 CAMEROONRepublique du Cameroun (Republic of Cameroon) Yaounde - capital city
- The Republic of Cameroon (French: République du Cameroun) is a unitary republic of central and western Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the Bight of Bonny, part of the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean. The country is called "Africa in miniature" for its geological and cultural diversity. Natural features include beaches, deserts, mountains, rainforests, and savannas. The highest point is Mount Cameroon in the southwest, and the largest cities are Douala, Yaoundé, and Garoua. Cameroon is home to over 200 different ethnic and linguistic groups. The country is well known for its native styles of music, particularly makossa and bikutsi, and for its successful national football team. English and French are the official languages. (Wikipedia.org)
- Early inhabitants of the territory included the Sao civilisation around Lake Chad and the Baka hunter-gatherers in the southeastern rainforest. Portuguese explorers reached the coast in the 15th century and named the area Rio dos Camarões ("River of Prawns"), the name from which Cameroon derives. (Wikipedia.org)
- Compared with other African countries, Cameroon enjoys political and social stability. This has permitted the development of agriculture, roads, railways, and large petroleum and timber industries. (Wikipedia.org)
Yaounde - city and capital of Cameroon. It is situated on a hilly, forested plateau between the Nyong and Sanaga rivers in the south-central part of the country.
Foundefd in 1888 during the period of the German protectorate, Youndé was occupied by Belgian troops in 1915 and was declared the capital of French Cameroun in
1922. From 1940 to 1946 it was replaced by Douala, but after independence it became the seat of government of Cameroun in 1960, of the federal government in 1961,
Cameroun: Un mini--paradis. Snapshots of a beautiful country.
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Cameroon
![Administrative quarter in Yaoundé, Camer.
[Credits : G. Sioen/DeA Picture Library]](http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/46/96646-003-C7943246.gif "Administrative quarter in Yaoundé, Camer.
[Credits : G. Sioen/DeA Picture Library]")
