CAMEROON - République du Cameroun

Cameroon (French: Cameroun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (French: République du Cameroun), is a country in 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. Cameroon's coastline lies on the Bight of Biafra, part of the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean. Although Cameroon is not an ECOWAS member state, it is geographically and historically in West Africa with the Southern Cameroons which now form her Nord-Ouest and Sud-Ouest Regions having a strong West African history. However, since 2017, elements within the Sud-Ouest and Nord-Ouest regions have since declared an independent (yet internationally unrecognized) state called Ambazonia. The country is sometimes identified as West African and other times as Central African due to its strategic position at the crossroads between West and Central Africa. Cameroon is home to over 250 native languages spoken by nearly 20 million people. The official languages of the country are French and English.

The country is often referred to as "Africa in miniature" for its geological and cultural diversity. Natural features include beaches, deserts, mountains, rainforests, and savannas. The highest point at almost 4,100 metres (13,500 ft) is Mount Cameroon in the Southwest Region of the country, and the largest cities in population-terms are Douala on the Wouri River, its economic capital and main seaport, Yaoundé, its political capital, and Garoua.

Postage stamps have been used in Cameroon or Cameroun since the nineteenth century. Cameroon became a German Protectorate in 1884 and used German colonial stamps overprinted Kamerun in 1897. In 1900, the Yacht series common to all of German colonies were issued. During World War I, from 1914 to 1916 it was occupied by Allied Troops. Stamps of Gabon overprinted Corps Expeditionnaire Franco-Anglais Cameroun in 1915, and stamps of Middle Congo overprinted Occupation Française du Cameroun in 1916 were used by the French forces in Cameroon until the 1920s. In 1922 Britain and France were granted separate United Nations mandates. In the French mandate, stamps inscribed ‘Cameroun’ were issued from 1925. For the British mandate, see postage stamps and postal history of the British Cameroons.

British Cameroons  falls into two essential parts: the occupation of German Kamerun by Anglo-French forces in 1915, when German Colonial stamps were issued with an overprint and surcharge; and the situation following a 1961 plebiscite, after which the former British Cameroons, today known as Ambazonia, was divided between Cameroon and Nigeria.

The French mandate of Cameroun became an independent republic in 1960. Cameroon was joined by the southern part of British Cameroons in 1961 to form the Federal Republic of Cameroon. The country was renamed the United Republic of Cameroon in 1972, and the Republic of Cameroon in 1984. Today, issues vary in the language used. Some issues may be in French reading Rèpublique du Cameroun and others may be in English, reading Republic of Cameroon.

These two registered Airmail covers sent by Caroline from Cameroon post in Yaounde. The covers sent on July 12, 2016 and I received them on August 04, 2016. Cameroon had issued beautiful stamps earlier, now a days their stamps are very rare.

Registered Airmail cover from Cameroon. The country use UPU Blue barcode label. The cover posted on May 06, 2016 at the coastal town of Cameroon called Kribi, and I received on May 28, 2016.

Cameroon is also considered as a rare country among cover collectors. Cameroon use FCFA as currency, but postage rate is very low when compare with neighboring countries which are using the same currency.