The Lion King | 19
Cameroon as “Africa in minia-
ture” because it exhibits all
major climates and vegeta-
tion of the continent: coast,
desert, mountains, rainforest,
and savannah. 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
Congo to the south.
The highest point is Mount
Cameroon in the southwest,
and the largest cities are
Douala, Yaoundé and Garoua.
Cameroon is home to over 200
different linguistic groups. The
country is well known for its
native styles of music, particu-
larly makossa and bikutsi, and
for its successful national football
team. French and English are the
official languages.
Early inhabitants of the territory
included the Sao civilization
around Lake Chad and the Baka
hunter-gatherers in the south-
eastern rainforest. Portuguese
explorers reached the coast in
the 15th century and named
the area Rio dos Camarões
(Shrimp River), which became
Cameroon in English. Fulani
soldiers founded the Adamawa
Emirate in the north in the 19th
century, and various ethnic
groups of the west and north-
west established powerful chief-
doms and fondoms. Cameroon
became a German colony in
Rhumsiki Peak in Cameroon’s Extreme North Province. photo by Amcaja/en.wikipedia
