Republic of Cameroon
Cameroon, 1972 to today. Draft, not yet reviewed
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. The country was renamed the United Republic of Cameroon in 1972 and back to the Republic of Cameroon in 1984 by a presidential decree by President Paul Biya. Biya, the incumbent president, has led the country since 1982 following the resignation of Ahidjo; he previously held office as prime minister from 1975 onward. The official languages of Cameroon are French and English.
Seat of power: Yaoundé
Rulers
Ahmadou Ahidjo
President of Cameroon, 1960–1982
He was the first president of Cameroon, from 1960 until 1982. He established a single-party state under the Cameroon National Union in 1966, and in 1972 he abolished the federation in favor of a unitary state. He resigned from the presidency in 1982, and Paul Biya assumed the presidency.
Portrait of Ahmadou Ahidjo: Series: Reagan White House Photographs, 1/20/1981 - 1/20/1989 Collection: White House Photographic Collection, 1/20/1..., Public domain, file
Paul Biya
President of Cameroon, 1982 to today
He has been serving as the second president of Cameroon since 1982. He was previously the fifth prime minister under President Ahmadou Ahidjo from 1975 to 1982. He introduced political reforms within the context of a one-party system in the 1980s, later accepting the introduction of multiparty politics in the early 1990s.
Portrait of Paul Biya: United States Department of State Africa U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit: Photos and Videos, Public domain, file
Culture
- The country is often referred to as Africa in miniature for its geological, linguistic and cultural diversity.
- The highest point of Cameroon, at almost 4,100 metres, is Mount Cameroon in the Southwest Region.
- Cameroon is well known for its native music styles, particularly Makossa, Njang, and Bikutsi, and its successful national football team.
- Since November 2016, protesters from the predominantly English-speaking Northwest and Southwest regions of the country have been campaigning for continued use of the English language in schools and courts. In 2017, tensions over the creation of an Ambazonian state in the English-speaking territories escalated into open warfare.
Picture
Yaoundé is the capital city of Cameroon and has a population of more than 2.8 million.
Image: No machine-readable author provided. Eavebe assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.