Location:
Central Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria
Geographic coordinates:
6 00 N, 12 00 E
Map references:
Africa
Area: Area - comparative: Land boundaries: Coastline: Maritime claims: Climate: Terrain: Elevation: Natural resources: Land use: Irrigated land: Population distribution: Natural hazards: 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
Environment - current issues: Environment - international agreements: Geography - note:
total: 475,440 sq km
[see also: Area - total country ranks ]
land: 472,710 sq km
[see also: Area - land country ranks ]
water: 2,730 sq km
[see also: Area - water country ranks ]
country comparison to the world:
55
slightly larger than California
total: 5,018 km
[see also: Land boundaries - total country ranks ]
border countries (6):
Central African Republic 901 km, Chad 1116 km, Republic of the Congo 494 km, Equatorial Guinea 183 km, Gabon 349 km, Nigeria 1975 km
402 km
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]
territorial sea: 12
nm
[see also: Maritime claims - territorial sea country ranks ]
contiguous zone: 24
nm
[see also: Maritime claims - contiguous zone country ranks ]
varies with terrain, from tropical along coast to semiarid and hot in north
More Climate Details
diverse, with coastal plain in southwest, dissected plateau in center, mountains in west, plains in north
mean elevation: 667 m
[see also: Elevation - mean elevation country ranks ]
elevation extremes: 0 m
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean
4045 highest point: Fako on Mont Cameroun
petroleum, bauxite, iron ore, timber, hydropower
agricultural land: 20.6%
(2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - agricultural land country ranks ]
arable land: 13.1%
(2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - arable land country ranks ]
permanent crops: 3.3%
(2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - permanent crops country ranks ]
permanent pasture: 4.2%
(2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - permanent pasture country ranks ]
forest: 41.7%
(2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - forest country ranks ]
other: 37.7%
(2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - other country ranks ]
290 sq km
(2012)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]
population concentrated in the west and north, with the interior of the country sparsely populated
volcanic activity with periodic releases of poisonous gases from Lake Nyos and Lake Monoun volcanoes
waterborne diseases are prevalent; deforestation and overgrazing result in erosion, desertification, and reduced quality of pastureland; poaching; overfishing; overhunting
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements
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