Cameroon Geography
LocationWestern Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria
Geographic coordinates
6 00 N, 12 00 E
Area
total: 475,440 sq km
land: 469,440 sq km
water: 6,000 sq km
Area - comparative
slightly larger than California
Land boundaries
total: 4,591 km
border countries: Central African Republic 797 km, Chad 1,094 km, Republic of the Congo 523 km, Equatorial Guinea 189 km, Gabon 298 km, Nigeria 1,690 km
Coastline
402 km
Maritime claims
territorial sea: 50 nm
Climate
varies with terrain, from tropical along coast to semiarid and hot in north
Terrain
diverse, with coastal plain in southwest, dissected plateau in center, mountains in west, plains in north
Elevation extremes
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Fako (on Mount Cameroon) 4,095 m
Natural resources
petroleum, bauxite, iron ore, timber, hydropower
Land use
arable land: 12.81%
permanent crops: 2.58%
other: 84.61% (2001)
Irrigated land
330 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards
volcanic activity with periodic releases of poisonous gases from Lake Nyos and Lake Monoun volcanoes
Environment - current issues
water-borne diseases are prevalent; deforestation; overgrazing; desertification; poaching; overfishing
Environment - international agreements
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
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note
sometimes referred to as the hinge of Africa; 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
