The modern state of Cameroon was established in 1961, through the unification of two former colonies, one French and one British. This was followed by a prolonged period of repressive government, although the country has since started to move towards democratic reform. Economically, Cameroon has enjoyed a degree of stability, which has permitted the development of its agriculture, road, and railway sectors, as well as a petroleum industry. Further, the country has one of the highest literacy rates in Africa, however, the country's progress is hampered by a level of corruption that is among the highest in the world.The country has ten provinces and the official languages are French and English, with the languages of Bantu, Semibantu and Sudanic also being widely spoken.

Leader: President Paul Biya
Capital city: Yaounde

Economic profile

Monetary unit: CFA franc (Communaute Financiere Africaine)

GDP per capita: $2300 (2010) (World Bank)
GDP composition by sector:
Agriculture: 20% (2010) (CIA)
Industry: 30.9% (2010) (CIA)
Services: 49.1% (2010) (CIA)
GDP growth rate: 3% (2010) (CIA)
Budget:
Government revenue, excluding grants: $3.78-billion (2010) (IMF)
Government expenditure: 4.34-billion (2010) (IMF)
Consumer price inflation: 1.9% (2010) (CIA)
Industries: Petroleum production and refining, aluminum production, food processing, light consumer goods, textiles, lumber, and ship repair.
Exports of goods and services: $4.371-billion (2010) (World Bank)
Imports of goods and services: $4.869-billion (2010) (World Bank)
Export commodities: Crude oil and petroleum products, lumber, cocoa beans, aluminium, coffee
Import commodities: Machinery, electrical equipment, transport equipment, fuel, and food.
Trade balance: -$826-million (2010) (CIA)
Reserves: $4.023-billion (2010) (CIA)
Total investment: 21.1 % of GDP (2010) (IMF)
Market capitalisation of listed companies: Figures not available.

Social profile

Population: 19.52-million (2010) (World Bank)
Population growth: 2.2% (2010) (World Bank)
Life expectancy at birth: 51.4 years (2010) (World Bank)
Adult literacy: 67,9% (2009) (CIA)
School enrolment primary: 114% (2008) (World Bank)
School enrolment secondary: 41% (2008) (World Bank)
School enrolment tertiary: 9% (2008) (World Bank)
Number of people living with HIV/Aids: 610 000 (2007) (Unicef)