| Location | Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria |
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| Geographic coordinates | 6 00 N, 12 00 E |
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| Zone | Africa |
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| Area | total: 475,440 sq km
land: 469,440 sq km
water: 6,000 sq km |
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| 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 |
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| Coastline | 402 km |
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| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm |
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| Climate | varies with terrain, from tropical along coast to semiarid and hot in north |
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| Terrain | diverse, with coastal plain in southwest, dissected plateau in center, mountains in west, plains in north |
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| Elevation extremes | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Fako 4,095 m (on Mt. Cameroon) |
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| Natural resources | petroleum, bauxite, iron ore, timber, hydropower |
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| Irrigated land | 402 km |
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| Natural hazards | volcanic activity with periodic releases of poisonous gases from Lake Nyos and Lake Monoun volcanoes |
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Environment -
current issues | waterborne diseases are prevalent; deforestation; overgrazing; desertification; poaching; overfishing |
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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, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
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| 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 |
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