Officially the Republic of Cameroon, this country in Central Africa borders Chad, the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and the Republic of the Congo. It also has a coastline on the Gulf of Guinea and is a crossroads of Africa. Let’s learn more about Cameroon!
Cameroon Basics
- Cameroon is 183,569 square miles, or 475,442 square kilometers and is home to about 31 million people.
- The capital is Yaoundé and the largest city is Douala.
- English and French are the national languages, but Cameroon’s citizens speak 250 different native languages.
- Portuguese explorers were the first to visit the region, which became a German colony in 1884. It was divided between France and the United Kingdom and gained independence in 1960 and 1961 respectively.
- The name comes from the Portuguese name for the Wouri River, which was Rio dos Camaröes, or river of shrimp, because of the high population of Cameroon ghost shrimp in the rive at the time. The country’s name in Portuguese is still Camaröes.
- Cameroon has a president and a prime minister, but the president holds most of the power, as they appoint government officials at all levels and appoint all judges.
- Cameroon is sometimes described as Africa in miniature because it has all the major climates of the continent including coastline, desert, mountains, rain forest and savanna.
Cameroon National Symbols
The flag of Cameroon features vertical stripes in the Pan-African colors of green, red and yellow, with a yellow star centered in the red stripe. Red is said to be for unity, yellow for the sun and savannas and green for the forests.
The national anthem is “Chant de Talliement” or “The Rallying Song.” It’s also known as “O Cameroon, Cradle of Our Forefathers.” It was the national anthem in French Cameroon and was adopted in 1960, with an English version added in 1961 that was officially adopted in 1978. The lyrics were changed a bit in the French version in 1970 to remove words like barbarism and savagery that were references to the UK and France.
The lion is the national animal, and some sources say the African whitewood (known as ayous in Cameroon) is the national tree, but I can’t find anything official about that.
Cameroon Activities for Kids
Learn more about lions from National Geographic Kids, and pull out your favorite lion crafts and activities. Montessori Nature has some good facts and ideas for learning about lions, as well as a lion learning pack available for purchase. You can also craft lions with this printable lion template from Mommy Made That, or make a super cute lion face with this tutorial from Easy Peasy and Fun.
You can find lessons about Cameroon at Lesson Planet, Enchanted Learning and Activity Village, or check out the materials at Teachers Pay Teachers.
Because the landscape of Cameroon is so diverse, you could do a unit study on any of its features. One interesting site to look at is the Sangha Trinational, a forest that covers parts of Cameroon, Central African Republic and Congo. Or learn about volcanoes and talk about Mount Cameroon, the highest peak in sub-Saharan west and central Africa, which is also an active volcano.
Watch some traditional Cameroonian dances. There are more than 200 traditional dances in the country, and you can learn more about the importance of dance in Cameroon in this article from the Peace Corps.
African Bites is a food blog by a Cameroonian, and they have a great list of foods from Cameroon with recipes for you to try. Why not sample poulet DG, a chicken dish with vegetables and plantains?
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