Capital Yaoundé
Largest city Douala
Official language(s) French, English
Population
16,322,000
Currency CFA franc
Calling code +237


The most important inhabitants of Cameroon were the Pygmy Baka people. They were largely substituted & soaked up by Bantu tribes in the period of Bantu migrations.

The future European TRAVEL POLL was in the 16th century using the Portuguese, but they did not remain. The Portuguese did yet give the would-be country its name: Explorers notable an abundance of prawns in the Wouri River and named it rio dos camaroes, the Portuguese for "river of prawns". Cameroon thus comes caused by camarao, the Portuguese word for prawn.

The most important permanent colonial colonies were originated in the late 1870s, by using the German Empire coming forth as the large European Power. with the defeat of Germany in World War I, Cameroon became a League of Nations Mandate territory split betwixt French Cameroons (Cameroun in French) & British Cameroons in 1919. Those mandates were changed into United Nations Trusteeships in 1946.

Around 1960, French Cameroon gained its independence and turned The Cameroon Republic. It was joined In 1961 by the southern separate of the British Cameroons. The difference of the British Cameroons went role of Nigeria at the same time. The just released coalition government was led by Ahmadou Ahidjo that led a crackdown on rebel groups that had remained since before independence.

Ahidjo stepped down Around 1982 & was succeeded by the todays president, Paul Biya. Biya has won numerous elections since he reinstituted them In 1992 but the fairness of Those elections has got been called into question. The last elections were Held on October 11, 2004.

The Kirdi & the Matakam of the western mountains create typical types of pottery. The potent masks of the Bali, which represent elephants' heads, are used in ceremonies for the dead, and the statuettes of the Bamileke are carved in human and animal figures. The Tikar people are renowned for beautifully decorated brass pipes, the Ngoutou people for both-faced masks, and the Bamum for smiling masks.

L'Institut Francais d'Afrique Noire maintains a library in Douala that specializes in the sociology, ethnology, and history of Africa. Of the respective museums, the Diamare & Maroua Museum has anthropological collectings relating to the Sudanese peoples, and the Cameroon Museum of Douala displays objects of prehistory & natural history.

Cultural arrangements include the Cameroun Cultural Association, the Cameroun Cultural Society, & the Federal Linguistic & Cultural Centre.

There are also numerous women's associations (including the North West Women's Association for Rural Development), youth arrangements, and sporting associations. Unlike women's organizations recently created by Western development agencies in places like Central Asia, associations of women in West Africa have a long, indigenous history.

In modern Cameroon they are typically registered as Community Initiative Groups, or CIG's, eventually they retain a tradition of women gathering together to give emotional & economic support to one an additional.

Even though These groups are depending on women treating by owning women's problems (like child care, farming/provisioning the family using food, social justice etc.) they are not exclusive, & children too as dedicated men are encouraged to join.