Cameroon or the Republic of Cameroon (Cameroun or République du Cameroun in French) is an African country situated in the middle of the west and central region of the continent. Cameroon is one of the few countries that has French and English as the official languages. The country’s nickname is Africa in a Miniature because of its geographical and cultural diversity.
Cameroon got its name from Portuguese sailors who reached the coast in 1472. They discovered the ghost shrimp species in the Wouri River and named it Rio dos Camarões (River of Prawns or Shrimp River), which then became Cameroon in English & was used as the name of the territory.
The Germans called the region Kamerun and established a trading port in Duala, now present-day Douala. Following Germany’s defeat during the First World War and the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1916, the League of Nations mandated the region and placed France and Britain in control. After France gained control of their territory, they implemented French as the official language and created their new colony to assimilate to their way of life.
After World War II, citizens of French Cameroun started rallying for independence. The aftermath of protests led to the start of a colonial war between the French Camerounians and France. In 1956, France gave French Cameroun the right to self-govern and in 1957, Ahmadou Ahidjo served as vice-premier.
French Cameroun became independent from France on January 1, 1960, and Ahmadou Ahidjo served as the country’s first president. British Cameroon opted to join French Cameroun on October 1, 1961, after a referendum was held to discuss if the British colony should unite with Nigeria, since their independence was the same year, or join with French Cameroun to create the country of Cameroon. Cameroon’s current President is Paul Biya & he has been in power since Ahmadou Ahidjo stepped down in November of 1982. Cameroon’s current currency is the Central African CFA franc, which was introduced to France’s Equatorial African colonies in 1945.