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13. Bamenda Police Station
14. Bamenda Gendarmerie
15. Mfou Women’s Prison (Yaounde)
16. Bafang Principal Prison
These prisons and places of detention visited represent about 6000 prisoners
and/or detainees, which is about 35% of the total prison population in
Cameroon.
General situation in the Republic of Cameroon
Geography
Cameroon is situated in Central Africa, with an area of 475,440 square
kilometres. The Atlantic Ocean, Central African Republic, Chad, CongoBrazaville, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Nigeria surround it.
Population
The total population is approximately 16,000,000, of which Christians
constitute 35%, Muslims 22%, and Indigenous beliefs 40%. The population is
divided into more than 200 ethnic groups, of which 31% are Cameroon
Highlander, Equatorial Bantu 19%, Kirdi 11%, Fulani 10%, Northwestern
Bantu 8%, Eastern Nigritic 7%, and other African 13%.
Age wise, approximately 42 % belong to the age group 0-14 years, 55% to
15-64 years, and 3% to 65 years and over. There are about 24 major African
language groups spoken in Cameroon. However, English and French are the
official languages of the Republic. Due to the fact that the majority (threequarters) of the population live in francophone areas, there is an evident bias
in favour of the French.
Economic Features
Cameroon has such major industries as petroleum production and refining,
food processing, light consumer goods, textiles, lumber, coffee, cocoa,
cotton, rubber, bananas, oilseed, grains, root starches, livestock, timber,
bauxite, iron ore, and hydropower. Agriculture constitutes 42% of the
economy while Industry accounts for 22%, and Services hold 36%.
Cameroon’s principal exports include timber, coffee, cocoa, cotton, banana,
and rubber. It has generally enjoyed stability, which has permitted the
development of agriculture, roads, and railways, as well as its petroleum
industry.
As in many African countries, the majority of the Cameroonian population is
rural and agriculture accounts for 25 percent of the gross national product
(GNP). The country has a recorded mean per capita GNP of approximately