Cameroon is home to over 240 ethnic groups and just as many languages, grouped mainly among the Bantus, Semi-Bantus, and Sudanese peoples. This diversity is expressed through vibrant traditions, music, dance, and cuisine. The nation is officially bilingual (English and French), reflecting its colonial heritage, and remains a model of religious tolerance, where Christianity, Islam, and traditional beliefs coexist peacefully.
With Yaoundé as the political capital and Douala as the economic hub, Cameroon enjoys one of the most diversified economies in Central Africa, driven by agriculture, energy, and trade. Blessed with natural beauty, cultural wealth, and a spirit of unity, Cameroon proudly lives by its national motto: “Peace – Work – Fatherland.”
In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the Fulani, an Islamic pastoral people from the western Sahel, conquered much of northern Cameroon, displacing or converting the largely non-Muslim populations. Although the Portuguese arrived on Cameroon’s coast in the 16th century, malaria hindered European penetration into the interior until the late 19th century. European involvement remained limited to coastal trade and the slave trade, which declined by the mid-1800s. Christian missions began operating in the late 19th century and remain an enduring part of Cameroonian society.