Cameroon - Camerun

Cameroon
Location
Coat of arms and flag
Capital	Yaoundé
Government	presidential republic
Currency	Central African CFA Franc (XAF)
Surface	475,442 km²
Inhabitants	20.129.878 (2012 estimate) 17.463.836 (2005 census)
Tongue	French is English
Religion	Christianity (70%), (Islam 21%), Animism (6%) and the rest atheists or minor religions (2010)
Electricity	220V / 50Hz (European socket)
Prefix	237
TLD	.cm
Time zone	UTC 1
Website	Cameroon Tourist Office[link previously not working]

The Cameroon is a state ofWest Africa facing west on the Gulf of Guinea, bordering on the northwest with the Nigeria, to the northeast with the Chad, to the east with the Central African Republic, southeast with the Republic of the Congo, and to the south with the Gabon and the Equatorial Guinea.

To know

The name of the town dates back to 1472, the year in which the Portuguese sailors reached the coast, and given the abundance of shrimp in the River Wouri they named the region Rio dos Camarões, Portuguese term for "River of Prawns", hence the term Cameroon.

Geographical notes

Its territory stretches for almost 1,000 kilometers from the regions of Sudanese Africa almost to the equator and sees a remarkable variety of climates and environments, ranging from the arid savannah of the north, to the wooded savannah in the central areas, to the lush equatorial rainforests. of the center and south. The territory consists for the most part of a vast undulating plateau, which covers almost the entire central and southern region; floodplains extend along the Atlantic coast and into the north, where the relief slopes down to the depression of Lake Chad.

The territory of Cameroon is divided into four catchment areas:

1. The rivers that flow towards the southwest, flowing into the Gulf of Guinea, the main ones of which are Ntem, Nyong, Sanaga, and Wouri.
2. The Dja and the Kadéï that flow eastward to meet the Congo River.
3. The Benue River to the north which flows north and then west, becoming a tributary of the Niger River.
4. The Logone River that flows north, meeting Lake Chad, a lake that Cameroon shares with three other neighboring countries (Chad, Niger is Nigeria).

When to go

The best months to travel to Cameroon are December, January is February, which allow you to avoid the rainy season and the hottest months. The country actually has a great variety of landscapes and climates.

Background

Human settlement in the territory of today's Cameroon dates back to the Neolithic. The populations that populated the region the longest were the Pygmies and Baka. Although the Portuguese were the first Europeans to land on these territories, it was the Germans who colonized them in 1884, but after the First World War they were transferred to France, to then gain independence on 1 January 1960.

Spoken languages

Cameroon is a bilingual nation with French and English as the official languages. In reality, the signage is rarely in both languages ​​and bilingualism means that some areas of the country are French-speaking and others English-speaking. Beyond the official languages, the country has an extraordinary cultural and linguistic richness. English is spoken in the two regions of the North-West and the South-West, bordering Nigeria, while the rest of the territory (comprising four fifths of the population) is French-speaking. In addition, there are more than 200 linguistic minorities including German, ewondo, douala, fufulde, ghomala ', baham, medùmbà, kom and others.

Suggested readings

• DeLancey Mark W., and Mark Dike DeLancey (2000): Historical Dictionary of the Republic of Cameroon (3rd ed.). Lanham, Maryland: The Scarecrow Press.
• Fanso, V. G. (1989). Cameroon History for Secondary Schools and Colleges, Vol. 1: From Prehistoric Times to the Nineteenth Century. Hong Kong: Macmillan Education Ltd.
• Fabian Nji, Cameroon, History Economy and Resources Society and Traditions Art and Culture Religion (1998) Pendragon Editions, Bologna
• Mark Dike DeLancey, Rebecca Neh Mbuh, Historical Dictionary of Cameroon, Scarecrow Press, 2010.
• Stefano Nori, "Cameroon, the land of a thousand villages", Polaris 2008

Territories and tourist destinations

Cameroon is divided into 10 regions. Each region is divided into departments, which are in turn subdivided into arrondissements.

      Adamaoua region - The 1,100m high Adamaoua massif extends from west to east with a system of mountains, forming a barrier between the north and south of the country.

