[132] In the north, the Bénoué River is seasonally navigable from Garoua across into Nigeria. [76] The educational system is a mixture of British and French precedents[77] with most instruction in English or French. [190], Traditional arts and crafts are practiced throughout the country for commercial, decorative, and religious purposes. The Germans ran into resistance with the native people who did not want the Germans to establish themselves on this land. [171] Other crafts include basket weaving, beadworking, brass and bronze working, calabash carving and painting, embroidery, and leather working. [107][108] The northern lowland region extends from the edge of the Adamawa to Lake Chad with an average elevation of 300 to 350 metres (984 to 1,148 ft). "1947: Decolonisation in the Shadow of the Cold War: the Case of French Cameroon. Some of them help out voluntarily so they will not lose their skills. Some 5,000 Gyele and Baka Pygmy peoples roam the southeastern and coastal rainforests or live in small, roadside settlements. Please select which sections you would like to print: Corrections? Major Dominik's establishment of a military garrison at the site in 1895 permitted a Pallotine mission and religious school at nearby Mvolyé (now a suburb).[5]. The rest of Cameroon's energy comes from oil-powered thermal engines. [194] After World War II, writers such as Mongo Beti and Ferdinand Oyono analysed and criticised colonialism and rejected assimilation. During the late 1770s and early 1800s, the Fulani—a pastoral Islamic people of the western Sahel—conquered most of what is now northern Cameroon, subjugating or displacing its largely non-Muslim inhabitants. Founded in 1888 during the period of the German protectorate, Yaoundé was occupied by Belgian troops in 1915 and was declared the capital Yaoundé features a tropical wet and dry climate, with constant temperatures throughout the year. The region contains scattered inselbergs, mounds of erosion-resistant rock that rise above the plains. [37][38], In May 2014, in the wake of the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, presidents Paul Biya of Cameroon and Idriss Déby of Chad announced they were waging war on Boko Haram, and deployed troops to the Nigerian border. [180], Cuisine varies by region, but a large, one-course, evening meal is common throughout the country. ". It's primarily due to the relative lull in precipitation during these two months that Yaoundé features a tropical wet and dry climate, as opposed to a tropical monsoon climate. The national team has been one of the most successful in Africa since its strong showing in the 1982 and 1990 FIFA World Cups. Green, RH (1969). Despite the security issues and humanitarian crises that have plagued the central African nation, its economy remains stable. Cameroon is rated at six in both categories on a scale of one to seven, with one being "most free" and seven being "least free". [70], A video showing Cameroonian soldiers executing blindfolded women and children emerged in 2018. "Ambazonie a Biafra-vnější periferie nebo transhraniční region." Douala long remained the more important settlement, but Yaoundé saw rapid growth after 1957 due to the cocoa crisis and unrest along the coast. [30], Ahidjo stepped down on 4 November 1982 and left power to his constitutional successor, Paul Biya. In the early 19th century, Modibo Adama led Fulani soldiers on a jihad in the north against non-Muslim and partially Muslim peoples and established the Adamawa Emirate. The government recognises the authority of traditional chiefs, fons, and lamibe to govern at the local level and to resolve disputes as long as such rulings do not conflict with national law. Cameroon has won five African Cup of Nations titles and the gold medal at the 2000 Olympics. Kund and Tappenbeck had used the title "Jaunde" to refer to the area but not the settlement or site itself.

[33], In June 2006, talks concerning a territorial dispute over the Bakassi peninsula were resolved. [134] Newspapers routinely self-censor to avoid government reprisals. Cameroon, country lying at the junction of western and central Africa. Numerous regional political groups have since formed. Sport in Cameroon is dominated by football. [138][139] The life expectancy was 62.3 years (60.6 years for males and 64 years for females). North of the Benue (Bénoué) River, the savanna plain that occupies the country’s centre declines in elevation as it approaches the Lake Chad basin. [150] Nigerians make up the largest group of foreign nationals. Coffee is a major cash crop in the western highlands, and in the north, natural conditions favour crops such as cotton, groundnuts, and rice. United Nations. In the North West and South West provinces, collectively called Ambazonia, the 1st of October is considered to be a national holiday by Ambazonians, a date which Ambazonians regard as the declaration of independence of Ambazonia from Cameroon. [202] Cameroon is one of the few tropical countries to have competed in the Winter Olympics. The primary opposition is the Social Democratic Front (SDF), based largely in the Anglophone region of the country and headed by John Fru Ndi. Colonial-era writers such as Louis-Marie Pouka and Sankie Maimo were educated by European missionary societies and advocated assimilation into European culture as the means to bring Cameroon into the modern world.

