Cameroon-"Africa in Miniature"

Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Its coastline lies on the Bight of Biafra, part of the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean. Yaoundé is the capital of Cameroon and, with a population of more than 2.8 million, the second-largest city in the country after the port city Douala. The official languages of Cameroon are French and English. Its nearly 25 million people speak 250 native languages.

Cameroon is often referred to as "Africa in miniature" for its geological, linguistic and cultural diversity. Cameroon Highlanders constitute the plurality at 38% of the total population. They include the Bamileke, Tikar and the Bamoun. The coastal tropical forest peoples, including the Bassa, Douala, and many smaller entities account for about 12% of the population. In the southern tropical forest, ethnic groups include the Ewondo, Bulu, and Fang (all Beti subgroups), and the Makaa and Pygmies (officially called Bakas). They account for about 18% of the population. The Fulani (Fula: Fulɓe; French: Peul or Peuhl) account for about 14% of the population and the Kirdi account for about 18%.

The Bight of Biafra is comprised of contemporary southeastern Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. Twenty-four percent of all enslaved Africans sold in North America came from this region and approximately 40% were transported to Virginia, 9% to Louisiana and 2% to South Carolina/Georgia. Many African-Americans have used DNA tests to trace their lineage back to the Tikar, Hausa, Fulani, Bamileke, Mafa, Masa, Kotoko, Bakoko and Mbenzele.