Cameroon, with its population of some nineteen million, is located in western central Africa having 249 miles of coast on the Gulf of Guinea /Atlantic Ocean coastline known as the Bight of Biatra. Cameroon is further bordered by Nigeria to its west, Chad to its north-east, the Central African Republic to its east and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and the Republic of the Congo to its south. Slightly larger than California, Cameroon is sometimes referred to as 'Africa in Miniature' with golden beaches, tropical rainforests, lakes, deserts, savannahs as well as volcanic mountain ranges and an abundance of wildlife including lions and elephants.

Cameroon gained its name from what Portuguese settlers had named the River of Shrimp, Rio dos Camaroes, after they reached the coast in 1472. In 1884 the land became a German colony, however after Germany's defeat in World War 1 the then named Kamerun became a League of Nations Mandate territory being split into British Cameroon and French Cameroon in 1919.

French Cameroon gained independence from France on 1st January 1960 and, the following year, on 1st October 1961, British Cameroon united with it to become the Federal Republic of Cameroon under the stewardship of President Ahmadou Ahidjo, the leader of French Cameroon who installed one party politics.

Today power still rests firmly in the grip of President Paul Biya however there has been movement towards democratic reform with the introduction of multi-party politics. Cameroon is generally seen as a stable country with this stability providing a platform for the development of its infrastructure and inward investment, however there is a strong movement in the former British Cameroon to break away and form the independent Republic of Ambazonia. Indeed this was proclaimed in 1999 but has gained no recognition either within and outside of Cameroon. For child sponsorship opportunities in Cameroon click here.