Portal:Cameroon

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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. Its nearly 27 million people speak 250 native languages, in addition to the national tongues of English and French, or both.

Cameroon became a German colony in 1884 known as Kamerun. After World War I, it was divided between France and the United Kingdom as League of Nations mandates. The Union des Populations du Cameroun (UPC) political party advocated independence, but was outlawed by France in the 1950s, leading to the national liberation insurgency fought between French and UPC militant forces until early 1971. In 1960, the French-administered part of Cameroon became independent, as the Republic of Cameroun, under President Ahmadou Ahidjo. The southern part of British Cameroons federated with it in 1961 to form the Federal Republic of Cameroon. The federation was abandoned in 1972. The country was renamed the United Republic of Cameroon in 1972 and back to the Republic of Cameroon in 1984 by a presidential decree by president Paul Biya. Biya, the incumbent president, has led the country since 1982 following Ahidjo's resignation; he previously held office as prime minister from 1975 onward. Cameroon is governed as a Unitary Presidential Republic.

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. (Full article...)

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Sign in Rumpi Hills in French and English

Cameroon is home to at least 250 languages, with some accounts reporting around 600. These include 55 Afro-Asiatic languages, two Nilo-Saharan languages, four Ubangian languages, and 169 Niger–Congo languages. This latter group comprises one Senegambian language (Fulfulde), 28 Adamawa languages, and 142 Benue–Congo languages (130 of which are Bantu languages). French and English are official languages, a heritage of Cameroon's colonial past as a colony of both France and the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1961. Eight out of the ten regions of Cameroon are primarily francophone and two are anglophone. The official percentage of French and English speakers by the Presidency of Cameroon is estimated to be 70% and 30% respectively.

Cameroon is a Francophone and Anglophone country, and in 2023, French is spoken by 11.8 million people out of 28.7 million (41.17%).

The nation strives toward bilingualism, but in reality very few (11.6%) Cameroonians are literate in both French and English, and 28.8% are literate in neither. The government has established several bilingual schools in an effort to teach both languages more evenly; however, in reality most of these schools separate the anglophone and francophone sections and therefore do not provide a true bilingual experience. Cameroon is a member of both the Commonwealth of Nations and La Francophonie. German, the country's official language during the German colonial period until World War I, has nowadays almost entirely yielded to its two successors. However, as a foreign language subject German still enjoys huge popularity among pupils and students, with 300,000 people learning or speaking German in Cameroon in 2010. Today, Cameroon is one of the African countries with the highest number of people with knowledge of German. (Full article...)

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... that a 20-day study reported by BirdLife International discovered 265 species of birds in Nki National Park?

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

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