Cameroon is Africa in the broadest sense of the word. As it was imagined in childhood, there are sharks, gorillas, and large crocodiles here. Heat, savannahs, equatorial forests, mangroves, a simple way of life traditional for African countries and a very weak confidence that in the near future the country will face grandiose transformations in this regard.
The name of the country comes from the expression "river of shrimp" (Rio dos Camarões), as it was called by the Portuguese who arrived here in 1472, Rui de Siqueira and Fernan do Pau. In the coastal waters of shrimp was really a myriad. 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 the Congo and Equatorial Guinea.
The territory of Cameroon is quite impressive, in size it can compete with Spain or the state of California. Unlike many other, even African countries, here you can find yourself in completely different naturalzones.
The northern part of the country is stretched towards the savannas and semi-deserts, above which is the famous Sahara desert. In the south, on the other hand, it is very humid. The coast of the Atlantic Ocean of Cameroon is one of the wettest places on planet Earth. Right there, in the South-Western 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 of itself. In 2000, it erupted, leaving huge gaping craters on the peaks.
"Africa in miniature" - that's what they say about Cameroon most often. More than 750 species of birds are found here, almost all types of animals that are supposed to live in Africa live in the savannas: rhinos, giraffes, lions, antelopes, leopards, ostriches and others.
There are many national parks in the country that carefully protect the precious local fauna. Companies that organize tours to Cameroon often recommend visiting parks such as Mefu, located in Yaounde (this is the capital of Cameroon), Waza, Benue, Bubanjida, Campo reserves, Jah.
Yaoundé - 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 indeed the wholeCameroon was divided between the British and the French. And now the main languages of communication are English and French, although there are about 24 more local language groups. The total population is about 20 million people.
Along with several other Central African countries, a unique people 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, you can not only imagine, but also observe how people lived in the dense jungle and provided themselves with everything necessary a hundred, and probably many more years ago, since practically nothing has changed in their way of life since then.
For some, the words about Cameroon reminds of the famous football team, for others - the unique diversity of the animal world, one thing is certain: having a chance to visit this wonderful country, you should not miss it!
