The small African state of Cameroon — poor country. Once these lands were ravaged by slave traders, and, despite the fact that a lot of time has passed since those dark times, Cameroon still remains one of the poorest states in Africa. Poverty, harsh climate, lack of prospects — this is what this country is like.
Interesting facts about Cameroon
- The name of the country in Portuguese means “shrimp river” — The European discoverers of these lands were so impressed by the crustaceans that abundantly inhabited one of the local rivers that they named the new state in their honor.
- The inhabitants of Cameroon speak hundreds of different languages and dialects, so it is easier for residents of neighboring regions to agree among themselves in English or French than in your own language.
- In Cameroon, on the slopes of the volcano of the same name, the «wet» place in Africa and the second most rainfall in the world – annually the amount of rainfall reaches 9655 mm (interesting facts about volcanoes).
- The most popular Cameroonian sweets are bananas with sauce and sweet potato muffin.
- The largest goliath frog in the world lives in the coastal forests of Cameroon, whose body length, excluding hind limbs, can reach 32 centimeters and weigh more than 3 kilograms (interesting facts about frogs).
- About 40% of the inhabitants of Cameroon still adhere to the beliefs and cults of their ancestors (they revere the forces of nature, worship animals, and so on).
- Cameroon was the birthplace of a popular African genre of pop called makossa, which eventually became world famous.
- Cameroonians are ardent fans of football. The national team of the state successfully performs at international competitions, in particular, it managed to become the champion of Africa four times and reach the quarterfinals of the World Cup.
- One of the main attractions of Cameroon is the Waza National Park. The area of 1407 square kilometers is home to 379 bird species, some of which have only been observed once, as well as 1300 bush elephants and rare species of mammals.
- Near the Cameroonian city of Limbe, there are beaches with black volcanic sand. This part of the coast is called the Palm Coast because of the coconut trees growing along the beach.
- Once in the Cameroon student football championship, the team was given a forfeit defeat with a score of 0:3, as its captain showed the head of the opposing team a bare butt instead of the traditional handshake at the start of the game. The eccentric act was committed on purpose – the captain was afraid that his team would lose with a big score and be relegated from the top league, and the score 0:3 allowed her to remain in the top echelon.
- The central street of Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon, is called the avenue Kennedy.
- In Cameroon, deposits of salts of volcanic origin, unique in their composition, were discovered. They contain almost all known trace elements, which in the future will allow Cameroon to become one of the largest resorts in Africa.
- There are practically no traffic rules in Cameroon – traffic lights, road signs and markings are extremely rare. The right of priority on the roads is given to the one who honks and flashes the headlights longer.