The area was first visited by Europeans in 1472, when the Portuguese began slave trading in the area.
When Portuguese sailors first reached the coast of Cameroon, they noticed the large amount of shrimp in the Wouri River, promptly naming the area “Rio dos Camarões”, meaning “river of shrimp." It was later adapted by the English who changed it to "Cameroon".
In 1884 Cameroon became a German protectorate, known as Kamerun.
After World War I, France governed about 80% of the area under a League of Nations mandate, with Britain administering the remainder, from neighboring Nigeria. In 1946 both areas became United Nations trust territories.
On October 1, 1961 the southern portion of British Cameroons merged with Cameroon to form the Federal Republic of Cameroon.
The national flag of Cameroon was adopted in its present form on May 20, 1975 after Cameroon became a unitary state. The center stripe stands for unity (red is the color of unity), and the star is referred to as "the star of unity". The yellow stands for the sun, and the savannas in the northern part of the country, while the green is for the forests in the southern part of Cameroon.
There is an entire tribe of pygmies that live in Cameroon. They are reputed to be the earliest inhabitants of the country, and have lived in the rain forests of Cameroon for centuries.
The Bakossi people of the Mungo River in Cameroon have a legend that their ancestor Ngoe built an ark to save his family and many animals from a great flood.
The famous medical missionary and theologian Albert Schweitzer served for thirty-five years as a doctor in the Cameroons where for many years he pleaded for world peace and warned against the atom bomb.
There are over 250 languages spoken within the borders of the Cameroon
The country is called "Africa in miniature" for its geological and cultural diversity. Natural features include beaches, deserts, mountains, rainforests, and savannas.
Sources Pulse.ng, Hutchinson Enyclopedia RM 2013. Helicon Publishing is division of RM.
When Portuguese sailors first reached the coast of Cameroon, they noticed the large amount of shrimp in the Wouri River, promptly naming the area “Rio dos Camarões”, meaning “river of shrimp." It was later adapted by the English who changed it to "Cameroon".
In 1884 Cameroon became a German protectorate, known as Kamerun.
After World War I, France governed about 80% of the area under a League of Nations mandate, with Britain administering the remainder, from neighboring Nigeria. In 1946 both areas became United Nations trust territories.
On October 1, 1961 the southern portion of British Cameroons merged with Cameroon to form the Federal Republic of Cameroon.
The national flag of Cameroon was adopted in its present form on May 20, 1975 after Cameroon became a unitary state. The center stripe stands for unity (red is the color of unity), and the star is referred to as "the star of unity". The yellow stands for the sun, and the savannas in the northern part of the country, while the green is for the forests in the southern part of Cameroon.
There is an entire tribe of pygmies that live in Cameroon. They are reputed to be the earliest inhabitants of the country, and have lived in the rain forests of Cameroon for centuries.
The Bakossi people of the Mungo River in Cameroon have a legend that their ancestor Ngoe built an ark to save his family and many animals from a great flood.
The famous medical missionary and theologian Albert Schweitzer served for thirty-five years as a doctor in the Cameroons where for many years he pleaded for world peace and warned against the atom bomb.
There are over 250 languages spoken within the borders of the Cameroon
The country is called "Africa in miniature" for its geological and cultural diversity. Natural features include beaches, deserts, mountains, rainforests, and savannas.
Sources Pulse.ng, Hutchinson Enyclopedia RM 2013. Helicon Publishing is division of RM.
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