3000 BC - The Bantu Homeland
The Bantu are thought to have originated from the the area of Cameroon/Nigeria, and started their expansion East and South about 5,000 years ago (3,000 BC). They reached the equatorial rain forest 3500 years ago, entering what is now Uganda, 3000 years ago.
1891 - Bakweri Resistance, first ever German military loss on the African continent
In November 5, 1891 a German expeditionary force led by Karl Von Gravenreuth was defeated by the Bakweri. The German Commander, Granvenreuth, was killed and Lieutenant Stetten wounded. With their Commander dead, and the Bakweri guns continuously pounding enemy position, the German expeditionary force panicked. Routed and in total disarray, the force fled across the Mountain to the Mboko coast and back to Victoria, with the Bakweri in hot pursuit.
The Germans never forgot this defeat in the hands of what they wrongly considered an ill-trained ragtag army. In December 1894, a newly constituted, better prepared and heavily armed German force annihilated the Bakweri people.
1950 to 1960 - Fight for Independence
The Union des Populations du Cameroun (UPC) political party advocated independence, but was outlawed by France in the 1950s. It waged war on French and UPC militant forces. In 1955, the outlawed Union of the Peoples of Cameroon (UPC) began an armed struggle for independence in French Cameroon.
1962 - The Francs CFA became the official currency
Le franc CFA est officiellement né le 26 décembre 1945, jour où la France ratifie les accords de Bretton Woods et procède à sa première déclaration de parité au Fonds monétaire international (FMI). Historiquement il signifiait franc des Colonies Françaises d'Afrique, depuis 1958 l'appellation franc CFA signifie franc de la Communauté Financière d'Afrique pour les pays membres de l'UEMOA, et franc de la Coopération Financière en Afrique centrale pour les pays membres de la CEMAC.
1982, 6th Nov. - Paul Biya became President
Biya succeeded to Ahmadou Ahidjo as President of Cameroon on 6 November
1991, 24th June - Opération Villes Mortes (Operation Ghost Towns)
The National Coordination of the Opposition (NCO) started the "Operation Ghost Towns." The object was to use strikes to close down the Cameroonian economy during the week, and allow commerce to function only on the weekends.
2006, 13th June - Bakassi Resolution
On September 2004, Nigeria failed to meet the deadline to hand over Bakassi. On 13 June 2006, President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria and President Paul Biya of Cameroon resolved the dispute in talks led by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan in New York City. Obasanjo agreed to withdraw Nigerian troops within 60 days and to leave the territory completely in Cameroonian control within the next two years.
600 BC - Sao civilisation
The Sao civilization flourished in Middle Africa from circa the sixth century BC. The Sao lived by the Chari River south of Lake Chad in territory that later became part of Cameroon and Chad. They are the earliest people to have left clear traces of their presence in the northern Cameroon.
1916 - WW1, Germany defeat in Kamerun
At the outbreak of World War I, French, Belgian and British troops invaded the German colony in 1914 and fully occupied it during the Kamerun campaign. The last German fort to surrender was the one at Mora in the north of the colony in 1916
1957 - First Cameroon Flag
The first flag of Cameroon was adopted by Law 46 dated 29 October 1957 and confirmed by the Constitution of 21 February 1960 following independence on 01 January 1960. The Green stands for hope and the green vegetation in the south. The red stands for the fight for unity, independence and national sovereignty. The Yellow for the sun (source of happiness and prosperity) and the northern savannas.
1972, 20th May - National Referendum
On the 20th May 1972, in a national referendum organized and conducted by the Cameroon National Union (CNU), by now the sole political party in the Republic, the overwhelming majority of the electors voted in favour of a unitary state which became the United Republic of Cameroon (URC) on the 2nd June 1972. [Voted "For" 3,177,846 (99.99%), "Against" 176 (0.01%), Invalid/blank votes 1,612]
1984, 6th April - Coup Attempt
An attempted coup d'état occurred in Cameroon in 1984; presidential palace guards unsuccessfully tried to overthrow President Paul Biya, resulting in fighting that began on April 6, 1984 and ended several days later. The coup attempt is widely viewed as one of the most crucial events in the history of Cameroon since independence in 1960
1992 - First pluralist presidential election
En 1992, des élections présidentielles multipartites ont lieu. Paul Biya est réélu président (39,9 %) devant John Fru Ndi (35,9 %), candidat du Social Democratic Front (SDF). Les résultats sont très contestés. Suite à des manifestations et des incidents dans la région de Bamenda, l'état d'urgence y est décrété.
