Cameroon - Camarões

Cameroon is a country of Western Africa.

Understand

History

Although the arrival of the Portuguese on the coast of Cameroon dates back to the 15th century, malaria prevented Europeans from settling and conquering inland territories until the late 1870s, when large amounts of quinine became available. In the beginning, Europeans were mainly interested in trading, which they did in the coastal zone, and acquiring slaves. The slave trade was repressed in the middle of the 19th century, and in the latter part of this century Christian missions were installed in Cameroon, which continue to play a role in the life of the country.

On July 5, 1884, the entire Cameroonian territory and some neighboring territories became the German colony of Kamerun, with the capital located first in Buea and then in Yaoundé. After the end of World War I, the United Kingdom and France divided this colony, with France the largest area, with the more distant areas transferred to the domain of other French colonies, and governing the rest from Yaoundé.

French Cameroon achieved independence in 1960 under the name of the Republic of Cameroon, in territory known as Northern Cameroon and Southern Cameroon. The following year, the northern Muslim majority, which dominated two-thirds of British Cameroon, voted to join Nigeria, while in the south the Christian majority, voted so that the other third of British Cameroon would join the Republic of Cameroon, forming the Federal Republic of Cameroon. However, the conflict in Amazonia (Southern Cameroon) remains open.

Climate

If you go in summer, expect a lot of rain. It can be very cold in the mountains, especially at night.

Regions

Adamaoua

Coast

North

Northwest Plateaus

southern plateau

Cities

• Yaounde
• douala
• Bamenda
• Whisper
• girl
• Maroua
• Ngaoundere
• Ebolowa
• good

Other destinations

• Dja Fauna Reserve - It is one of the largest and best conserved areas of tropical rainforest in Africa and was inscribed by UNESCO in 1987 in the list of places that are World Heritage Site. With 526 thousand hectares, the reserve is almost completely surrounded by the river Dja, it forms a dense forest, with canopies between 30 and 60 m high, and it is estimated that 90% of its area is still virgin.
• Mount Cameroon - The highest mountain in the Western Africa. In classical antiquity, Monte, with its smoking summit, of which there was only uncertain news, was known as the "Car of the Gods", an allusion to the car that carried the sun in its daytime movement. Mount Cameroon is an active volcano.
• Ngoketunjia - A bastion of culture in Western Africa. The name Ngoketunjia refers to the fertile plains, dominated by Ngoketunjia Mountain. The site is inhabited by semi-bantus and Fulani. It is a region where culture and tradition remain strong.

To arrive

Of boat

By car

By bus/bus

By train/train

Circular

By airplane

Of boat

By car

At roads The main ones connecting the big cities are paved and with a correct level of conservation. To finance these regular works, there are tolls/tolls usually in the middle distance, with a single price of 500 CFA francs. Therefore, foresee an amount of coins or notes of that value for greater speed. Don't forget to demand a receipt from employees in orange uniform and be aware that the barrier that forced you to stop has been removed! During the rainy season many secondary roads and even some unpaved main roads are closed by "rain barriers" by decision of the authorities, which can become an important setback if traveling at these times of the year.

O Traffic in city or village centers it is quite complicated by the non-observance of the road/traffic code, in particular by the motorcycle taxis that can appear from all sides and in various directions and directions. Circling slowly is therefore an essential safety condition.

O conductor/driver must hold an International Driving/Driving License.

O vehicle must have an International Motor Vehicle Liability Insurance Charter CEMAC. A 4x4 vehicle will be suitable for rough or flooded roads.

The network of service stations fuel covers the country sufficiently. But a prospective driver will be able to carry a jerrycan spare. The price per liter is always indicated, and varies from place to place and even from brand to brand. A small tip of 100 or 200 CFA francs will always be received with thanks by the employee.

In villages it is common for people to ask you for a ride/ride, as public transport is insufficient. This is a nice way to get in touch with the locals and particularly useful for getting directions on the way to go, as the vast majority of roads do not have direction signs. It is therefore not useless to have a compass and a road map.

By bus/bus

By train/train

Speak

French in general, English in the West and Northwest.

Derived from around 250 ethnic groups present in the country, many local languages ​​are also used, but the tourist who knows French or English will have no language problems, with the exception of some regional lexicon of these languages ​​that is quickly learned.

Buy

Trading is the basis, except in cases of products where the price is displayed. The most common method is to divide by two or three the first price that the seller proposes to you; then the answer is still negotiable to finish at a price acceptable to both parties. Be aware that the price depends a lot on the customer's face and the participation that they are able to give to this cultural habit of negotiating. The ideal is always to have small value notes to avoid change that sometimes waits.

Everyday products, which are sold at the intersections of major streets or roads, have a price that is normalized to rounded amounts of CFA francs.

Payment by credit card is practically impossible, except in rare shops or hotels of international chains. Please note that in general the amount is converted first into Euros or US Dollars and rarely to the official fixed exchange rate (which is €1 = 655.957 XAF).

With the

drink and go out

Beer produced in the country is cheaper per bottle (65 cl) than bottled water (1.5 l). Sparkling drinks with artificial flavors are also on sale everywhere.

An important linguistic detail: if you ask for "un tonic" they will tell you they don't have it... because tonic water is known by the brand Schweppes... You should therefore ask for "un Schweppes".

Refuse ice cubes in general, but ask for "glacée" for a low-temperature drink.

sleep

Learn

Work

Safety

Health

Virtually all tropical diseases in equatorial regions are active in this country, waiting for the weakest or least prevented. Avoid getting sick as the country has a weak hospital network; have a good health repatriation insurance to deal with a serious problem. Abuse of sunscreens and mosquito repellents.

respect

Stay in touch

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