Cameroon

Located in the heart of Sub Saharan Africa lies a country full of rich cultural heritage, beautiful coastal landscapes, and abundant wildlife. Cameroon, being one of West Africa's most populated countries, consists of 16.3 million people and spans over more than 475,000 square miles. One of Cameroon's most unique characteristics is that it consists of many different ecosystems. Without ever crossing the borders of this country, one can see vast mountain ranges, dense tropical forests, ocean coastline, and dry, hot deserts. Like any country, this diverse ecosystem and geographical location affect what natural resources are available as well as who this country trades with, which in turn affects the economy. Economical prosperity relies very heavily on geography, climate, natural resources, and even government, and Cameroon is no exception.

Cameroon's primary exports include oil, livestock, coffee, rubber, and timber. They trade with countries all over the world including the United States. Cameroon's hundreds of miles of ocean coastline has proven very advantageous to the success of their trade. Along with the United States, some consistent trade partners with Cameroon include, France, Netherlands, Spain, and Canada. The vast success of Cameroon's imports and exports are a strong part of why Cameroon is considered one of Africa's strongest economies.

Cameroon's economic standing is relatively favorable, especially in comparison to some of the third world countries surrounding it. Their GDP is equivalent to about $53 billion in United States currency.Their unemployment rate is also respectable at about 4.0%. One big issue that Cameroon faces is the regularity of corruption inside the walls of their parliament. It is not mandatory for public officials to file reports on revenue for the state. This gives these officials ample opportunity to steal from their taxpayers and their country, and signs hint to the fact that they take full advantage of that loophole. This, in my opinion, points to a great deal of flaws in their political system. If government officials don't have to give reports on revenue, then what do you expect them to do? I am sure that this just scratches the surface of the internal problems Cameroon faces daily. And until these problems are fixed, their economic growth will come to a stalemate.

Globalization touches on almost all aspects of life: social, cultural, political, and environmental. Interestingly enough, some parts of Africa are still very tribal and extremely isolated. Recent technologies or innovations of the last few centuries have not been exposed to these minute groups of people. With a few exceptions, Cameroon is much more relevant on a global scale than its neighbors and counterparts. They are a big player in international trade, have diplomatic relations with numerous countries all over the world, and have an established political system similar to one found on any other continent of the world. Although at a very slow rate of growth compared to the world's superpowers, Cameroon is still a very culturally rich, self sustaining country in Sub Saharan Africa. Interestingly enough, my cousin is in the United States Marine Corps and is currently stationed at the US embassy in Cameroon. I hope to get a unique insight from him from a personal point of view as I delve further into the political, social, economic, and cultural aspects of this country.
  
SOURCES:
http://www.heritage.org/index/country/cameroon
http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/cameroon-facts/
http://www.economywatch.com/world_economy/cameroon/export-import.html