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 31 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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Since independence, corruption has been more than prevalent in Cameroon. In fact, corruption has become pervasive and has affected all sectors of the government and civil society including the executive, judiciary, police, and even the private sector. The main causes being a deep lack of political will to fight corruption and neopatrimonialism. Other causes include; personal interests and absence of duty conscience, weak judiciary and almost nonexistent opposition in the legislative, nepotism and favouritism, ineffective system of accountability, among others.

Corruption in Cameroon has been called "Cameroon's worst-kept secret" by Thomson Reuters, and Cameroon has had "persistent problems with corruption" according to BBC News. The police are seen by Cameroonians as the most corrupt institution in the government.

The 2023 Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index gave Cameroon a score of 27 on a scale from 0 ("highly corrupt") to 100 ("very clean"). When ranked by score, Cameroon ranked 140th among the 180 countries in the Index, where the country ranked first is perceived to have the most honest public sector. For comparison with worldwide scores, the best score was 90 (ranked 1), the average score was 43, and the worst score was 11 (ranked 180). For comparison with regional scores, the average score among sub-Saharan African countries was 33. The highest score in sub-Saharan Africa was 71 and the lowest score was 11. (Full article...)

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... that Cameroonian politician Louis-Paul Aujoulat's thesis was named best in his faculty at the Catholic University?

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

Image 1A woman weaves a basket near Lake Ossa, Littoral Region. Cameroonians practise such handicrafts throughout the country. (from Cameroon)
Image 2Life expectancy in Cameroon (from Cameroon)
Image 3Unity Palace – Cameroon Presidency (from Cameroon)
Image 4Hippopotamus at the Benoue National Park (from Tourism in Cameroon)
Image 5Bamum script is a writing system developed by King Njoya in the late 19th century. (from Cameroon)
Image 6Cameroonian 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 7Chimpanzee at Mefou primate sanctuary (from Tourism in Cameroon)
Image 8Leaders of the pro-independence UPC (from Cameroon)
Image 9Cameroonian women on Women's Day Celebration (from Cameroon)
Image 10Douala seaport (from Cameroon)
Image 11A statue of a chief in Bana, West Region (from Cameroon)
Image 12Military vehicles during a parade (from Cameroon)
Image 13Giraffes in Waza National Park (from Tourism in Cameroon)
Image 14Gorilla at Mefou primate sanctuary (from Tourism in Cameroon)
Image 15Elephants in Waza National Park (from Cameroon)
Image 16Plantains and "Bobolo" (made from cassava) served with Ndolè (meat and shrimp) (from Cameroon)
Image 17School children in Cameroon (from Cameroon)
Image 18Cameroon is divided into 10 regions. (from Cameroon)
Image 19Dutch bulls and cows at Wallya community during the rainy season in Cameroon (from Cameroon)
Image 20Limbe Beach with people engaging in various activities (from Tourism in Cameroon)
Image 21Cameroon faces Germany at Zentralstadion in Leipzig, 17 November 2004 (from Cameroon)
Image 22Paul Biya has ruled the country since 1982. (from Cameroon)
Image 23National Museum, Yaounde (from Tourism in Cameroon)
Image 24A 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 25Our Lady of Victories Cathedral, catholic church in Yaoundé (from Cameroon)
Image 26Cameroonian 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 27Former president Ahmadou Ahidjo ruled from 1960 until 1982. (from Cameroon)
Image 28Map of the region's indigenous languages (from Cameroon)
Image 29Volcanic plugs dot the landscape near Rhumsiki, Far North Region. (from Cameroon)
Image 30Kribi Beach (from Tourism in Cameroon)
Image 31Reunification Monument, Yaounde (from Tourism in Cameroon)
Image 32The homes of the Musgum, in the Far North Region, are made of earth and grass. (from Cameroon)
Image 33Dancers greet visitors to the East Region. (from Cameroon)
Image 34President Paul Biya with U.S. President Barack Obama in 2014 (from Cameroon)