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Cameroon
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The Republic of Cameroon is a unitary republic of
central Africa. It borders Nigeria, Chad, Central African
Republic, Republic of Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and
the Gulf of Guinea. Originally a German colony, it was split
after World War I among the French and British. In 1960,
French Cameroun became an independent republic, merging with
the southern part of British Cameroons in 1961 to form the
Federal Republic of Cameroon. It was renamed the United
Republic of Cameroon in 1972, and the Republic of Cameroon
or République du Cameroun in 1984 (its official languages
are English and French). Compared to other African
countries, Cameroon enjoys relative political and social
stability, which has in turn permitted the development of
agriculture, roads, and railways, as well as an extensive
petroleum industry. Despite movement toward political
reform, however, power remains firmly in the hands of an
ethnic oligarchy.
History
Main article: History of Cameroon
The first inhabitants of Cameroon were the pygmy Baka
people. They were largely replaced and absorbed by Bantu
tribes during Bantu migrations.
The first European contact was in the 16th century with the
Portuguese, but they did not stay. The Portuguese did
however give the would-be country its name. Explorers on the
Sanaga River noted the abundance of prawns and gave the land
the name camarão, the Portuguese word for prawn. The first
permanent colonial settlements were started in the late
1870s, with the German Empire emerging as the major European
Power. With the defeat of Germany in World War I, Cameroon
became a League of Nations Mandate territory split between
French Cameroun and British Cameroons in 1919. These
mandates were converted into United Nations Trusteeships in
1946.
In 1960, French Cameroun gained its independence and became
The Cameroon Republic. It was joined in 1961 by the southern
part of the British Cameroons. The remainder of the British
Cameroons became part of Nigeria at the same time. The new
coalition government was led by Ahmadou Ahidjo who led a
crack down on rebel groups who had remained since before
independence.
Ahidjo stepped down in 1982 and was succeeded by the current
president, Paul Biya. Biya has won numerous elections, but
the fairness of these elections has been questioned. The
last elections were held on October 11, 2004.
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Background:
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The
former French Cameroon and part of British Cameroon
merged in 1961 to form the present country. Cameroon
has generally enjoyed stability, which has permitted
the development of agriculture, roads, and railways,
as well as a petroleum industry. Despite movement
toward democratic reform, political power remains
firmly in the hands of an ethnic oligarchy. |
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Location:
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Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra,
between Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria |
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Geographic coordinates:
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6 00
N, 12 00 E
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Map references:
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Africa |
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Area:
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total: 475,440 sq km
water: 6,000 sq km
land: 469,440 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly larger than California |
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Climate:
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varies with terrain, from tropical along coast to
semiarid and hot in north |
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Terrain:
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diverse, with coastal plain in southwest, dissected
plateau in center, mountains in west, plains in
north |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Fako (on Cameroon Mountain)
4,095 m
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Natural resources:
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petroleum, bauxite, iron ore, timber, hydropower
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Ethnic groups:
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Cameroon Highlanders 31%, Equatorial Bantu 19%,
Kirdi 11%, Fulani 10%, Northwestern Bantu 8%,
Eastern Nigritic 7%, other African 13%, non-African
less than 1% |
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Religions:
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indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 40%, Muslim 20%
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Languages:
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24
major African language groups, English (official),
French (official) |
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Currency:
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Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note -
responsible authority is the Bank of the Central
African States |
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Currency code:
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XAF
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Exchange rates:
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Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US
dollar - 742.79 (January 2002), 733.04 (2001),
711.98 (2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95 (1998), 583.67
(1997); note - from 1 January 1999, the XAF is
pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XAF per euro
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