Cameroon
Population
17,795,000 peopleCapital
YaoundéCurrency
Central African CFA francLanguages spoken in Cameroon
French, EnglishMap of Cameroon
Area in square kilometers
475,442 km2Gross domestic product per capita
$ 2,421
The Republic of Cameroon (French: République du Cameroun) is a unitary
republic of central and western Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to
the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the
east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to
The territory of present day Cameroon was first settled during the
Neolithic. The longest continuous inhabitants are groups such as the
Baka. The Sao culture arose around Lake Chad c. AD 500 and gave way
to the Kanem and its successor state, the Bornu empire. Kingdoms,
Cameroons, the question was whether to reunify with French Cameroun or
join Nigeria.
In May 1957 André-Marie Mbida became Cameroon's first Prime Minister.
On 1 January 1960, French Cameroun gained independence from France
conditions, Cameroon has one of the best-endowed primary commodity
economies in sub-Saharan Africa. Still, it faces many of the serious
problems facing other underdeveloped countries, such as a top-heavy
civil service and a generally unfavorable climate for business
enterprise
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
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
colonization, Cameroon was populated by Bantu-language speakers coming
from equatorial Africa to settle in the south. They were followed by
Muslim Fulani from the Niger River basin, who settled in the north.
Portuguese explorers visited in the late 15th century, and the Dutch
Cameroon is an independent republic on the west coast of Africa with a
population of 13 million. From 1884 until 1916 it was under German
rule. After the First World War, France administered east Cameroon
Cameroon is triangular in shape. A coastal strip 10 to 50 mi (16–80
km) wide in the southwest is covered with swamps and dense tropical
rain forests; it has one of the wettest climates in the world, with an
Flag of Cameroon is three equal vertical bands of green on hoist side, red, and yellow with a yellow five-pointed star centered in the red band.
PROFILE
OFFICIAL NAME:
Republic of Cameroon
Geography
Area: 475,000 sq
The earliest inhabitants of Cameroon were probably the Bakas
(Pygmies). They still inhabit the forests of the south and east
provinces. Bantu speakers originating in the Cameroonian highlands
were among the first groups to move out before other invaders. During
Cameroon was primarily devoted to coastal trade and the acquisition of
slaves. The northern part of Cameroon was an important part of the
Muslim slave trade network. The slave trade was largely suppressed by
the mid-19th century
Cameroon is located in West Africa. It borders Nigeria to the
west, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east
and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the
south.
Cameroon is a diverse and multi ethnic country. Western tourism is
rare; most of the country's tourists come from Europe (predominantly
Belgium).
History
People
Climate
Cameroon is rich with choice when it comes to good beer due to its
past as a German and later French colony. Bottled Guinness can be
found everywhere although in the heat, try one of the excellent
Cameroon, in West Africa, is a mixture of desert plains in the north,
mountains in the central regions, and tropical rain forest in the
south. Along its western border with Nigeria are mountains, which
include the volcanic Cameroon Mountainthe highest point in West
The Republic of Cameroon is a union of two former United Nations trust
territoriesFrench Cameroun, which became independent in 1960, and
southern British Cameroons, which joined it after a 1961 UN-sponsored
referendum. English and French are both official languages, but there
Cameroon's tourist industry is a victim of geography. It sits in a
tough neighbourhood, bordered by some problematic countries. But this
shouldn't put you off, as Cameroon really has just about everything a
traveller could want. One of the most culturally diverse countries on
The name Cameroon is derived from the Portuguese word, Camaroes,
meaning shrimps. A Portuguese sailor Ferdanando Poo in 1472 arrived at
the River Wouri in Douala and discovered so many shrimps in the river
the 1914-1918 war, Cameroon was mandated by the Ligue of Nations to
the French and British governments. France took the greater sector,
formally known as East Cameroon, while Britain took responsibility
over former West Cameroon known then as "Cameroon under British
Administration".
