The earliest inhabitants probably were the Pygmies, who still inhabit the southern forests. Bantu speakers were among the first groups that invaded Cameroon from equatorial Africa, settling in the south and later in the west. The Muslim Fulani from the Niger basin arrived in the 11th and 19th centuries and settled in the north. Contact with Europeans began in the 1500s. During the next 3 centuries, Spanish, Dutch, and British traders visited the area, and there was costar slave trading. Christian missions appeared in the mid-1800s and still are active. In July 1884, Germany, the United Kingdom, and France each attempted to annex the area. In a treaty with local chiefs, the German Consul of Tunis, Tunisia, extended a protectorate over Cameroon. Germany strengthened its claim and expanded its territory by treaties with the United Kingdom and France, but British and French armies invaded the German colony in 1914. A 1919 declaration divided Cameroon between the United Kingdom and France, with the larger, eastern area under France. A 1922 League of Nations mandate sanctioned the division; in 1946, the United Nations converted the mandates to trusteeships. In December 1958, the French trusteeship was ended.¹⁶ The post-colonial state in Cameroon began, under Ahidjo's leadership, as a federal union of UN trusteeships that were administered by Britain and France in 1961. In the drive to consolidate power, multi-party politics was supplanted by single-party politics in 1966, and in 1972 the federal republic was constitutionally replaced by a unitary state. Ahidjo voluntarily resigned the state presidency in 1982 and was replaced by Paul Biya, his Prime Minister since 1975.¹⁷

Cameroon has generally enjoyed stability since that time, which has permitted the development of agriculture, roads, and railways, as well as a petroleum industry. Because of its oil resources and favourable agricultural conditions, Cameroon has one of the best-endowed primary commodity economies in sub-Saharan Africa. Still, it faces many of the serious problems facing other underdeveloped countries, such as a top-heavy civil service and a generally unfavourable climate for business enterprise. Since 1990, the government has embarked on various IMF and World Bank programs designed to spur business investment, increase efficiency in agriculture, improve trade, and recapitalize the nation's banks. In June 2000, the government completed an IMF-sponsored, three-year structural adjustment program; however, the IMF is pressing for more reforms, including increased budget transparency, privatization, and poverty reduction programs. International oil and cocoa prices have considerable impact on the economy.¹⁸ Although the Cameroonian economy remains in a relatively promising position, a higher rate of economic growth could very well be within its potential was it to utilise all its natural resources. The government must continue to implement IMF-led economic reform measures to realise quickly its goal of social and economic regeneration aimed at raising the living standards of its 14 million people. Despite occassional tensions, Cameroon still continues to enjoy a political and social stability lacking in many African countries. This has enabled the government to concentrate on developing social and economic infrastructures. In addition, Cameroon's abundant supply of oil and its favourable agricultural conditions have made it one of the best-endowed primary commodity economies in the region, offering one of the most solid foundations for economic development on the continent.¹⁹

GDP per capita is Intl $1269. This falls within the range of $8,272 ( Libya) and $346 ( Democratic Republic of the Congo) in the countries of Africa (Table 5).

Table 5 GDP per capita (Intl $): countries of Africa, 2001