Cameroon is Africa’s throbbing heart, a crazed, sultry mosaic of active volcanoes, white-sand beaches, thick rainforest and magnificent parched landscapes broken up by the bizarre rock formations of the Sahel.

With both Francophone and Anglophone regions, not to mention some 230 local languages, the country is a vast ethnic and linguistic jigsaw, yet one that, in contrast to so many of its neighbours, enjoys a great deal of stability.

With good infrastructure (think decent roads and functioning trains), travel is a lot easier here than in many parts of Africa. Still, you’ll miss none of those indicators that you’re in the middle of this fascinating continent: everyone seems to be carrying something on their heads, makossa music sets the rhythm, the street smells like roasting plantains and African bliss is just a piece of grilled fish and a sweating beer away.

Shopping

When you tire of all that physical activity, trekking up mountains and so on, why not treat youself to some retail therapy and do a spot of souvenir shopping.

Local handicrafts include highly decorated pots, drinking horns, jugs, bottles and cups, wood carvings, great earthenware bowls and delicate pottery, dishes and trays, mats and rugs woven from grass, raffia, jewellery and camel hair, cotton and beadwork garments. These are sold in the marchés artisanales (tourist or craft markets) found in large towns and tourist areas.

Some stallholders offer items which they describe as antique: in many cases they're merely distressed. Special permission must be obtained from the Delegation Provinciale de Tourisme in Douala or Youndé to take genuine antiquities out of the country. The main markets in most towns sell fresh produce, cheap clothing and household essentials rather than souvenirs, but can be good places to find African-style printed cotton fabric.

Nightlife

Yaounde and Douala provide the best opportunities for nightlife in Cameroon. Both have a number of nightclubs, bars and casinos that can be found independently or within most good hotels. The Awka area of Douala provides the best nightlife and entertainment for visitors. Yaounde has a slightly calmer nightlife scene but still boasts an impressive range of places to dance the night away.

Both Douala and Yaoundé have a few sophisticated restaurants which double as live music venues and attract the expat crowd.

There are also plenty of basic bars and clubs, some of which host live bands at weekends. The music on offer varies from local sounds to reggae, rap and rock. There are no licensing hours, and hotel bars stay open as long as there is custom. Every large town also has at least one cinema.

Top Cities to Visit

The capital city of Cameroon, Yaounde, is home to a number of museums and craft galleries. If you are more in the mood for a bit of sea and sand, head to the port town of Limbe, where you will find beautiful sandy beaches and a botanical garden. Doula is currently the richest city in Central Africa and as such, is perhaps the most westernised city in the region.

For the Traveller

Cameroon has a number of national parks, each of which is teeming with wildlife and beautiful scenery. Benoue National Park is home to a large range of African wildlife such as crocodiles, lions and hyenas. Bouba Ndjidah National Park is well known for its population of black rhinoceros’s while Waza National Park is great for bird life. Visit Mount Cameroon, which is Africa’s highest volcano, or visit Rhumsiki, a quaint Cameroonian village where local custom is still strong.

Adventure Sports

Maroua is good for rock climbing, with the Dent de Mindif rock just south of the town providing great opportunities to climb. For the hikers, climbing Mount Cameroon is also an exhilarating experience in itself. For hikers. The highest peak in West Africa, it is an active volcano that stands over 4095 meters and makes for a challenging trek. And the photo opportunities are endless.

Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information

Limbe is a town on the Gulf of Guinea. What was its previous name?

Victoria. The nationals chose to rename Victoria after the river that runs through the town, the Limbe River.

A large herd of African elephants is found in what national park in Cameroon?

Waza. Waza is large, flat and desolate. February and March is the best time to see the elephants near a watering hole.

Mount Cameroon is the highest peak in Western Africa. What town is at the base of the mountain?

Buea. Mount Cameroon is an active volano and erupted in March 1999. A large earthquake was felt in Buea before the explosion.

What type of Head of state does Cameroon have?

