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 extremes: Natural resources: Land use: Irrigated land: Total renewable water resources: Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural): Natural hazards: Environment - current issues: Environment - international agreements: Geography - note:
total: 475,440 sq km
[see also: Area - total country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 54
land:
472,710 sq km
water:
2,730 sq km
slightly larger than California
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
[see also: Land boundaries country ranks ]
402 km
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone:
24 nm
varies with terrain, from tropical along coast to semiarid and hot in north
diverse, with coastal plain in southwest, dissected plateau in center, mountains in west, plains in north
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
[see also: Elevation extremes - lowest point country ranks ]
highest point:
Fako 4,095 m (on Mt. Cameroon)
petroleum, bauxite, iron ore, timber, hydropower
arable land: 13.04%
[see also: Land use - arable land country ranks ]
permanent crops:
2.94%
other:
84.01% (2011)
256.5 sq km (2003)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]
285.5 cu km (2011)
[see also: Total renewable water resources country ranks ]
total: 0.97 cu km/yr (23%/10%/68%)
[see also: Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural) - total country ranks ]
per capita:
58.9 cu m/yr (2005)
volcanic activity with periodic releases of poisonous gases from Lake Nyos and Lake Monoun volcanoes
volcanism:
Mt. Cameroon (elev. 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
waterborne diseases are prevalent; deforestation; overgrazing; desertification; poaching; overfishing
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; 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