the Southern Cameroons - before the name was changed to West Cameroon
- a plebiscite was held in that sector of Cameroon on February 11th
1961 under the United Nations supervision. The result of the
plebiscite which was overwhelming for reunification (233,571 against
The music of Cameroon is among the most popular in Africa, especially
makossa, a popular dance rhythm you'll hear blaring out of clubs and
discos. Makossa is adaptable to a wide variety of instrumentation,
from traditional thumb pianos to guitars and synthesizers. Manu
Cameroon has a less well-known palm wine capital, Batibo, in the
north-west province. Batibo with 80,000 people is a relatively big
cluster of villages located some 40 kilometres from the provincial
capital, Bamenda. The area produce between 7,000 and 10,000 litres of
The Republic of Cameroon is a "hinge" state bridging central and
western Africa. It is triangular in shape, bordered by the Atlantic
Ocean to the southwest, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea to the south,
Democratic Republic of the Congo to the southeast, the Central African
Cameroon is home to over 250 ethnic and linguistic groups, with the
cultures of both the central and western regions mingling. Though
there are tensions between them, a strong central government dominated
by a single party maintains political and social stability
Cameroon People's Democratic Movement, and corruption is widespread.
The Anglophone community has grown increasingly alienated from the
government, and Anglophone politicians have called for greater
decentralization and even the secession of the former British-governed
territories.
Contents
Tourism in Cameroon is a growing but relatively minor industry. Since
the 1970s, the government of Cameroon has cultivated the industry by
creating a ministry of tourism and by encouraging investment by
airlines, hotels, and travel agencies. The government describes the
and big-game hunters, as Cameroon is home to many of Africa's iconic
animals: cheetahs, chimpanzees, elephants, giraffes, gorillas,
hippopotami, and rhinoceroses. Impediments to further growth of the
tourism sector include poor transport infrastructure and corrupt
officials who may harass visitors for bribes.
Tourism infrastructure in Cameroon has steadily improved. The country
offered 37 hotels with 599 rooms in 1960. This had risen to 203 hotels
with 3,229 rooms in 1976. In 1980, the country offered 7,500 hotel
rooms
Cameroon is a Central African nation on the Gulf of Guinea, bordered
by Nigeria, Chad, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo,
Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon. It is nearly twice the size of Oregon.
a fully autonomous government of Cameroon was formed under Ahmadou
Ahidjo. Cameroon became an independent republic on Jan. 1, 1960. In
1961 the southern part of the British territory joined the new Federal
Republic of Cameroon and the northern section voted for unification
with Nigeria
Bakassi peninsula to Cameroon—Nigeria had been resisting the World
Court ruling since 2002.
See also Encyclopedia: Cameroon.
U.S. State Dept. Country Notes: Cameroon
Fact Monster/Information Please® Database, © 2008 Pearson Education,
Inc. All rights reserved.
COUNTRY DESCRIPTION: Cameroon map Cameroon map Cameroon is a
developing country in central Africa. Although there are many natural
and cultural attractions in Cameroon, facilities catering to
American/European style tourism are quite limited. The capital is
Cameroon has no local equivalent to the “911” emergency line, but one
can dial 112 in major cities to contact ambulance services.
Please see our information on Victims of Crime, including possible
victim compensation programs in the United States.
HOMOSEXUALITY/CORRUPTION: The government of Cameroon has sporadically
enforced laws against homosexuality. Charges of homosexuality and/or
of corruption are also made and enforced indiscriminately in the
course of business or personal disputes.
