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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The Cameroon War (also known as the Hidden War, or the Cameroonian War of Independence) is the name of the independence struggle between Cameroon's nationalist movement and France. The movement was spearheaded by the Cameroonian Peoples Union (UPC). Even after independence, the rebellion continued, shaping contemporary politics. The war began with riots in 1955 and continued after Cameroon gained independence in 1960. Following independence, the first President of Cameroon, Ahmadou Ahidjo requested continued French military intervention to fight the UPC rebels. The UPC rebellion was largely crushed by the Cameroonian Armed Forces and French Army by 1964. This war is often forgotten because it occurred at the height of France's biggest colonial independence struggle, the Algerian War.

The war is believed to have produced some 61,300 to 76,300 civilian deaths, according to estimates from the British embassy assembled in 1964, with 80% of the dead being from the Bamileke Region. General Max Briand, the commander of all French military forces in Cameroon, gave an estimate of 20,000 people killed in the Bamileke Region in 1960 alone. Some modern estimates for deaths go into the hundreds of thousands or even millions, but are believed to not be reliable. Overall, estimating the number of deaths is difficult as the French administration did not keep meticulous records of the number of people killed. (Full article...)

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... that Cameroonian singer Lady Ponce advertised that her wedding would take place at 3:30 p.m., then held it at 9:00 a.m. to avoid paparazzi?

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

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