Cameroon is a sovereign country located in the Central part of Africa.
Its neighbours are Africa most populous country Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east; and Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon to the south.
The early inhabitants of the country now known as Cameroon are the Baka hunter-gatherers who flourished in the southeastern part of country and the Sao civilisation.
The country derives its name from Portuguese explorers who reached the country’s coast in the 15th century and named the area Rio dos Camarões which later became Cameroon in English.
Cameroon was once a German territory the Germans called it Kamerun but was later ceded to France and Britain after Germany lost the First World War.
The modern day Cameroon was created in 1961 when French and British Cameroon parts were merged.
There is recently a call by the English speaking part of the country for their own distinct and separate country, a call which has been refused by the French speaking part.
The surface area of Cameroon is 475,442 km² making the country slightly larger than the European country of Sweden.
Cameroon is home to the tallest mountain in the sub-Saharan part of Western and Central Africa. The Mount Cameroon also called the Mongo ma Ndemi or Fako is an active volcano it stands at 13,255 ft. It is also the 28th tallest mountain in the world. Other notable mountains in the country are The mountain of Bottle Peak, With a height of 12,917ft it is the second tallest mountain in the country,, The mountain of Oku, also known as Kilum Mountain with a height of 9,250 feet is the third tallest mountain in the country, The mountain of Mekua is the fourth tallest mountain in the country and it has a height of 8,868 feet.
Cameroon is home to three natural world heritage sites and they are Campo Ma’an National Park, Dja Faunal Reserve and La Chefferie De Bafut.
The second wettest place on earth can be found in Cameroon the place is known as Debuncha and is located at the foot of the Cameroon Mountains it records annual rainfalls of 400 inches, this is about 20 times the annual rainfall recorded in England.
There are ten National Parks in Cameroon, the most visited is the Waza National Park. The park boast of numerous lions, giraffes, antelopes, elephants, and birdlife it has some of the richest flora and fauna found in Africa. Others parks scattered in the country are the Bénoué National Park, Bouba Njida National Park, Boumba Bek National Park, Campo Ma’an National Park, Faro National Park, Korup National Park, Lobéké National Park, Nki National Park and Kalamaloue National Park.
Natural resources found in Cameroon include natural gas, cobalt, nickel, iron ore and uranium. The country’s soil is rich in a number of minerals and nutrients which supports the growth of plants like Banana, Cocoa, and Timber etc.
With ethnic groups numbering 250, Cameroon is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in Africa. Some of the other ethnic groups include the Fula people, Kirdi Bamileke people, Bamum people, Beti-Pahuin peoples, Tikar people, Baka people, Kanuri people, Wodaabe, Masa people, Kom people. Some of this ethnic groups are also found in neighbouring countries.
According to the United Nations estimate the population of Cameroon is about 24.7 million as of Thursday, August 2, 2018, that is equivalent to 0.32% of the total world population.
The Goliath frog which is regarded as the world largest species of frog comes from Cameroon. The giant frog can grow up to 33 cm in length.
Cameroon is a low income country its main Export goods include crude oil and petroleum products, lumber, cocoa beans, aluminum, coffee and cotton. Its main export partners are China, India, Spain, Belgium, France, Portugal, Netherlands, and Italy. Its main imports partner are China, Nigeria, France and Belgium.
In 500 BC Hanno a foreigner from ancient Carthage (modern day Tunisia) reports seeing the seeing Mount Cameroon. He is the first foreigner to so record.
Cameroon is a football-loving nation it is the first African country to reach the quarter finals in the FIFA world Cup.
Cameroon is a low income country it exports goods like crude oil and petroleum products, lumber, cocoa beans, aluminum, coffee and cotton. Its main export partners are China, India, Spain, Belgium, France, Portugal, Netherlands and Italy. Its main import partners are China, Nigeria, France and Belgium.
