Cameroon [on the happening in the Bay of Cameroon crabs, Portuguese camerões], officially French République du Cameroun [repy Republic dy kamə run], English Republic of Cameroon [r ɪ p ʌ bl ɪ k ɔ f kæməru ː n ], German Republic of Cameroon, state in western Central Africa, with (2019) 25.9 million residents; The capital is Yaoundé.
History
In 1982, the previous Prime Minister P. Biya became President (1984 and 1988 confirmed, also in elections in 1992, 1997, 2004, which the opposition described as rigged), who also replaced Ahidjo as party leader of the UNC in 1983 (since 1985 RDPC). In 1984 the name of the state was changed to “Republic of Cameroon”. After severe internal unrest in 1990 and foreign policy pressure, a multi-party system was reintroduced in December 1990. In the 1992 elections, the RDPC lost an absolute majority despite manipulation, but was able to regain it in the 1997, 2002 and 2007 elections. Oppositionists repeatedly complained about President Biya’s authoritarian leadership styleand denounced abuse and persecution by the security forces. Ethnically formed conflicts (often over land) as well as tensions between Anglophones and Francophones continued to form central danger zones for the stability of the country. With a controversial constitutional amendment in 2008, the limitation of the presidential term of office to a maximum of two terms was lifted. In connection with rumors of a coup, there were personnel changes in the security forces in 2010. In the presidential election on October 9, 2011, Biya re-elected for a sixth term. The opposition complained about irregularities. The Supreme Court rejected the objections to the result (almost 78% for the incumbent) and demonstrations were banned. On April 14, 2013, the members of the Senate introduced by the 1996 constitution were elected for the first time. The RDPC provided 56 of the indirectly elected senators, and a further 26 RDPC senators were appointed by the president. In the parliamentary elections on September 30, 2013, the RDPC won 148 out of 180 seats. In the first half of 2014, the Nigerian terrorist militia Boko Haram extended its actions to the sparsely populated north of Cameroon. In 2015, soldiers from Chad also took part in the fight against them. In 2016/17 the longstanding conflict between the central government and the disadvantaged English-speaking minority in the west of the country intensified. Secession efforts culminated on October 1, 2017, when the English-speaking area symbolically declared its independence (Republic of “Ambazonia”). Clashes between protesters and security forces resulted in several deaths.
From May 1996, there were repeated tensions between Cameroon and Nigeria in the shared border area around the Bakassi Peninsula, where large oil reserves are suspected. The International Court of Justice awarded the Cameroon Territory in 2002; In 2006, an agreement between the two countries regulated Nigeria’s withdrawal (final handover in 2008).
Garoua
Garoua [ga rwa, French], Garua, city in northern Cameroon, 213 m above sea level (2005) 236 000 residents.
Administrative seat of the province north; Seat of a Fulbe ruler and a Catholic bishop; Center of a cotton and peanut growing area with cotton ginning, spinning, dyeing and weaving, edible oil and cement factory, brewery; River port on the upper reaches of the Benue, international airport.
Bafoussam
Bafoussam, city in western Cameroon, on the Mombasa – Lagos Trans-Africa route, administrative seat of the West Province; (2005) 239,300 residents (mostly Bamileke).
Trading center for coffee, tobacco, tea; Wood and beverage industry; Airport.
Bamenda
Bamenda, city and trading center in northern West Cameroon, 1,615 m above sea level, in the Cameroon grasslands in the volcanic Bamendabergen, which are up to 2,400 m high; (2005) 269 500 residents.
Wood processing; Airport.
Yaoundé
Yaounde [ jaun de ], capital of Cameroon, with 2.8 million residents, located in the wooded hills in the southwest of the country.
Yaoundé was founded in 1889 as a German military station.
Douala
Douala [du-], Duala, largest city, most important port, financial and trade center of Cameroon, (2015) 2.8 million residents.
According to cellphoneexplorer.com, Douala is located 24 km from the Atlantic on the east bank of the Cameroon estuary, at the confluence of the navigable rivers Mungo, Wouri and Dibamba; is the administrative seat of the province of Littoral; catholic archbishop’s seat; University (founded in 1977), Oil Fruit Research Institute, Higher Technical College; Museum (traditional art of Cameroon). Douala is also the most important industrial location in the country with metal, textile and clothing, chemical, food and beverage industries, cement factories, breweries; Fishing. Railways and roads into the hinterland, international airport.
Douala emerged after 1884 (German protection treaty with the Douala princes) under the name Cameroon from some villages on the Wouri, which grew together to form a settlement; Renamed Douala in 1907; 1901–16 capital of the German protected area of Cameroon, 1940–46 of French Cameroon.
Sangha Tri National Park (World Heritage)
In the Sangha Tri National Park, which extends over parts of the Congo, the Central African Republic and Cameroon, forest elephants and lowland gorillas live in intact primary rainforests.
Sangha Tri National Park: Facts
| Official title: | Sangha Tri National Park |
| Natural monument: | Site in the north-western Congo Basin with three adjacent national parks (Lobéké National Park in Cameroon, Dzanga-Ndoki National Park in the Central African Republic, Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park in the Republic of the Congo) on an area of 7,500 km² in the triangle; meanwhile largely untouched by human hands with extensive ecosystems of a lowland rainforest with wetlands, marshland, temporarily flooded regions; Home to rare and endangered animal species such as forest elephants, gorillas, chimpanzees, various antelope species (Sitatunga, Bongo), predators; River Sangha, flowing through the site, with Nile crocodile, giant tiger fish and much more |
| Continent: | Africa |
| Country: | Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo |
| Location: | Northwest Congo on the border with Cameroon and the Central African Republic |
| Appointment: | 2012 |
| Meaning: | Outstanding example of an untouched tropical area of great extent with high biodiversity; Ensuring the continuous development of important ecological and evolutionary processes on a large scale; Unique shelter for endangered animal and tree species with countless rare plant species |