President. The President is elected and serves for seven years, with a two term limit.

When did Cameroon become independent?

1960. It was formed from the former French Cameroons and the southern British Cameroons

Cameroon shares a border with how many countries?

Six. Cameroon shares a border with Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Congo, Central African Republic, Chad and Nigeria.

Limbe is a town on the Gulf of Guinea. What was its previous name?

Victoria. The residents of Victoria decided to name the town after the river that runs through it, the Limbe River.

A large herd of over 300 African elephants can be found in what national park in Cameroon?

Waza. Waza is in the Far North Province. It is flat and desolate. February and March are the best times to see the elephants at a watering hole.

Mount Cameroon is the highest peak in West Africa. What town is at the base of the mountain?

Buea. Mount Cameroon is an active volcano. It erupted in April 1999. Buea felt an earthquake before the eruption.

Who became the second President of Cameroon in November 1982?

Paul Biya. Paul Biya took office on 6 November 1982.

How many provinces voted to be a part of Cameroon instead of Nigeria?

Two. The Northwest and Southwest provinces voted to be a part of Cameroon instead of Nigeria.

It was announced in 2000 a pipeline would be built through Cameroon to Kribi on the coast. It was being built to transport the oil of what country?

Chad. Environmentalists have been concerned about the possibility of contamination. The beaches are pristine white sand and a popular destination for expatriates.

What province is known for handicrafts, especially those made from wood and brass?

Northwest. Bamenda is the provincial capital and has many handicraft stores to find all different kinds of crafts from Cameroon.

Benoue National Park is famous for what large animals?

Hippos.

How many provinces does Cameroon have?

Ten. The provinces are: North, South, East, West, Northwest, Southwest, Central, Littoral, Adamawa, and Far North.

Filaria is a disease caused by the bite of a small black fly. It is manifested in your body in several disgusting ways. What else is filaria sometimes called?

River Blindness. People living in the bush need to take Bactrim and other drugs to combat the possibility of contracting filaria.

What antelope, found only in Cameroon, inspires hunters to spend thousands of dollars just to go to Cameroon to hunt it?

Bongo. Really, really rich hunters from all over the world fly to Cameroon, risking malaria, fularia and any other tropical disease you can contemplate just to shoot a Bongo!

The crater lake of Lake Nyos in the north-west region of Cameroon was called the "World's Deadliest Lake" by Guinness World Records in 2008. In 1986, it was the cause of one of the darkest times in Cameroon history after a natural disaster killed thousands. What happened?

A sudden release of carbon dioxide. On August 21st, 1986, Lake Nyos suddenly released a huge amount of carbon dioxide which suffocated nearby residents. About 1700 people died, as did 3500 livestock. Although it was known that the lake was saturated with carbon dioxide for a while, it is still unclear exactly what caused this disaster to happen. To prevent it from happening again, pipes were installed to lift water containing high levels of CO2 from the bottom of the lake. However, the natural dam of volcanic rock which keeps the water in may collapse any time, which may cause devastation similar to that experienced during this disaster. Lake Nyos is one of only three crater lakes to be saturated with carbon dioxide; one of the others (Lake Monoun) is just 100 kilometres (62 miles) away. It lies on top of an extinct volcano. It is in the Oku Volcanic Field and is about 322 kilometres (200 miles) from Yaoundé. The soil nearby is extremely fertile and good for growing crops.

The Wouri River gave Cameroon its name after a Portuguese explorer named it "Rio dos Camarões". What does "Rio dos Camarões" mean?

River of Prawns. Fernão do Pó is considered the first European to explore the Wouri River, specifically the estuary of the Wouri River. After finding lepidophthalmus turneranus (Cameroon Ghost Shrimp) in abundance, he named the place "Rio dos Camarões", meaning "River of Prawns". The name Cameroon was derived from this name. The Wouri River forms at the meeting place of the Nkam and Makombé rivers. This meeting place is about 32 kilometres (20 miles) northeast of the city Yabassi. It flows south-east to the Wouri Estuary in Douala, about 160 kilometres (99 miles) away from the meeting spot. It is also named the Vouri River or Vuri River.

