes in Oku volcanic field have released fatal levels of gas on occasion, killing some 1,700 people in 1986 |
| Irrigated Land | 290 sq km (2012) |
| Major rivers (by length in km) | |
| Major aquifers | Lake Chad Basin |
| Land Boundaries | 5,018 km |
| Border Countries | Central African Republic 901 km; Chad 1,116 km; Republic of the Congo 494 km; Equatorial Guinea 183 km; Gabon 349 km; Nigeria 1975 km |
| Coastline | 402 km |
| Climate | varies with terrain, from tropical along coast to semiarid and hot in north |
| Area | |
| Total Area | |
| Land Area | 472,710 sq km |
| Water Area | 2,730 sq km |
| comparative Area | slightly larger than California; about four times the size of Pennsylvania |
| Maritime Claims | |
| Territorial sea | 12 nm |
| Contiguous zone | 24 nm |
| Elevations | |
| Highest point | Fako on Mont Cameroun 4,045 m |
| Lowest point | Atlantic Ocean 0 m |
| Mean elevation | 667 m |
| Land Use | |
| Agricultural land | 20.6% (2022 est.) |
| Agricultural land: arable land | arable land: 13.1% (2022 est.) |
| Agricultural land: permanent crops | permanent crops: 3.3% (2022 est.) |
| Agricultural land: permanent pasture | permanent pasture: 4.2% (2022 est.) |
| Forest | 42.8% (2022 est.) |
| Other | 36.6% (2022 est.) |
Population Distribution
Population concentrated in the west and north, with the interior of the country sparsely populated as shown in this population distribution map
People and Society
In Cameroon, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Bamileke-Bamu 22.2%, Biu-Mandara 16.4%, Arab-Choa/Hausa/Kanuri 13.5%, Beti/Bassa, Mbam 13.1%, Grassfields 9.9%, Adamawa-Ubangi, 9.8%, Cotier/Ngoe/Oroko 4.6%, Southwestern Bantu 4.3%, Kako/Meka 2.3%, foreign/other ethnic group 3.8% (2022 est.)
| Population | |
|---|---|
| Pop growth rate | 2.71% (2024 est.) |
| Birth rate | 34.7 births/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
| Death rate | 7.4 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
| Health expenditure | 3.8% of GDP (2021) |
| Physicians Density | |
| Hospital bed Density | 1.3 beds/1,000 population |
| Total fertility rate | 4.44 children born/woman (2024 est.) |
| Gross reproduction rate | 2.19 (2024 est.) |
| Contraceptive prevalence rate | 19.3% (2018) |
| Est married women (ages 15-49) | 54.2% (2023 est.) |
| Literacy | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Education expenditures | 3.2% of GDP (2020 est.) |
| Net Migration rate | -0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
| Nationality | Cameroonian | Cameroonian(s) |
| Languages | |
| Religions | Roman Catholic 33.1%, Muslim 30.6%, Protestant 27.1% other Christian 6.1%, animist 1.3%, other 0.7%, none 1.2% (2022 est.) |
| Age Structure | |
| 0-14 years | 41.5% (male 6,477,438/female 6,364,987) |
| 15-64 years | 55.3% (male 8,488,522/female 8,638,519) |
| 65 years and over | 3.2% (2024 est.) (male 463,628/female 533,011) |
| Dependency Ratios | |
| Total dependency ratio | 82.3 |
| Youth dependency ratio | 77.3 |
| Elderly dependency ratio | 4.9 |
| Potential support ratio | 20.3 (2021 est.) |
| Median Age | |
| Total | 18.9 years (2024 est.) |
| Male | 18.6 years |
| Female | 19.2 years |
| Urbanization | |
| Urban population | 59.3% of total population (2023) |
| Rate of urbanization | 3.43% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.) |
| Major urban areas (Pop) | 4.509 million YAOUNDE (capital), 4.063 million Douala (2023). |
| Sex Ratio | |
| At birth | 1.03 male(s)/female |
| 0-14 years | 1.02 male(s)/female |
| 15-64 years | 0.98 male(s)/female |
| 65 years and over | 0.87 male(s)/female |
| Total population | 0.99 male(s)/female (2024 est.) |
| Infant Motality | |
| Total | 46.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.) |
| Male | 50.8 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Female | 41.3 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life Expectancy at birth | |
| Total population | 64.2 years (2024 est.) |
| Male | 62.3 years |
| Female | 66.1 years |
| Drinking Water Sources | |
| Improved: urban | urban: 95.1% of population |
| Improved: rural | rural: 56.2% of population |
| Improved: total | total: 78.6% of population |
| Unimproved: urban | urban: 4.9% of population |
| Unimproved: rural | rural: 43.8% of population |
| Unimproved: total | total: 21.4% of population (2020 est.) |
| Sanitation facility acess | |
| Improved: urban | urban: 83.2% of population |
| Improved: rural | rural: 27.7% of population |
| Improved: total | total: 59.7% of population |
| Unimproved: urban | urban: 16.8% of population |
| Unimproved: rural | rural: 72.3% of population |
| Unimproved: total | total: 40.3% of population (2020 est.) |
| Alcohol consumption per capita | |
| Total | 4.09 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Beer | 2.36 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Wine | 0.16 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Spirits | 0.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Other alcohols | 1.56 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Tobacco use | |
| Total | 7.3% (2020 est.) |
| Male | 13.2% (2020 est.) |
| Female | 1.4% (2020 est.) |
| Child marriage | |
| Women married by age 15 | 10.7% |
| Women married by age 18 | 29.8% |
| Men married by age 18 | 2.9% (2018 est.) |
Demographic profile
All Important Facts about Cameroon
Want to know more about Cameroon? Check all different factbooks for Cameroon below.
