Cameroon is Africa in the broadest sense of the word. As it seemed in childhood, there are sharks, and gorillas, and large crocodiles. The heat, savannahs, equatorial forests, mangroves, the traditional African lifestyle, a simple way of life and a very weak belief that in the near future, the country will face grandiose transformations.
The name of the country comes from the expression "river of shrimp" (Rio dos Camarões), as it was called by the Portuguese Rui di Siqueira and Fernan do Po, who arrived here in 1472. There was indeed a myriad of shrimp in the coastal waters. From the west, Cameroon is washed by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, and the countries bordering it are Nigeria, Chad, the Central African Republic, Gabon, the Republic of Congo and
Equatorial Guinea.The territory of Cameroon is quite impressive, in size it can compete with Spain or with the state of California. Unlike many other, even African countries, you can find yourself in completely different natural areas.
The northern part of the country is stretched towards savannahs and semi-deserts, above which the famous
Sahara desert is located
. In the south, on the contrary, it is very humid. The coast of the
Atlantic Ocean of Cameroon is one of the wettest places on planet Earth. Immediately, in the southwestern region of the Republic, not far from the coast, is the highest point of the country (4040 m) Cameroon. The volcano on which it is located is active, it periodically reminds itself. In 2000, he erupted, leaving huge gaping craters on the peaks.
"Africa in miniature" - it is precisely about Cameroon that they say so most often. Here more than 750 species of birds are found, almost all types of animals that are supposed to live in Africa live in the savannahs: rhinos, giraffes, lions, antelopes, leopards, ostriches and others.
The country has many national parks that carefully guard the precious local fauna. The companies that organize tours to Cameroon often recommend visiting such parks as Mefu, located in Yaoundé (this is the capital of Cameroon), Vasa, Benue, Bubanjida, Campo, Ja reserves.
Yaounde is the capital of Cameroon with a population of over a million people, however, this city is not the largest, it is inferior to another - Douala, where more than 2 million people live. Admittedly, Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon, is the safest capital of all African states. In the 19th century, Cameroon was a colony of Germany, and during the First World War, the capital of Cameroon, and the whole of Cameroon, was divided between the British and French. And now the main languages of communication are English and French, although there are still about 24 local language groups. The total population is about 20 million people.
Along with several other Central African countries, a unique nation lives in Cameroon - the Pygmies. These are the shortest people on the planet, but they are famous, of course, not only for this. Once here, one can not only imagine, but also observe how people lived in the dense jungle and provided themselves with all necessary things a hundred, and probably many years ago, since practically nothing has changed in their way of life.
Someone's words about Cameroon are reminiscent of the famous football team, others - the unique diversity of the animal world, one thing is certain: having a chance to visit this wonderful country, in no case should you miss it!