Portal:Cameroon

The Cameroon Portal

Flag of Cameroon Coat of arms of Cameroon

Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with 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 to the south. Its coastline lies on the Bight of Biafra, part of the Gulf of Guinea, and the Atlantic Ocean. Due to its strategic position at the crossroads between West Africa and Central Africa, it has been categorized as being in both camps. Cameroon's population of nearly 31 million people speak 250 native languages, in addition to the national tongues of English and French, or both. 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 (Shrimp River), which became Cameroon in English. Fulani soldiers founded the Adamawa Emirate in the north in the 19th century, and various ethnic groups of the west and northwest established powerful chiefdoms and fondoms.

The official languages of Cameroon are French and English, the official languages of former French Cameroons and British Cameroons. Christianity is the majority religion in Cameroon, with significant minorities practising Islam and traditional faiths. It has experienced tensions from the English-speaking territories, where politicians have advocated for greater decentralisation and even complete separation or independence (as in the Southern Cameroons National Council). In 2017, tensions over the creation of an Ambazonian state in the English-speaking territories escalated into open warfare. Large numbers of Cameroonians live as subsistence farmers. The country is often referred to as "Africa in miniature" for its geological, linguistic, and cultural diversity. Its natural features include beaches, deserts, mountains, rainforests, and savannas. Cameroon's highest point, at almost 4,100 metres (13,500 ft), is Mount Cameroon in the Southwest Region.

Cameroon's most populous cities are Douala on the Wouri River, its economic capital and main seaport; Yaoundé, its political capital; and Garoua. Limbé in the southwest has a natural seaport. Cameroon is well known for its native music styles, particularly Makossa, Njang, and Bikutsi, and its successful national football team. It is a member state of the African Union, the United Nations, the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), the Commonwealth of Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement, and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. (Full article...)

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Embiid with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2019

Joel Hans Embiid (/dʒoʊˈɛl ɛmˈbiːd/ ^ⓘ joh-EL em-BEED; born 16 March 1994) is a Cameroonian-American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After one year of college basketball with the Kansas Jayhawks, he was drafted third overall by the 76ers in the 2014 NBA draft. The 7-foot (2.13 m) Embiid is a seven-time NBA All-Star, a five-time member of the All-NBA Team, a three-time member of the All-Defensive Team, and a two-time NBA scoring champion. He was named the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 2023. Embiid also won a gold medal on the 2024 U.S. Olympic team.

Multiple foot and knee injuries delayed Embiid's debut for two seasons until 2016–17 when he was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team despite playing only 31 games. He nicknamed himself "the Process" to embrace the era in 76ers history in which he began his career. Embiid led the NBA in scoring during the 2021–22 and 2022–23 seasons, becoming the first center to do so since Shaquille O'Neal (2000), and was also the first center since Moses Malone (1982) to average over 30 points per game, while also being the first foreign player to lead the NBA in scoring. (Full article...)

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Did you know (auto-generated)

... that the parents of Mathias Nkwenti, the second Cameroonian ever to play in the NFL, initially opposed his football career?
... that Cameroonian-born Joel Embiid opted to play for the 2024 U.S. Olympic basketball team instead of France in part because his son is American?

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...that the Sao civilisation is the earliest to have left clear traces of their presence in the territory of modern Cameroon?

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The following are images from various Cameroon-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Giraffes in Waza National Park (from Tourism in Cameroon)
Image 2A statue of a chief in Bana, West Region (from Cameroon)
Image 3Kribi Beach (from Tourism in Cameroon)
Image 4Our Lady of Victories Cathedral, a Catholic Church in Yaoundé (from Cameroon)
Image 5A musician plays traditional African music during the closing ceremony of French RECAMP-concept (reinforcement of African peacekeeping capacities) in Douala, November 23, 2006 (from Culture of Cameroon)
Image 6Flag of the Federal Republic of Cameroon (from Cameroon)
Image 7Douala seaport (from Cameroon)
Image 8The homes of the Musgum, in the Far North Region, made of earth and grass (from Cameroon)
Image 9Gorilla at Mefou primate sanctuary (from Tourism in Cameroon)
Image 10Chimpanzee at Mefou primate sanctuary (from Tourism in Cameroon)
Image 11A woman weaves a basket near Lake Ossa, Littoral Region. Cameroonians practise such handicrafts throughout the country (from Cameroon)
Image 12Cameroonian women on Women's Day Celebration, 2015 (from Cameroon)
Image 13Cameroonian fashion is varied and often mixes modern and traditional elements. Note the wearing of sun glasses, Monk shoes, sandals, and a Smartwatch. (from Culture of Cameroon)
Image 14Hippopotamus at the Benoue National Park (from Tourism in Cameroon)
Image 15Life expectancy in Cameroon (from Cameroon)
Image 16Unity Palace – Cameroon Presidency (from Cameroon)
Image 17Cameroon is divided into 10 regions (from Cameroon)
Image 18President Paul Biya with U.S. President Barack Obama in 2014 (from Cameroon)
Image 19Military vehicles during a parade (from Cameroon)
Image 20Volcanic plugs dot the landscape near Rhumsiki, Far North Region (from Cameroon)
Image 21School children in Cameroon in 2014 (from Cameroon)
Image 22Paul Biya has ruled the country since 1982 (from Cameroon)
Image 23Dancers greet visitors to the East Region, 2006 (from Cameroon)
Image 24Limbe Beach with people engaging in various activities (from Tourism in Cameroon)
Image 25Elephants in Waza National Park (from Cameroon)
Image 26Cameroon facing Germany at Zentralstadion in Leipzig, 17 November 2004 (from Cameroon)
Image 27Plantains and "Bobolo" (made from cassava) served with Ndolè (meat and shrimp) (from Cameroon)
Image 28Cameroonian fashion is varied and often mixes modern and traditional elements. Note the wearing of sun glasses, monk shoes, sandals, and a Smartwatch (from Cameroon)
Image 29Bamum script is a writing system developed by King Njoya in the late 19th century. (from Cameroon)
Image 30National Museum, Yaounde (from Tourism in Cameroon)
Image 31Former president Ahmadou Ahidjo ruled from 1960 until 1982 (from Cameroon)
Image 32Reunification Monument, Yaounde (from Tourism in Cameroon)
Image 33Map of the region's indigenous languages (from Cameroon)
Image 34Leaders of the pro-independence UPC (from Cameroon)
Image 35Dutch bulls and cows at Wallya community during the rainy season in Cameroon (from Cameroon)