PHOTOGRAPHY: While photography is not officially forbidden, security
Situated in West Africa, Cameroon is shaped like an elongated
triangle. It borders with Chad in the north and northeast, Central
African Republic in the east, Congo, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea in
the south, the Gulf of Guinea (Atlantic Ocean) in the Southwest, and
The Constitution of the Republic of Cameroon was adopted on 2 June
1972 and last changed by Law #96/06 of 18 January 1996:
Part I
On the State and Sovereignty
Article 1
The 1961-75 flag of Cameroon was a vertical tricolour of
green-red-yellow with two yellow stars on the red. It was adopted when
the former British territory of Southern Cameroon voted to join French
Cameroun which became independent in 1957. The 2 stars signified the
Territory of Southern Cameroons have a flag badge when it was
administratively separated from Nigeria in 1960 until it was absorbed
into The Republic of Cameroun in 1961, and if so what was it like?
Badge existed, but wasn't officially aproved. This badge feautures a
languages listed for Cameroon is 286. Of those, 279 are living
languages, 3 are second language without mother-tongue speakers,
and 4 are extinct.
Living languages
Abar
2,000 (2001 SIL)
Though Cameroon is said to be an agricultural breadbasket,
government here is failing to meet its goals for auditing
food-safety inspections to guarantee food fortification.
* Cameroon Tribune Cameroon: MINFOF/MINAS Join Forces to Help
Pygmies
A memorandum of understanding to this effect was signed between
the two ministries yesterday.
to some Cameroonians their elimination has been complimented by
the qualification of "FC Barce-Lion" for the European Champions
League ...
* Cameroon Tribune Cameroon: Electricity Crisis Will Soon be over
The West Africa country of Cameroon is shaped like a triangle and
situated on the Gulf of Guinea, between Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea.
Don't let this small African country fool you – travelers booking
flights to Cameroon will find it's huge on history.
that security in Cameroon has lessened, and terrorist attacks and
violent demonstrations have endangered lives in Douala and Littoral.
Peak/Off Season: Since it's not exactly known as a tourist
destination, it's easy to find cheap flights to Cameroon any time of
working, Cameroon's "process of economic reform is still fragile" and
that "inadequate investment levels remain a serious constraint to a
sustained economic recovery." Moreover, in the long-run, the piecemeal
pursuit of investment risks creating ventures with uncertain long-term
prospects.
Cameroon has made little use of multilateral commitments to reassure
investors and other economic agents of the permanence of its new
outward economic orientation. Cameroon had no tariff bindings in the
pre-Uruguay Round GATT and implementation of the Uruguay Round results
the Government of Cameroon will be discussed by the WTO Trade Policy
Review Body (TPRB) on 13 and 14 February 1995. The review of Cameroon
is carried over from the 1994 programme of trade policy reviews. The
Cameroon has two current claims to international fame. The first is
the prowess of its national soccer team, which has won the African
Nations Cup three times and in 1990 became the first African team to
reach the quarter finals of the World..
travel information on Cameroon! NOTE: This page is still being
developed and new countries will be added as soon as they are
completed. Please contact us if you have information you believe
should be added to the Africa section of Getting Away.
mailto:jimbruner@gettingaway.com
One of the best things about a visit to Cameroon is the diversity of
the ethnic groups and their cultures. Add to this the jungle and
forests, savanna, and all of the wild game and it is no wonder that
visitors enjoy the 13 national parks and game reserves that are
The national carrier of Cameroon is Cameroon Airlines which connects
Yaounde and Douala with the capital cities of most of the neighboring
countries. Other airlines represented in Cameroon include Air Afrique,
Air France, Air Gabon, Sabena, and Swissair. Most of these airlines
Cameroon is situated on the West coast of Africa. It is a country that
is becoming increasingly urbanized. The capital city is Yaounde while
Doula is the largest city and the industrial centre of the country.
The Cameroonian economy is primarily agricultural, with principal
commercial crops being cocoa, coffee, tobacco, cotton and bananas.
Petroleum products make up more than half of all exports. While income
from the oil sector fluctuated, the expansion of the non-oil sector
The investment image of Cameroon is made somewhat attractive by the
countryâs oil and agricultural sectors. However, there are certain
features that serve to discourage potential investors from pursuing
opportunities in the country. This means that the bureaucracy in the
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