      Coast of Cameroon - A densely wooded coastal belt on the Gulf of Guinea that includes some of the wettest places on earth.

      Northern Cameroon - Huge plain that goes from the Adamaoua Massif to Lake Chad, with an average height between 300 and 350 meters. Its characteristic vegetation is that of the savannah and the grassy scrub.

      Plateau of western Cameroon - Range of irregular mountains, hills and plateaus and known as the Cameroon mountains (peak at 4,095 m). Here they are found among the most fertile soils in Cameroon, in particular near the volcanic region of Mount Cameroon where volcanism has created lakes within craters.

      Plateau of southern Cameroon - The equatorial rainforest dominates this region from the height of its 650 m.

Hut of a small village of Bana

Bafoussam

Urban centers

Other destinations

Elephant in the western park of Cameroon

How to get

Entry requirements

Passport valid for at least 6 months, VISA that can be taken in Italy a Rome, Naples, Florence is Trieste. To obtain the visa, vaccination against yellow fever, 2 passport photos, the return ticket, the completed form, an invitation letter and 85 euros of contribution are mandatory. However, for more precise information, visit the website ofEmbassy of Cameroon.

How to get around

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What see

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What to do

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Currency and purchases

CEMAC - Map of participating countries CFA Franc - Map of participating countries

The national currency is the CFA franc (XAF). This same currency is used by all states belonging to theEconomic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (Communauté Économique et Monétaire de l'Afrique Centrale - CEMAC). The following states belong to the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon is Chad. Although the Central African CFA Franc (XAF) and the West African CFA Franc (XOF) have always had the same monetary value against other currencies, they are in principle two separate currencies because the competent monetary authorities could change their rate at any time. exchange. Therefore these currencies are "theoretically" accepted only in the countries where they officially circulate. The following states belong to the West African Economic and Monetary Union (Union économique et monétaire ouest-africaine - UEMOA): Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal is Togo

UEMOA - Acceding countries map 1 CFA Franc coin

Below are the links to know the current exchange rate with the main world currencies:

At the table

Cameroonian cuisine differs from region to region and is generally quite spicy. The ntomba nam is the specialty of the city of Youndé. A peanut paste mixed with fish or meat cooked in banana leaves. The ndolé is the specialty of the city of Douala. It is a bitter vegetable with a large daughter that is washed numerous times to reduce the bitter taste, is then boiled in water, chopped up like a puree and then mixed with fish or meat. The kwen is the specialty of the center-north. It is made from cassava leaves, boiled in water and then chopped up like a puree. Kwen is a staple food for many families. Fish is the basis of the coastal diet, consumed mainly on the grill and flavored with chilli. The fish is served with ndolé, kwen or miondo. The million it is a long preparation of cassava which is peeled from raw and left to soften for 3-4 days in a barrel. It is then washed and crushed to transform it into a whitish paste. The pasta is then cut into strips and rolled in banana leaves. Millet is the staple food in the north. The nkui it is consumed in the west. It is a kind of sticky soup made from bark and seasonings, generally accompanied by corn patties. Apparently the recipe is generally considered to be terrible.

Drinks

Beer is among the most consumed drinks. There is also a production of local corn beer which is mainly produced on the coast and a production of palm wine, particularly in the areas of the west, the center and the coast. Drinking tap water is strongly discouraged.

Tourist infrastructure

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Events and parties

The sheep festival is held annually on 21 May.

National holidays

The independence celebrations of 1 January 1960 of French Cameroon from France and of 1 October 1961 of British Southern Cameroon from UK they are not formally celebrated.

Safety

Before embarking on the journey consult:

• Safe travel - Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Farnesina) (Country safety information). 

The state is not dangerous, but travel to the far north of the country is not recommended due to the Islamic terrorist threat of Boko Haram. It is advisable to avoid walking in the evening and at night.

Health situation

The main health facilities of the major cities are well equipped and also able to treat tropical diseases. The yellow fever vaccine is mandatory for all travelers over the age of 1 year, finally, malaria prophylaxis and vaccines against typhus and hepatitis A and B are recommended.

Respect the customs

How to keep in touch

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Other projects

• Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Cameroon
• Commons contains images or other files on Cameroon
• Wikinews contains current news on Cameroon