In 1472, the Portuguese sailor Fernando Po landed on the coast of Cameroon during an eruption of the Mount Cameroon volcano.

Up to 1884, Cameroon was a stopping-off place for many merchants and missionaries. The Douala chiefs then signed a treaty with the Germans and it became a German colony.

Following the Armistice in 1918, Cameroon became part of French Equatorial Africa

In 1958 it obtained internal autonomy, before becoming independent in 1960.
The first president was Ahmadou Ahidjo, succeeded in 1982 by the present president, His Excellency Paul BIYA.

The national holiday is celebrated on 20 May and the Cameroon flag is made up of three vertical bands: green, red and yellow, as well as a star symbolising unity depicted on the red band.