Cameroon, in West Africa, is a mixture of desert plains in the north, mountains in the central regions, and tropical rain forest in the south. Along its western border with Nigeria are mountains, which include the volcanic Cameroon Mountain—the highest point in West Africa at 4,100 meters (13,451 feet). Some 250 ethnic groups speaking about 270 languages and dialects make it a remarkably diverse country. The Republic of Cameroon is a union of two former United Nations trust territories—French Cameroun, which became independent in 1960, and southern British Cameroons, which joined it after a 1961 UN-sponsored referendum. English and French are both official languages, but there is growing tension between the country's five million English speakers and the government. While oil earnings have helped fund industrial expansion, fluctuations in prices of export commodities have forced austerity. After the legalization of opposition parties in 1990, the government adopted IMF and World Bank programs to increase business

Africa is the ancient stage where humankind is believed to have evolved millions of years ago. Second only to Asia in size, much of Africa is rocky plateau covered by grasslands, with huge interior lakes feeding rivers such as the Nile, the world's longest. The first great civilization in Africa arose 6,000 years ago on the banks of the lower Nile. The search for maritime trade routes opened Africa to Europe in the 15th and 16th century. Slavery and colonialism followed. Although illiteracy, poverty, disease, and civil strife plague much of the continent, Africa's substantial natural resources offer hope. There are 6 independent island states associated with the continent of Africa. Off its west coast are the Cape Verde Islands off the coast of Senegal. In the Gulf Guinea off the coast of Gabon is the small island state of Sao Tomé and Principé. Off the east coast of Africa is the island republic of the Comores, and Madagascar, the world's third largest island with an area of 587,041 square kilometres.