Country Details; Rainforests, elephants and lazy, lazy beaches.
Little is known about Cameroon before 1472 when the Portuguese arrived shouting 'Camarões, camarões!' in amazement at the many giant shrimp - hence the country's name. For the next 400 years, southern Cameroon's history, like that of the rest of West Africa's Atlantic seaboard, revolved around the slave trade. Northern Cameroon, by contrast, was a battleground for various empires, notably the Kanem-Bornu in Chad. When the Germans arrived in the late 19th century, 'feudal' northern Cameroon was under the control of the Fulani empire in Sokoto (Nigeria).
First inhabited by the mysterious Pygmies, and then the Bantu and Sudanic peoples, Cameroon would eventually became an infamous source of slaves for Muslim and European Traders.
Misssionaries arrived in the mid-19th century, and the land was subsequently colonized by Germany. In the early 1900s (during World War I), it was invaded by both Britain and France, and was later divided between those two countries.
Cameroon first flirted with independence in 1960, but then a long series of internal political jugglings between north and south, and the bloody coups of the 1980s delayed that process until the 1990s.
The country is ethnically diverse with over 225 individual groups. The local economy is driven by foreign aid, a wide variety of agricultural ventures, as well as oil and timber production.
Tourism is limited, but those that venture in enjoy the beach areas near Kribi, the interesting capital city of Yaounde and the abundant wildlife of the national parks, and especially the elephants found in Waza National Park.
Outside the swelling and modernised cities of Cameroon (Cameroun), rainforests stretch from the Atlantic Ocean, giving way to savannah and semi-desert in the north. Elephants and antelope congregate by the hundreds in some of Africa's best wildlife parks, and beachcombers laze on long, isolated beaches.
When To GoThe best time to visit Cameroon is during the cooler, drier months of November to February. The caveat is the harmattan - the winds that blow sand south from the Sahara and turn skies sandy grey from December to February. On bad days, visibility can be reduced to 1km or even less, delaying or cancelling flights and spoiling views. As bad as this sounds, the May to November rainy season turns Cameroon into a sea of mud and makes travel even more difficult than the harmattan.
Facts and Figures
Official Name Republic of Cameroon
Population 17,340,702 (58 out of 192)
Capital City Yaounde (1.4 million)
Largest Cities Douala, Yaounde, Garoua, Kousse
Currency CFA Franc
National Day 20 May; Republic Day
Latitude/Longitude 3° 87'N, 11° 52'E
Languages French (official), English (official), and other African dialects
Religions Christian, Muslim, traditional beliefs
Land
Land Area 465,400 sq km (52 out of 192)
Landforms From the low and marshy coastal area, the land rises into a rain forest plateau. From there the land moves higher into the central Adamawa Plateau, were some elevations reach over 1200m. To the north of Benoue National Park, the land slopes into a savanna plain that extends to the shores of Lake Chad.
In the far southwest Cameroon is mountainous. Mt Cameroon (an active volcano), sits on the edge of the Gulf of Guinea, and it's the highest point in West Africa. Significant rivers include the Dja, Nyong and Sanaga
Highest Point Mt. Cameroon, 4,070 m
Lowest Point Atlantic Ocean, 0 m
First inhabited by the mysterious Pygmies, and then the Bantu and Sudanic peoples, Cameroon would eventually became an infamous source of slaves for Muslim and European Traders.
Misssionaries arrived in the mid-19th century, and the land was subsequently colonized by Germany. In the early 1900s (during World War I), it was invaded by both Britain and France, and was later divided between those two countries.
Cameroon first flirted with independence in 1960, but then a long series of internal political jugglings between north and south, and the bloody coups of the 1980s delayed that process until the 1990s.
The country is ethnically diverse with over 225 individual groups. The local economy is driven by foreign aid, a wide variety of agricultural ventures, as well as oil and timber production.
Tourism is limited, but those that venture in enjoy the beach areas near Kribi, the interesting capital city of Yaounde and the abundant wildlife of the national parks, and especially the elephants found in Waza National Park.
Outside the swelling and modernised cities of Cameroon (Cameroun), rainforests stretch from the Atlantic Ocean, giving way to savannah and semi-desert in the north. Elephants and antelope congregate by the hundreds in some of Africa's best wildlife parks, and beachcombers laze on long, isolated beaches.
When To GoThe best time to visit Cameroon is during the cooler, drier months of November to February. The caveat is the harmattan - the winds that blow sand south from the Sahara and turn skies sandy grey from December to February. On bad days, visibility can be reduced to 1km or even less, delaying or cancelling flights and spoiling views. As bad as this sounds, the May to November rainy season turns Cameroon into a sea of mud and makes travel even more difficult than the harmattan.
Facts and Figures
Official Name Republic of Cameroon
Population 17,340,702 (58 out of 192)
Capital City Yaounde (1.4 million)
Largest Cities Douala, Yaounde, Garoua, Kousse
Currency CFA Franc
National Day 20 May; Republic Day
Latitude/Longitude 3° 87'N, 11° 52'E
Languages French (official), English (official), and other African dialects
Religions Christian, Muslim, traditional beliefs
Land
Land Area 465,400 sq km (52 out of 192)
Landforms From the low and marshy coastal area, the land rises into a rain forest plateau. From there the land moves higher into the central Adamawa Plateau, were some elevations reach over 1200m. To the north of Benoue National Park, the land slopes into a savanna plain that extends to the shores of Lake Chad.
In the far southwest Cameroon is mountainous. Mt Cameroon (an active volcano), sits on the edge of the Gulf of Guinea, and it's the highest point in West Africa. Significant rivers include the Dja, Nyong and Sanaga
Highest Point Mt. Cameroon, 4,070 m
Lowest Point Atlantic Ocean, 0 m
Weather Overview The north has a single wet season from April/May to September/October. The hottest months here are March to May, when temperatures can soar to 40°C, although it's a dry (and therefore generally bearable) heat. The south has a humid, equatorial climate, with rain scattered throughout the year and almost continual high humidity. The main wet season here is June to October, when secondary roads often become impassable. From March to June are the light rains. Throughout Cameroon, November to February are the driest months, though dust from harmattan winds greatly restricts visibility. These are the best months to visit, although you'll have harmattan haze during much of this time. The worst months are between July and October, when it's raining almost everywhere and many roads are impassable.
The tropical coastal areas of Cameroon receive copious amounts of rain, that in some years exceeded 9m. That's right, 9m. While in the northern areas yearly precipitation amounts are much lower, averaging near 75cm. Drought is a way of life in the far north.
Daily highs in the mid 27°C are commonplace, and overall, mean temperatures average in the high 21°C; slightly warmer in the south, and a bit cooler in the western mountains.
Daily highs in the mid 27°C are commonplace, and overall, mean temperatures average in the high 21°C; slightly warmer in the south, and a bit cooler in the western mountains.
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you write: "Cameroon first flirted with independence in 1960, but then a long series of internal political jugglings between north and south, and the bloody coups of the 1980s delayed that process until the 1990s."
Please check your facts or your historical sources. Cameroon did not just "flirt" with independence in 1960. The Francophone region of the country gained independence then and the anglophone part of the country gained independence in 1961. The southern part of the anglophone region joined Cameroon and the northern part joined Nigeria. So no....it did not take Cameroon until the 1990s to achieve independence. Good lord!
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