The 2008 CIA World Factbook. United States. Central Intelligence Agency
the delimitation treaty, which also includes the Chad-Niger and Niger-Nigeria boundaries
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 20,000–30,000 (Chad); 3,000 (Nigeria); 24,000 (Central African Republic) (2007)
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Cameroon is a source, transit, and destination country for women and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation; most victims are children trafficked within country, with girls primarily trafficked for domestic servitude and sexual exploitation; both boys and girls are also trafficked within Cameroon for forced labor in sweatshops, bars, restaurants, and on tea and cocoa plantations; children are trafficked into Cameroon from neighboring states for forced labor in agriculture, fishing, street vending, and spare-parts shops; Cameroon is a transit country for children trafficked between Gabon and Nigeria, and from Nigeria to Saudi Arabia; it is a source country for women transported by sex-trafficking rings to Europe tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Cameroon is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat human trafficking in 2007, particularly in terms of efforts to prosecute and convict trafficking offenders; while Cameroon reported some arrests of traffickers, none of them were prosecuted or punished; the government does not identify trafficking victims among vulnerable populations nor does it monitor the number of victims it intercepts (2008)
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@Canada
Introduction
Canada
Background:
A land of vast distances and rich natural resources, Canada became a self-governing dominion in 1867 while retaining ties to the British crown. Economically and technologically the nation has developed in parallel with the US, its neighbor to the south across an unfortified border. Canada faces the political challenges of meeting public demands for quality improvements in health care and education services, as well as responding to separatist concerns in predominantly francophone Quebec. Canada also aims to develop its diverse energy resources while maintaining its commitment to the environment.
Geography
Canada
Location:
Northern North America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean on the east, North Pacific Ocean on the west, and the Arctic Ocean on the north, north of the conterminous US
Geographic coordinates:
60 00 N, 95 00 W
Map references:
North America
Area:
total: 9,984,670 sq km land: 9,093,507 sq km water: 891,163 sq km
Area - comparative:
somewhat larger than the US
Land boundaries:
total: 8,893 km border countries: US 8,893 km (includes 2,477 km with Alaska)
Coastline:
202,080 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Climate:
varies from temperate in south to subarctic and arctic in north
Terrain:
mostly plains with mountains in west and lowlands in southeast
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Logan 5,959 m
Natural resources:
iron ore, nickel, zinc, copper, gold, lead, molybdenum, potash, diamonds, silver, fish, timber, wildlife, coal, petroleum, natural gas, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 4.57% permanent crops: 0.65% other: 94.78% (2005)
Irrigated land:
7,850 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
3,300 cu km (1985)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 44.72 cu km/yr (20%/69%/12%) per capita: 1,386 cu m/yr (1996)
Natural hazards:
continuous permafrost in north is a serious obstacle to development; cyclonic storms form east of the Rocky Mountains, a result of the mixing of air masses from the Arctic, Pacific, and North American interior, and produce most of the country's rain and snow east of the mountains
Environment - current issues:
air pollution and resulting acid rain severely affecting lakes and damaging forests; metal smelting, coal-burning utilities, and vehicle emissions impacting on agricultural and forest productivity; ocean waters becoming contaminated due to agricultural, industrial, mining, and forestry activities
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85,
Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol,
Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic
Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,
Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note:
second-largest country in world (after Russia); strategic location between Russia and US via north polar route; approximately 90% of the population is concentrated within 160 km of the US border
People
Canada
Population:
33,212,696 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0–14 years: 16.3% (male 2,780,491/female 2,644,276) 15–64 years: 68.8% (male 11,547,354/female 11,300,639) 65 years and over: 14.9% (male 2,150,991/female 2,788,945) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 40.1 years male: 39 years female: 41.2 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.83% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
10.29 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
7.61 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
5.62 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15–64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 5.08 deaths/1,000 live births