Cameroon vs. Equatorial Guinea
Geography
| Cameroon | Equatorial Guinea | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Central Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria | Central Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Cameroon and Gabon |
| Geographic coordinates | 6 00 N, 12 00 E | 2 00 N, 10 00 E |
| Map references | Africa | Africa |
| Area | total: 475,440 sq km land: 472,710 sq km water: 2,730 sq km | total: 28,051 sq km land: 28,051 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly larger than California; about four times the size of Pennsylvania | slightly smaller than Maryland |
| Land boundaries | total: 5,018 km 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 | total: 528 km border countries (2): Cameroon 183 km, Gabon 345 km |
| Coastline | 402 km | 296 km |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm | territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
| Climate | varies with terrain, from tropical along coast to semiarid and hot in north | tropical; always hot, humid |
| Terrain | diverse, with coastal plain in southwest, dissected plateau in center, mountains in west, plains in north | coastal plains rise to interior hills; islands are volcanic |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Fako on Mont Cameroun 4,045 m lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m mean elevation: 667 m | highest point: Pico Basile 3,008 m lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m mean elevation: 577 m |
| Natural resources | petroleum, bauxite, iron ore, timber, hydropower | petroleum, natural gas, timber, gold, bauxite, diamonds, tantalum, sand and gravel, clay |
| Land use | agricultural land: 20.6% (2018 est.) arable land: 13.1% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 3.3% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 4.2% (2018 est.) forest: 41.7% (2018 est.) other: 37.7% (2018 est.) | agricultural land: 10.1% (2018 est.) arable land: 4.3% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 2.1% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 3.7% (2018 est.) forest: 57.5% (2018 est.) other: 32.4% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 290 sq km (2012) | NA |
| Natural hazards | volcanic activity with periodic releases of poisonous gases from Lake Nyos and Lake Monoun volcanoes 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 | violent windstorms; flash floods volcanism: Santa Isabel (3,007 m), which last erupted in 1923, is the country's only historically active volcano; Santa Isabel, along with two dormant volcanoes, form Bioko Island in the Gulf of Guinea |
| Environment - current issues | waterborne diseases are prevalent; deforestation and overgrazing result in erosion, desertification, and reduced quality of pastureland; poaching; overfishing; overhunting | deforestation (forests are threatened by agricultural expansion, fires, and grazing); desertification; water pollution (tap water is non-potable); wildlife preservation |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Nuclear Test Ban | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban |
| Geography - note | 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 | insular and continental regions widely separated; despite its name, no part of the Equator passes through Equatorial Guinea; the mainland part of the country is located just north of the Equator |
| Total renewable water resources | 283.15 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) | 26 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Population distribution | population concentrated in the west and north, with the interior of the country sparsely populated as shown in this population distribution map | only two large cities over 30,000 people (Bata on the mainland, and the capital Malabo on the island of Bioko); small communities are scattered throughout the mainland and the five inhabited islands as shown in this population distribution map |
Source: CIA Factbook
