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Outside the swelling and modernised cities of Cameroon (Cameroun), rainforests stretch from the Atlantic Ocean, giving way to savannah and semi-desert in the north. Elephants and bongos congregate by the hundreds in some of Africa's best wildlife parks, and beachcombers laze on long, isolated beaches.

Cameroon offers severe extremes in climate as the balmy wetness of the coast and south give way to the arid heat of the north. The coastal and southen regions of Cameroon are consistently humid and often rainy during March to November, with temperatures hovering around 25-29°C (77-84°F) most of the time.

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Little is known about Cameroon before 1472 when the Portuguese arrived shouting 'Camarões, camarões!' in amazement at the many giant shrimp - hence the country's name. For the next 400 years, southern Cameroon's history, like that of the rest of West Africa's Atlantic seaboard, revolved around the slave trade. Northern Cameroon, by contrast, was a battleground for various empires, notably the Kanem-Bornu in Chad. When the Germans arrived in the late 19th century, 'feudal' northern Cameroon was under the control of the Fulani empire in Sokoto (Nigeria).

Despite an invitation from a Douala chief to set up a protectorate over the area in the 1850s, Great Britain dillied and dallied for decades and finally lost to the Germans in 1884, who were intent on forging their own African empire, and who beat the British to an agreement by five days. The Germans were active colonisers, building schools, railways and plantations. But German rule was harsh: at one plantation a fifth of the labourers died in a single year from overwork.

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After WWI Cameroon received new overlords courtesy of the League of Nations, which gave the French a mandate over 80% of the territory, and the British control of two separate areas, one in the south-western highlands (Southern Cameroons) and the other in the north (Northern Cameroons, now part of Nigeria). As a result, a single nation was divided into three parts governed by two colonial powers - hardly a situation conducive to later unification. What was worse, the British neglected their territories and instead lavished attention on their administrative capital in Nigeria. Within a few years the Brits sold their Cameroons holdings back to the Germans, who didn't last much longer - the outbreak of WWII saw them repatriated and stripped of their land by the Allies.

By contrast, the French improved the railway (with forced labour, forbidden by their mandate), developed cocoa and palm-oil plantations and exported timber, increasing the value of trade fivefold in its portion of the country between the world wars. After WWII, new political parties formed in French Cameroon, pressing for independence. A northern-based party, the Union Camerounaise, gained control of the national assembly, aggravating the resentment of southerners. Following independence in 1960, that ill will blossomed into a full-scale rebellion that took five battalions of French troops and a squadron of fighter planes eight months to put down. Thousands were ruthlessly killed and a state of emergency was declared that lasted two decades. The Union Camerounaise held onto power and its leader, Ahmadou Ahidjo, a northerner and ardent Muslim, became president.

In 1961, Northern Cameroons voted to become part of Nigeria; the south opted for federation with French Cameroon, forming a single republic 11 years later. Ahidjo was re-elected as president unopposed in 1975, continuing an exceedingly brutal and autocratic reign, filling jails with tens of thousands of political prisoners and censoring the press. Ahidjo's positive contribution was to invest wisely in agriculture, education, health care and roads, while resisting the temptation to borrow heavily and build expensive show projects. As a result, school enrollment reached 70% and farms produced enough food to keep the country self-sufficient and export a wide range of commodities. At the height of his power and success, Ahidjo unexpectedly announced his resignation in 1982. His hand-picked successor was Prime Minister Paul Biya, a southerner and a Christian who immediately set about removing Ahidjo's northern cronies, known as the 'barons'. By 1984, the barons had had enough and staged a coup that was such a surprise it almost succeeded. But Biya quickly regained control and was re-elected unopposed in 1988.

Cameroon made international headlines in 1986, when a toxic cloud erupted from a remote volcanic lake in the western mountains, asphyxiating nearly 2000 people in their sleep. Experts have said the phenomenon could reoccur at any time. In 1990, furious with Biya's inept handling of the economy, Cameroonians began openly accusing the government of corruption and formed a new party, the Social Democratic Front (SDF). The government's murderous attempt to wipe out the new threat backfired, and in less than a year there were 30 political parties and nearly a dozen independent newspapers. After Biya refused to call a constitutional convention in 1991, strikes brought the country to a standstill.

Biya eventually capitulated, calling the first multi-party elections in over 30 years. Various opposition parties took 52% of the vote and a new prime minister, Simon Achidi Achu, formed a coalition government in 1992. Later that year, Biya narrowly won re-election as president, defeating scattered and unprepared opposition. Biya's victory prompted accusations of electoral fraud from international observers and set off widespread rioting in western Cameroon.

The government devalued the CFA franc in 1994, raising exports but sending public-sector salaries plunging 70%. Soon after the National Assembly (dominated by the Union Camerounaise) extended the presidential term from five years to seven, Biya won re-election again in 1997, this time unopposed but with less than a third of voters bothering to turn out.

In 2002, the International Court of Justice ruled in favour of Cameroon in its territorial disputes with Nigeria. These long-simmering disputes - particularly that over the Bakassi peninsula - are strategically important to both countries as they include oil-rich territories. Nigeria has slowly and reluctantly begun to comply with the decision.

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Europe has the best air connections to Cameroon with international airports in both Yaoundé and Douala. Travellers from North America will have to connect in Europe or an African hub such as Dakar (Senegal) or Lagos (Nigeria). The only rail connection is from the Central African Republic, which puts you at Belabo, about 200km (124mi) north-east of Yaoundé. There's a departure tax on international flights of around 15.00.

Bush taxis and minibuses are the most common way of arriving by land. The most common border crossings for vehicles are Mora from Chad, Mamfé from Nigeria, and Ambam from Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

Douala is a popular port with European freighters, and there are boats making daily runs between Oron, Nigeria, and Idenao, near Limbe, in Cameroon. The quickest and most reliable are speedboats, which take about four hours.

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The best way of making short trips is by bush taxi or minivan. They're cheap, fast (sometimes a bit too fast) and easy to find. Buses, however, are better for getting between Yaoundé and Douala, Bafoussam, Bemenda, Foumban and Dschang.

If you're travelling to northern Cameroon, consider taking the train. It's cheap, much faster than driving and fairly comfortable. The Gazelle du Nord runs once a day between Yaoundé and N'Gaoundéré. There's also a leg between the capital and Douala. Cameroun Airlines flies between Douala and Yaoundé several times a day, and Unitair flies between those cities and Maroua, Garoua, N'Gaoundéré and several others. Flying is by far the most expensive way of getting around. There's a nominal departure tax on domestic flights.

If the teeth-clenching, knuckle-whitening speed of bush taxis turns your stomach, car rental is an option. Petrol is cheap but rental fees are quite high. Agencies can be found in Yaoundé, Douala and a few other large cities. You can drive with a valid licence from your home country but it's always best to get an International Driver's Licence. Driving is on the right.

(All information courtesy of Lonely Planet)

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