700 AD - The Kanem-Bornu Empire
The Kanem-Bornu was an empire linking Chad, southern Libya, eastern Niger, northeastern Nigeria, northern Cameroon, the Central African Republic and South Sudan. Under the leadership of the Duguwa dynasty, the Kanembu would eventually dominate the Sao, but not before adopting many of their customs. War between the two continued up to the late 16th century.
1922 - French and British Mandate Territory (League of Nations)
Following Germany's defeat, the Treaty of Versailles divided Kamerun on 20 July 1922 into British Cameroons (under a Resident) and French Cameroun (under a Commissioner until 27 August 1940, then under a Governor)
1960, 5th May - Ahmadou Ahidjo elected first president of the Republic of Cameroon
1972, 2nd June - United Republic of Cameroon
On the 20th May 1972, in a national referendum organized and conducted by the Cameroon National Union (CNU), by now the sole political party in the Republic, the overwhelming majority of the electors voted in favour of a unitary state which became the United Republic of Cameroon (URC) on the 2nd June 1972 (retroactive to May 20)
1984 - Republic of Cameroon
In 1984 the country was renamed the Republic of Cameroon
1994, 29th Mar. - The dispute over Bakassi was taken to the ICJ
Nigeria and Cameroon have disputed the possession of Bakassi for some years, leading to considerable tension between the two countries. In 1981 the two countries went to the brink of war over Bakassi and another area around Lake Chad, at the other end of the two countries' common border. More armed clashes broke out in the early 1990s. In response, Cameroon took the matter to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on 29 March 1994
Portuguese sailors reached the coast in 1472. They noted an abundance of the ghost shrimp in the Wouri River and named it Rio dos Camarões (Shrimp River), which became Cameroon.
1940 - Cameroon rallied to Free French Forces
The Free French Forces (Forces Françaises Libres) were individuals or military units who joined "Free France" (la France libre), the resistance organization founded by Charles de Gaulle in 1940 in London in order to continue the struggle against the Axis powers. A commemorative plate as shown in the picture was built in Douala.
1960, 1st January - Independence
1st January 1960, the French-administered part of Cameroon became independent as the Republic of Cameroun under President Ahmadou Ahidjo
1975, 30th June - Paul Biya appointed Prime Minister
On June 30, 1975 Paul Biya was appointed Prime Minister
1986, 21st August - Lake Nyos Disaster
On August 21, 1986, possibly as the result of a landslide, Lake Nyos suddenly emitted a large cloud of CO2, which suffocated 1,700 people and 3,500 livestock in nearby towns and villages. Though not completely unprecedented, it was the first known large-scale asphyxiation caused by a natural event
2002, 10th Oct. - ICJ gave sovereignty of Bakassi to Cameroon
The ICJ delivered its judgment on 10 October 2002, finding (based principally on the Anglo-German agreements) that sovereignty over Bakassi did indeed rest with Cameroon. It instructed Nigeria to transfer possession of the peninsula, but did not require the inhabitants to move or to change their nationality. Cameroon was thus given a substantial Nigerian population and was required to protect their rights, infrastructure and welfare
1884 to 1916 - German Colony
On July 5, 1884, all of present-day Cameroon and parts of several of its neighbors became a German colony, Kamerun, with a capital first at Buea and later at Yaoundé
1946 - French and a British Trust Territory (United Nations)
On 13 December 1946 Cameroon was transformed into United Nations Trust Territories, again a British and a French Trust
1961 - Federal Republic of Cameroon
Following a UN-sponsored referendum, the (British) Southern Cameroons join the Republic of Cameroon to become the Federal Republic of Cameroon, while Northern Cameroons join Nigeria.
1982, 4th Nov. - Ahidjo announced his resignation
On November 4, 1982 Ahmadou Ahidjo unexpectedly announced his resignation, claiming health reasons.
1990 - Multi-party System
On 19 February 1990, the Government arrested Yondo Black, the president of the Cameroon Bar Association for conspiring to introduce multi-party democracy. The nation's lawyers protested, but Black was sentenced to three years in prison. On August 10, Biya issued a presidential decree granting clemency for political prisoners, under which Black and Ekane, as well as another well known political prisoner, Djeukam Tchameni, were released. The government adopted legislation in 1990 to authorize the formation of multiple political parties and ease restrictions on forming animalistic associations and private newspapers. Cameroon' s first multiparty legislative and presidential elections were held in 1992 followed by municipal elections in 1996.
2003, 26th June - Marc-Vivien Foé
Marc-Vivien Foé played in midfield for both clubs and Cameroon. With success in the French League, and stints in England in the Premier League, his sudden death, while in the middle of an international competitive fixture, came as a shock to the worldwide football community. He was posthumously decorated with the Commander of the National Order of Valour.