One of the major geographical features is the South Cameroon Plateau. It experiences two wet and two dry seasons, one long and one short of both. When does it experience its long wet season?

September to December. An equatorial climate is experienced in the South Cameroon Plateau. Its long wet season is in September to December, its long dry season from December to March, its short wet season from March to June and the short dry season is in August. To the north of the South Cameroon Plateau is the Adamawa Plateau and to the north-west is the Cameroon Range. To the west are the coastal plains. The South Cameroon Plateau is made up predominantly of rainforest in the south. Here, wildlife is abundant, with animals such as monkeys, snakes, birds and even elephants found. In the north is the savanna region.

Which form of currency is used in Cameroon?

Central African CFA Franc. Cameroon uses the Central African CFA Franc, as does the Central African Republic, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. The West African CFA Franc is used in West African nations. Agriculture such as coffee, cocoa, rubber, fruits and vegetables, livestock, fish and wood are the most important things for Cameroon's economy. Industrial goods are also important. Cameroon's tourism industry is relatively small but it is growing quite quickly.

Yaoundé is the capital city of Cameroon. Which city has an international airport and is Cameroon's largest port?

Douala. Yaoundé is in the province of the Centre Region and the department of Mfoundi. It is the capital city of Cameroon. It was also the capital of French Cameroon before it merged with British Cameroon. It is very hilly and it is about 725 metres (about 2500 feet) above sea level. It has a tropical savanna climate with a long wet season. Douala is the largest city in Cameroon (according to the CIA World Factbook). It is a port city and is home to the largest port in Cameroon which ships most of Cameroon's exports. It is also home to Cameroon's major international airport (Douala International Airport). It is the commercial capital of Cameroon. Garoua and Maroua are the third and fourth largest cities in Cameroon, respectively.

Standing at approximately 4040 metres (13255 feet) to the peak, Mount Cameroon is the highest point in Cameroon. Is it an active, dormant or extinct volcano?

Active. The active volcano of Mount Cameroon is Cameroon's highest point. It stands at approximately 4040 metres (13,255 feet) to its peak and is located close to the Gulf of Guinea. It is part of what is known as the Cameroon Volcanic Line, which also involves volcanoes such as Mount Kupe, Mount Oku and the Bamboutos Mountains. Mount Cameroon has erupted in 1999 and 2000 and is one of the most active in Africa and arguably the most active in West Africa. Every year since 1995 a televised race known as the Mount Cameroon Race of Hope has been run. Competitors race to the peak on foot.

On January 1, 1960 French Cameroon became independent and became the Republic of Cameroon. Which neighbouring state merged with French Cameroon on the first of October 1961?

British Cameroon. French Cameroon became independent from France on January 1st, and British Cameroon joined them in 1961 to become Federal Republic of Cameroon. The federation became a unified state in 1972, becoming the United Republic of Cameroon after a new constitution. In 1984 the country was renamed the Republic of Cameroon. Because of the British and French rule in both states, French and English are the two official languages spoken in Cameroon.

The flag of Cameroon features three vertical bands and a star in the middle band. What colour does not appear on the Cameroon flag?

Black. The vertical band on the left is green, in the middle is red and to the right is gold. In the middle of the red band is a five-pointed golden star. The red band and the gold star represent unity, the yellow represents the sun, happiness and the savannas, and the green represents the forests and hope. When Cameroon became a unitary state on the May 20, 1975 they adopted the flag based on the tricolour design of the French flag. After Ethiopia, Cameroon was the second country to use green, red and gold on its flag (the traditional Pan-African colours). Cameroon's motto is "Paix - Travail - Patrie", French for "Peace - Work- Fatherland". The national anthem is "Ô Cameroun, Berceau de nos Ancêtres", French for "O Cameroon, Cradle of our Forefathers".

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