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. Cameroon's population of nearly 27 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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Elephants in Waza National Park

Waza National Park is a national park in the Department of Logone-et-Chari, in Far North Region, Cameroon. It was founded in 1934 as a hunting reserve, and covers a total of 1,700 km² (660 sq mi). Waza achieved national park status in 1968, and became a UNESCO biosphere reserve in 1979.

For the preservation and conservation of the biodiversity of the park, a Management Master Plan was drawn up in 1997, reported to be the first of its kind in Cameroon. The park is adjacent to the Chingurmi-Duguma sector of Nigeria's Chad Basin National Park. There is also a proposal to combine this park with the Waza Logone floodplain as a Ramsar Site. The forest dwellers who had their villages within the park were resettled on the borders of the park, after it was established. This was done with the objective of creating a social buffer to poaching activities and preserve the park's resources.

The dominant vegetation is in the transition zone between the Sahel and Sudan savanna, containing acacia and open Yaéré savannah forests. The prominent faunal species reported to inhabit the park are the lion, African bush elephant, hyena, hartebeest, roan antelope, Kob, waterbuck, reed, gazelle, Sudan cheetah and West African giraffe. The avifauna reported are geese, egrets, North African ostriches, herons, pelicans, saddle-billed storks and ibis. (Full article...)

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...that tourism in Cameroon (bush taxi pictured) centers around wildlife such as elephants, giraffes, and gorillas?

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

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