"Cameroon - Afrique en miniature" a Cameroon Travel Page by Bernd_L

Cameroon the country in Central Africa at the bend of the continent surprises with a great variety of landscape. It almost has a bit of everything Africa is known for. In the South you'll find tropical rainforest and nice beaches in the coastal region. In the extreme northern part there are deserts where the country meets lake Tschad. And in between you'll find farmland and mountains - including Mt. Cameroon, with 4.095 meters the highest mountain in Western Africa.

With a surface of 475.439 square-kilometers Cameroon is almost as big as Germany, Austria and Switzerland together. But it has only some 16 million inhabitants which belong to a lot of different ethnic groups. The major languages are French and English. But in addition a multitude of more than 200 ethnic languages are spoken by the native population.

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Sanaga river at sunset

Situated near the equator Cameroon has a tropical climate. It is warm all year long without any winter. But there are dry and rainy seasons. In the south of the country the rainy seasons are from April to June and from September to November. Rainy season doesn't mean it's raining all day long. Normally you get sunshine as well but if it rains it's pouring like hell and the dirt roads turn into mud. So the best time to visit the country is from December to April when it's dry and not so hot in the northern part of the country.

Cameroon's known history began with the discovery of the coastal region by the Portuguese in the 17th century. Portuguese, English and Dutch traders established business with the local tribes. In 1884 the country became a German colony. The Germans developed the infrastructure and built new towns. But during World War I Germany lost the colony. The territory was divided into two parts. The bigger one became a French, the smaller one an English colony. In 1960 both parts gained their independence and were reunified in 1961.

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The capital Yaounde - with the lac central

Although it is wealthier than some of the surrounding countries -due to it's political stability - Cameroon nowadays is a developing country with a lot of problems. The average income is about 600 US$ per year, and the unemployment rate is very high. As there is not much industry most people work in the agricultural sector. Even tourism is no big deal although the country would have to offer a lot. But a lack of infrastructure and comparably high costs keep tourists away. So Cameroon is a country for the individualists among the travellers, this making a trip very interesting on the one hand but also a bit difficult on the other.

For additional information contact:

Ministry of Tourism
B.P. 266
Yaounde, Cameroon
Tel. 00237-222441
Fax. 00237-2221295
www.cameroun-infotourisme.com (in french)