Natural Resources:

In general, Cameroon's natural resources are better suited to agriculture and forestry than to industry. Soils and climate in the south encourage extensive cultivation of crops such as cocoa, coffee, and bananas. In the north, natural conditions favor crops such as cotton and peanuts. The southern rain forest has vast timber reserves.

The southern rivers are obstructed by rapids and waterfalls, but these sites offer opportunities for hydroelectric development. The Wouri River estuary provides a harbor for the country's principal seaport city, Douala. In the north, the Benoué River is seasonally navigable from Garoua into Nigeria.

Petroleum and natural gas are found offshore, and iron ore is found in the south near the coast. Northern Cameroon has large deposits of bauxite and limestone.