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Offshore oil deposits exploited since the early 1970s have made Cameroon one of the most prosperous nations in tropical Africa. Oil refining and the production of crude oil products lead the nation's industries. Before the advent of the petroleum business, agriculture was the country's economic mainstay, and it still contributes nearly a third of the country's gross domestic product. The north, where cattle raising is the chief occupation, is the least economically developed part of Cameroon, whose regional disparities pose a major problem for the government.
Cameroon remains one of the world's leading cocoa producers; coffee, bananas, palm products, tobacco, peanuts, and rubber, all grown mainly on plantations, are also commercially important. Cotton production is centered in the BEnouE River valley. In spite of this diverse agricultural production, only a small percentage of the country's land is cultivated. The principal subsistence crops are bananas, cassava, yams, plantains, peanuts, millet, and sorghum. Food production in Cameroon meets domestic demand despite the occurrence of periodic droughts.
Fishing and forestry follow oil and agriculture as leading occupations. Cameroon's mineral resources include bauxite and iron ore. The EdEa Dam on the Sanaga River provides the bulk of the country's electricity and powers a large aluminum smelter; all the finished aluminum is exported. Food processing, sawmilling, and the manufacture of light consumer goods and textiles are important industries. In the 1980s the nation's roads and railways were improved, allowing further industrialization.
Cameroon's exports consist mainly of petroleum and agricultural products. France is the major trading partner, followed by other members of the European Union, African countries, and the United States. The country is a member of the Commonwealth and the Franc Zone.
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