15 Nations Global Tour: Cameroon (Stop #9)

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This sub-project is part of the larger 15 Nations Global Tour. Please visit the main project page for details on the goals and objectives of this project.

Geography

Cameroon is a country in west-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 which is part of the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean.

The three northernmost regions are the Far North (Extrême Nord), North (Nord), and Adamawa (Adamaoua). Directly south of them are the Centre (Centre) and East (Est). The South Province (Sud) lies on the Gulf of Guinea and the southern border. Cameroon's western region is split into four smaller regions: the Littoral (Littoral) and South-West (Sud-Ouest) regions are on the coast, and the North-West (Nord-Ouest) and West (Ouest) regions are in the western grassfields.

Cameroon is divided into 10 semi-autonomous regions, each under the administration of an elected Regional Council. Each region is headed by a presidentially appointed governor. The regions are subdivided into 58 divisions (French départements). These are headed by presidentially appointed divisional officers (préfets). The divisions are further split into sub-divisions (arrondissements), headed by assistant divisional officers (sous-prefets). The districts, administered by district heads (chefs de district), are the smallest administrative units.

Douala in Littoral Region is Cameroon's largest city with nearly 2 million people, followed closely by Yaoundé, in Centre Region.

Demographics

The number of distinct ethnic and linguistic groups in Cameroon is estimated to be between 230 and 282. The Adamawa Plateau broadly bisects these into northern and southern divisions. The northern peoples are Sudanic groups, who live in the central highlands and the northern lowlands, and the Fulani, who are spread throughout northern Cameroon. A small number of Shuwa Arabs live near Lake Chad. Southern Cameroon is inhabited by speakers of Bantu and Semi-Bantu languages. Bantu-speaking groups inhabit the coastal and equatorial zones, while speakers of Semi-Bantu languages live in the Western grassfields. Around 5,000 Gyele and Baka Pygmy peoples roam the southeastern and coastal rainforests or live in small, roadside settlements. Nigerians make up the largest group of foreign nationals.

Cameroon's nearly 27 million people speak 250 native languages. However, the official languages of Cameroon are French and English, spoken by an estimated 70% and 30% of the population respectively. In addition to the colonial languages, there are approximately 250 other languages spoken by nearly 20 million Cameroonians, making Cameroon one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world.

Cameroon's religious population is predominantly Christian, practiced by about two-thirds of the population. The Christians of the French-speaking southern and western regions tend to be largely Catholic, while the Christians from the North-West and South-West provinces, which used to be a part of British Cameroons, are more likely to be Protestants. Islam is a significant minority faith, adhered to by about one-fourth of the population and most concentrated in the north. In addition, many Cameroonians continue to practice traditional African animist beliefs. Many Cameroonians believe in witchcraft, and suspected witches are often subject to mob violence. Both monogamous and polygamous marriage are practiced in Cameroon.

History

Early inhabitants of the territory now encompassed by the nation of Cameroon included the Sao civilization 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. In the 19th century Fulani soldiers founded the Adamawa Emirate in the north, and powerful chiefdoms were established by various ethnic groups of the west and northwest.

In 1884, despite resistance from the natives, Cameroon became a German colony known as Kamerun. After the Germans lost World War I, Cameroon was declared a League of Nations mandate territory and, in 1919, was split into French Cameroun and British Cameroon. France integrated the economy of Cameroon with that of their own, and improved the infrastructure with capital investments and skilled workers. Britian, however, administered their territory from neighboring Nigeria, leading the locals to complain that this made them a neglected "colony of a colony".

In 1955, the French outlawed the Union des Populations du Cameroun (UPC), a pro-independence political party. This prompted a long guerrilla war waged by the UPC. In the British Cameroons, the British ruled out the option of independence. Thus, the question became whether to reunify with French Cameroon or to join Nigeria.

On 1 January 1960, French Cameroun gained independence from France as the Republic of Cameroun, under President Ahmadou Ahidjo. On 1 October 1961, the British Cameroons united with French Cameroun to form the Federal Republic of Cameroon, a date which is now observed as Unification Day. The federation was abandoned in 1972 and the country was renamed the United Republic of Cameroon. It the reverted back to the Republic of Cameroon in 1984. Paul Biya, Ahidjo's successor, has led the country since 1982.

Some Notable Cameroonians

In the below list, columns can be sorted by clicking on the arrow button in any category heading box. A "C" in the final column denotes a Notable who has been successfully connected to the Big Tree. "N/C" stands for Not Connected.

Notable	Born	Died	Claim to Fame	Photo	C
Rudolf Manga Bell	1873	1914	Duala Chieftain and Resistance Leader		C
Louis Brody	1896	1956	Actor		C
Seidou Njimoluh Njoya	1902	1992	Ruler of the Bamum people of Cameroon		N/C
Ahmadou Ahidjo	1924	1989	First President of Cameroon		N/C
Francis Bebey	1929	2001	Musician and Writer		N/C
Manu Dibango	1930	2020	Saxophonist		N/C
Christian Tumi	1930	2021	Roman Catholic Cardinal		N/C
Mongo Beti	1932	2001	Novelist		N/C
Paul Biya	1933	LIVING	Current President of Cameroon		N/C
Patrick Baudry	1946	LIVING	CNES Space Shuttle Astronaut		N/C
Richard Bona	1967	LIVING	Multi-instrumentalist and singer		N/C
Marc-Vivian Foé	1975	2003	Professional Footballer		N/C
Françoise Mbango Etone	1976	LIVING	Olympic gold medal track and field athlete		N/C
Andy Allo	1989	LIVING	Actress and Musician		C
Joel Embiid	1994	LIVING	Professional Basketball Player		N/C