Africa in miniature

Cameroon opens onto the Gulf of Guinea along 402 km of coastline. A plain 20 to 80 km wide, covered with dense forest and mangroves, separates the ocean from the interior.

Seven kilometres south of Kribi, the Lobé Falls have a rare feature: the river pours straight into the ocean. In the rainy season, they can reach 300 m across.

Further north, in Limbe, the beaches are black: the sand comes from the volcanic rock of nearby Mount Cameroon.

The Duala call it Mongo ma Ndemi, "the mountain of greatness"; it is also known as Fako. This active volcano rises to 4,040 m according to most sources (some give 4,095 m). It is one of the most active volcanoes in Africa.

It erupted in 1999, in 2000, then briefly in February 2012. In 1999, a lava flow cut the road from Limbe to Idenau and stopped a few metres from a hotel.

Its slopes have been a national park since 2009. Two bird species live nowhere else, including the Mount Cameroon spurfowl. To the north, the Korup and Takamanda forests are home to the Cross River gorilla: only 200 to 250 remain, making it the most endangered gorilla subspecies.

In the south, the plateau stands at 500 to 600 m on average and disappears under tropical forest. Here the country borders the Congo Basin, the world's second-largest tropical forest.

The Dja Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987, is one of the largest and best-protected rainforests in Africa: 90% of its area remains untouched. It has 14 primate species, including the western lowland gorilla and the chimpanzee.

In the far south-east, Lobéké National Park has marshy clearings, the bais, where elephants and gorillas gather at some of the highest densities in Africa. It is part of the Sangha Trinational, shared with the Central African Republic and Congo and listed by UNESCO in 2012.

A long chain of mountains and volcanoes runs across the country, from the Gulf of Guinea northwards. In the west, it forms the Bamiléké and Bamenda highlands, dotted with crater lakes.

Around Lake Oku, the Kilum-Ijim forest is the largest montane forest still standing in West Africa.

These volcanic lakes can be dangerous. On 21 August 1986, Lake Nyos suddenly released a huge amount of carbon dioxide stored in its depths. Heavier than air, the cloud rolled down the valleys and killed between 1,700 and 1,800 people in their sleep.

The Adamawa plateau, 1,000 m high on average, bars the country from west to east and separates the South from the North. It is called Cameroon's "water tower": many of the country's rivers rise here.

It is cattle country: livestock is the main activity, and the region supplies over a third of national production. About fifteen kilometres from Ngaoundéré, the Vina Falls drop off the plateau.

Further north, between Ngaoundéré and Garoua, Bénoué National Park protects wooded savannah. A wildlife reserve from 1932 and a national park since 1968, it is known for its hippos.

The Mandara Mountains, a volcanic range on the Nigerian border, raise basalt spires around Rhumsiki, the remains of ancient volcanoes. The most famous, Kapsiki Peak, reaches 1,224 m. Many travellers describe a lunar landscape.

At the very top, Cameroon shares Lake Chad with Chad, Niger and Nigeria. Its surface shrank from about 25,000 km² in 1963 to 1,350 km². According to recent studies, it has been stable or slightly growing for some twenty years.

In between, Waza National Park covers 1,700 km² of savannah and floodplains. It used to be one of the most renowned parks in French-speaking Africa.