WEST AFRICA: CAMEROON Capital: Yaoundé Largest city: Douala Languages: French and english Demonym: Cameroonian Currency: Central African CFA franc (XAF) Calling code: +237

At 475,442 square kilometres (183,569 sq mi), Cameroon is the world’s

53rd-largest country. It is comparable in size to Papua New Guinea and

somewhat larger than the U.S. state of California. The country is located

in Central and West Africa on the Bight of Bonny, part of the Gulf of

Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean. Cameroon lies between latitudes 1° and

13°N, and longitudes 8° and 17°E.

Tourist literature describes Cameroon as “Africa in miniature” because

it exhibits all major climates and vegetation of the continent: coast, de-

sert, mountains, rainforest, and savanna. The country’s neighbours are

Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic

to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Con-

go to the south.

RhUmSIkI PEAk IN CAmEROON’S ExTREmE NORTh PROvINCE.

FLAG OF CAmERRON

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WEST AFRICA: CAMEROON “Africa in miniature”, offers all the diversity of Africa—in climate, culture, and geogra-

phy—within its borders.

Cameroon’s tourist destinations are in four general areas:

The coast, The major cities, The Western highlands and the North.

The coast offers two major beach resort towns:

- Limbe is english-speaking with black, volcanic sand; and

- Kribi is a French-speaking city with white-sand beaches.

- Mount Cameroon on the coast is the highest mountain in Central and West

Africa. The stepping-off point for climbing Mt. Cameroon is the city of Buea.

Yaoundé is home to most of Cameroon’s national monuments. It also has several

museums. The Western highlands offer picturesque mountain scenery, waterfalls

and lakes, and the altitude provides a cooler climate.

Bamenda is the main city in the western highlands, and is the capital of the North-

west province. This area is known for its traditional culture and crafts.

The city of Bafoussam is especially famous for its wood-carving culture and artifacts.

In fact, the area produces more crafts than any other in Cameroon.

The West is also home to traditional chiefdoms and fondoms, such as the sultanate

of Foumban. each chief typically has his own palace or compound which visitors

may visit for a fee.

Cameroon’s north is the nation’s primary tourist draw. The area has several wildlife

reserves, including the largest and best-run in West Africa, Waza National Park.

These parks offer both animal viewing and big-game hunting. Animals in this region

include cheetahs, elephants, giraffes, hippopotami, and rhinoceroses. Maroua offers

a large crafts market and museums.

The Adamawa, east, and south provinces offer a new front for expansion of the

tourist industry, but poor transport conditions keep the industry small in these re-

gions. Forest reserves in the south have little tourist-oriented infrastructure, but visi-

tors there may see chimpanzees, elephants, gorillas, and other rainforest fauna.

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