Njung, GN, Lucas Tazanu Mangula, and Emmanuel Nfor Nkwiyir (2003). Cameroon is home to over 250 native languages spoken by nearly 25 million people.[8][9][10]. Rail service runs from Kumba in the west to Bélabo in the east and north to Ngaoundéré. [56], Biya and his party have maintained control of the presidency and the National Assembly in national elections, which rivals contend were unfair. The national football team plays some of its home matches in the Ahmadou Ahidjo stadium and the football clubs Canon Yaoundé, Impôts FC and Tonnerre Yaoundé are all based in the city. The Gotel Mountains of the Adamawa Plateau trend from south to north, culminating in the Mandara Mountains of the northwest. Its ethnically diverse population is among the most urban in western Africa. Cameroon is triangular in shape and is bordered by Nigeria to the northwest, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, the Republic of the Congo to the southeast, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea to the south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the southwest. [39] Boko Haram launched several attacks into Cameroon, killing 84 civilians in a December 2014 raid, but suffering a heavy defeat in a raid in January 2015. During World War I, Jaunde was occupied by Belgian troops from the Congo. The country’s name is derived from Rio dos Camarões (“River of Prawns”)—the name given to the Wouri River estuary by Portuguese explorers of the 15th and 16th centuries. [1] The 1996 constitution establishes a second house of parliament, the 100-seat Senate. Originally, Cameroon was the exonym given by the Portuguese to the Wouri river. Get all the breaking news, daily news, local news and news updates about Cameroon, Cameroun. [67] The withdrawal and handover of control was completed by August 2006. 33 Export beer is the official drink of the national soccer team and one of the most popular brands, joining Castel, Amstel Brewery, and Guinness. Makossa developed in Douala and mixes folk music, highlife, soul, and Congo music. The highest point at almost 4,100 metres (13,500 ft) is Mount Cameroon in the Southwest Region of the country, and the largest cities in population-terms are Douala on the Wouri River, its economic capital and main seaport, Yaoundé, its political capital, and Garoua. It is situated on a hilly, forested plateau between the Nyong and Sanaga rivers in the south-central part of the country. [116] Its currency is the CFA franc.

Yaoundé Nsimalen International Airport is a major civilian hub, while nearby Yaoundé Airport is used by the military. They noted an abundance of the ghost shrimp Lepidophthalmus turneranus in the Wouri River and named it Rio dos Camarões (Shrimp River), which became Cameroon in English. [151], In 2007, Cameroon hosted approximately 97,400 refugees and asylum seekers.

[21], The British administered their territory from neighbouring Nigeria. Politicians in the English-speaking regions have advocated for greater decentralisation and even complete separation or independence (as in the Southern Cameroons National Council) from Cameroon. [121][122] Bushmeat, long a staple food for rural Cameroonians, is today a delicacy in the country's urban centres. 3–94. [165][166], People from the North-West and South-West provinces, which used to be a part of British Cameroons, have the highest proportion of Protestants. [47] The president is selected by popular vote every seven years. [13] Another measure was to relocate people living along the drainage routes and in low-lying flood zones. [82], People from the overpopulated western highlands and the underdeveloped north are moving to the coastal plantation zone and urban centres for employment.

In Robson, Peter, and DA Lury (eds).

[114] Cameroon is part of the Bank of Central African States (of which it is the dominant economy),[115] the Customs and Economic Union of Central Africa (UDEAC) and the Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa (OHADA). [1], Cameroon's population is almost evenly divided between urban and rural dwellers. Early inhabitants of the territory included the Sao civilisation around Lake Chad and the Baka hunter-gatherers in the southeastern rainforest. "Southern Cameroons/Ambazonia Conflict: A Political Economy." ", Insecurity Escalates In North Region As Gov’t, Military Concentrate In Anglophone Regions, Cameroon: New anti-corruption drive leaves many sceptical, "Cameroon goes offline after Anglophone revolt", Journalists Warned against Declaring Election Results, "Court Rules for Cameroon In Oil Dispute With Nigeria", "Agreement Transferring Authority over Bakassi Peninsula from Nigeria to Cameroon 'Triumph for the Rule of Law' Secretary-General Says in Message for Ceremony", "Which Countries Are For or Against China's Xinjiang Policies?

[159][160] The government encourages bilingualism in English and French, and as such, official government documents, new legislation, ballots, among others, are written and provided in both languages. [203], Cameroon was the host country of the Women Africa Cup of Nations in November–December 2016. [44], Same-sex sexual acts are banned by section 347-1 of the penal code with a penalty of from 6 months up to 5 years' imprisonment. [12] In addition, there is weak protection of real and intellectual property, and the judicial system is vulnerable to political manipulation. On 25 July 2018, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein expressed deep concern about reports of violations and abuses in the English-speaking Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon. [59] In 2017, President Biya shut down the Internet in the English-speaking region for 94 days, at the cost of hampering five million people, including Silicon Mountain startups.

Cameroon is a member state of the African Union, the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations, Non-Aligned Movement and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. [86], In 2012, the top three deadly diseases were HIV/AIDS, lower respiratory tract infection, and diarrheal diseases.