Portal:Cameroon

The Cameroon Portal

Flag of Cameroon Coat of arms of Cameroon

Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Its coastline lies on the Bight of Biafra, part of the Gulf of Guinea, and the Atlantic Ocean. Due to its strategic position at the crossroads between West Africa and Central Africa, it has been categorized as being in both camps. Cameroon's population of nearly 31 million people speak 250 native languages, in addition to the national tongues of English and French, or both. Early inhabitants of the territory included the Sao civilisation around Lake Chad and the Baka hunter-gatherers in the southeastern rainforest. Portuguese explorers reached the coast in the 15th century and named the area Rio dos Camarões (Shrimp River), which became Cameroon in English. Fulani soldiers founded the Adamawa Emirate in the north in the 19th century, and various ethnic groups of the west and northwest established powerful chiefdoms and fondoms.

The official languages of Cameroon are French and English, the official languages of former French Cameroons and British Cameroons. Christianity is the majority religion in Cameroon, with significant minorities practising Islam and traditional faiths. It has experienced tensions from the English-speaking territories, where politicians have advocated for greater decentralisation and even complete separation or independence (as in the Southern Cameroons National Council). In 2017, tensions over the creation of an Ambazonian state in the English-speaking territories escalated into open warfare. Large numbers of Cameroonians live as subsistence farmers. The country is often referred to as "Africa in miniature" for its geological, linguistic, and cultural diversity. Its natural features include beaches, deserts, mountains, rainforests, and savannas. Cameroon's highest point, at almost 4,100 metres (13,500 ft), is Mount Cameroon in the Southwest Region.

Cameroon's most populous cities are Douala on the Wouri River, its economic capital and main seaport; Yaoundé, its political capital; and Garoua. Limbé in the southwest has a natural seaport. Cameroon is well known for its native music styles, particularly Makossa, Njang, and Bikutsi, and its successful national football team. It is a member state of the African Union, the United Nations, the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), the Commonwealth of Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement, and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. (Full article...)

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Camrail is a company operating passenger and freight traffic between the two largest cities in Cameroon and several smaller cities. The company was formed in 1999 and granted a 20-year concession to operate the Cameroon National Railway. The company is a subsidiary of French investment group Bolloré and the railway has been operated by Comazar, a subsidiary of Bolloré, since 1999. According to the Comazar website, the government of Cameroon owns the track while the rolling stock is owned by Camrail.

According to a report by the World Bank in 2011, Camrail ranked relatively high amongst African countries for productivity indicators and was considered a regional leader in terms of implementing a concession to a non-state operator. The 2016 Eséka train derailment took place on Camrail tracks and the company was under investigation by the government and was sued by relatives of the 79 passengers who died in the crash. (Full article...)

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Did you know (auto-generated)

... that Cameroonian-born Joel Embiid opted to play for the 2024 U.S. Olympic basketball team instead of France in part because his son is American?
... that the parents of Mathias Nkwenti, the second Cameroonian ever to play in the NFL, initially opposed his football career?

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... that the United Nations Human Rights Committee found that Cameroonian investigative journalist Philip Njaru has faced repeated police brutality since 1997?

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The following are images from various Cameroon-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Paul Biya has ruled the country since 1982 (from Cameroon)
Image 2Plantains and "Bobolo" (made from cassava) served with Ndolè (meat and shrimp) (from Cameroon)
Image 3Cameroonian fashion is varied and often mixes modern and traditional elements. Note the wearing of sun glasses, Monk shoes, sandals, and a Smartwatch. (from Culture of Cameroon)
Image 4Flag of the Federal Republic of Cameroon (from Cameroon)
Image 5Life expectancy in Cameroon (from Cameroon)
Image 6Elephants in Waza National Park (from Cameroon)
Image 7Kribi Beach (from Tourism in Cameroon)
Image 8President Paul Biya with U.S. President Barack Obama in 2014 (from Cameroon)
Image 9Unity Palace – Cameroon Presidency (from Cameroon)
Image 10A musician plays traditional African music during the closing ceremony of French RECAMP-concept (reinforcement of African peacekeeping capacities) in Douala, November 23, 2006 (from Culture of Cameroon)
Image 11Bamum script is a writing system developed by King Njoya in the late 19th century. (from Cameroon)
Image 12Gorilla at Mefou primate sanctuary (from Tourism in Cameroon)
Image 13National Museum, Yaounde (from Tourism in Cameroon)
Image 14Map of the region's indigenous languages (from Cameroon)
Image 15A statue of a chief in Bana, West Region (from Cameroon)
Image 16Our Lady of Victories Cathedral, a Catholic Church in Yaoundé (from Cameroon)
Image 17Chimpanzee at Mefou primate sanctuary (from Tourism in Cameroon)
Image 18Dancers greet visitors to the East Region, 2006 (from Cameroon)
Image 19Cameroon is divided into 10 regions (from Cameroon)
Image 20Military vehicles during a parade (from Cameroon)
Image 21Reunification Monument, Yaounde (from Tourism in Cameroon)
Image 22Cameroonian fashion is varied and often mixes modern and traditional elements. Note the wearing of sun glasses, monk shoes, sandals, and a Smartwatch (from Cameroon)
Image 23The homes of the Musgum, in the Far North Region, made of earth and grass (from Cameroon)
Image 24School children in Cameroon in 2014 (from Cameroon)
Image 25Giraffes in Waza National Park (from Tourism in Cameroon)
Image 26Cameroonian women on Women's Day Celebration, 2015 (from Cameroon)
Image 27Limbe Beach with people engaging in various activities (from Tourism in Cameroon)
Image 28Dutch bulls and cows at Wallya community during the rainy season in Cameroon (from Cameroon)
Image 29A woman weaves a basket near Lake Ossa, Littoral Region. Cameroonians practise such handicrafts throughout the country (from Cameroon)
Image 30Volcanic plugs dot the landscape near Rhumsiki, Far North Region (from Cameroon)
Image 31Leaders of the pro-independence UPC (from Cameroon)
Image 32Cameroon facing Germany at Zentralstadion in Leipzig, 17 November 2004 (from Cameroon)
Image 33Former president Ahmadou Ahidjo ruled from 1960 until 1982 (from Cameroon)
Image 34Douala seaport (from Cameroon)
Image 35Hippopotamus at the Benoue National Park (from Tourism in Cameroon)