Cameroon

Cameroon is a state in west-central Africa. Borders 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 in the south. Its coastline is in the Gulf of Biafra, part of the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean. The country is sometimes called West Africa and sometimes Central Africa due to its strategic position at the crossroads between West and Central Africa. Nearly 25 million people speak 250 native languages.

Early inhabitants of the territory included the Sao civilization around Lake Chad and tank hunter-gatherers in the southeastern rainforest. Portuguese explorers reached the coast in the 15th century and named the area Rio dos Camaroins (shrimp river), which in English became Cameroon. Fulani soldiers founded the Emirate of Adamawa in the north in the 19th century, and powerful chiefdoms and foundations were established by various ethnic groups in the west and northwest. Cameroon became a German colony in 1884 known as Cameroon. After World War I, it was divided between France and the United Kingdom in accordance with the mandates of the League of Nations. The Cameroon Population Union (UPC) political party advocated independence but was outlawed by France in the 1950s, leading to the war in Bamilek, which until early 1971 was fought between French and UPC military forces. In 1960, the French-controlled part of Cameroon became independent as the Republic of Cameroon under President Ahmad Ahidjo. The southern part of British Cameroon merged with it in 1961 to form the Federal Republic of Cameroon. The federation was liquidated in 1972. The country was renamed the United Republic of Cameroon in 1972 and the Republic of Cameroon in 1984. Paul Biya, the current president, has ruled the country since 1982 after Ahidjo's resignation; he previously served as prime minister since 1975. Cameroon is governed as a unitary presidential republic.

The official languages ​​of Cameroon are French and English, the official languages ​​of former French Cameroon and British Cameroon. Its religious population is predominantly Christian, with a significant minority practicing Islam, while others adhere to traditional beliefs. He experienced tensions from the English-speaking territories, where politicians advocated greater decentralization and even complete division or independence (as in the National Council of South Cameroon). In 2017, tensions over the creation of the Ambazonian state in the English-speaking territories escalated into open war.

A large number of Cameroonians live on subsistence farming. This country is often referred to as "Africa in Miniature" because of its geological, linguistic and cultural diversity. Its natural features include beaches, deserts, mountains, rainforests and savannahs. Its highest point, nearly 4,100 meters (13,500 feet), is Mount Cameroon in the Southwest Region. The cities with the largest population are: Douala on the Vuri River, its economic capital and main seaport; Yaounde, its political capital; and Garoua. Cameroon is well known for its musical styles, especially Makossa and Bikutsi, as well as its successful national soccer team. He is a member of the African Union, the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.