British Cameroon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids British Cameroon
1916–1961
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: God Save the King/Queen
Status	Mandate of the United Kingdom
Capital	Buea
Common languages	English (official) Duala, Oroko, Grassfields, Fula, Kanuri widely spoken
Religion	Christianity (southern area) Islam (northern area)
Historical era	World War I
• Kamerun partitioned	20 July 1916
• Integration into Nigeria and Cameroon	1 October 1961
Area
• Total	89,526 km2 (34,566 sq mi)
Currency	British West Africa pound
ISO 3166 code	CM
Preceded by Succeeded by Kamerun Federation of Nigeria Cameroon
Today part of	Cameroon Nigeria

British Cameroon was a special territory in West Africa. It was controlled by the United Kingdom after World War I. This area was split into two parts: the Northern Cameroons and the Southern Cameroons.

Today, the Northern part is in Nigeria. The Southern part is now in Cameroon.

History of British Cameroon

Cameroon from 1901 to 1972. The map shows how the borders changed over time.

The land that is now Cameroon was once a German colony. It was called Kamerun. This happened during the "Scramble for Africa" in the late 1800s.

During World War I, French and British soldiers took over Kamerun. They decided to divide the German colony. One part would be controlled by France. The other part would be controlled by Britain. France got a larger share of the land. This was because Britain was more focused on other parts of Africa, like Nigeria.

Under International Control

After World War I, the League of Nations gave control of these areas to Britain and France in 1922. This was called a "mandate". A mandate meant they would manage the territory. The French part was called Cameroun. The British part was managed as two separate areas. These were the Northern Cameroons and Southern Cameroons.

The Northern Cameroons had two parts that were not connected. They were separated by the border between Nigeria and Cameroun. In the 1930s, many white people living there were Germans. They were held in British camps starting in 1940. Not many local people wanted to join the British forces. Only about 3,500 men volunteered.

When the League of Nations ended in 1946, these territories changed. They became United Nations trust territories. This meant the United Nations Trusteeship Council oversaw them. The goal was to help these lands become independent. The UN approved Britain's control of British Cameroons on December 6, 1946.

Life Under British Rule

The British used a system called "indirect rule". This meant they let local leaders make decisions. This helped people in British Cameroon feel more in charge. It also made local political groups stronger.

However, the British found that local people were not very involved. They did not help much in planning new community projects.

Under British rule, Europeans followed their home country's laws. Local people followed their own traditional laws. British officials usually oversaw these traditional laws.

The legal system from that time is still used today. This includes both traditional laws and two different legal systems.

Education was also slow to develop. British Cameroon did not have any secondary schools for a long time. Missionaries helped start secondary education. For example, St. Joseph College opened in Sasse, Buea, in 1939.

Becoming Independent

French Cameroun became independent on January 1, 1960. It was renamed Cameroon. Nigeria was also set to become independent later that year. This made people wonder what would happen to British Cameroon.

Britain wanted British Cameroon to join Nigeria. After many talks, a vote was held on February 11, 1961. This vote was overseen by the United Nations.

The Northern Cameroons had many Muslim people. They voted to join Nigeria. The Southern Cameroons voted to join Cameroon. People in British Cameroon were not given the choice to become fully independent.

The Northern Cameroons became part of Northern Nigeria on June 1, 1961. The Southern Cameroons became West Cameroon. It joined the Federal Republic of Cameroon on October 1, 1961.

Coming Together Again

After joining French Cameroon, the education system changed. Teachers from the French-speaking areas came to the former British Cameroon. But there was a language problem. These teachers often spoke only French or a mix of languages. This made it harder for students to learn.

Over time, French became more important. English language certificates were replaced by French ones.

Even though they were united, English-speaking Cameroonians felt left out of government. In 1993, a group called the All Anglophone Conference met. They said that a past agreement, the Foumban Accord, was not respected. This agreement was the basis for Cameroon's first federal constitution. They felt the French-speaking majority had changed it.

Governors

See also

• Postage stamps and postal history of British Cameroons
• Ambazonia