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Quiz about Cameroon A Historical Landscape
Quiz about Cameroon A Historical Landscape

Cameroon: A Historical Landscape Quiz


A quiz on the people, events, and movements that have shaped this land.

A multiple-choice quiz by stuthehistoryguy. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
348,788
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Easy
Avg Score
8 / 10
Plays
3030
Awards
Top 5% quiz!
Last 3 plays: DeepHistory (10/10), jonnowales (9/10), Tarkowski (9/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. Like most African countries, Cameroon has been the site of many major population migrations. Which of these ethnic groups has been a force in Cameroon's history? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. The first European explorers in this region gave Cameroon its name, a derivation of "Rio dos Camarões" (River of Prawns). Who were these explorers? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. The Trans-Atlantic slave trade had a huge impact on Cameroon. What island in the Gulf of Guinea served as a major collection center for slaves from the region? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Europeans first started colonizing Cameroon in 1884, instituting a harsh system of mandated labor to build roads and railways. How did Cameroon's status as an imperial colony change in 1919? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. When the dust had settled after World War I, most of Cameroon was controlled by France. Which of these best characterizes French rule in Cameroon through World War II? (Hint: this is very characteristic of how France operated in its African colonies.) Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. After World War II, pro-independence sentiment began to grow throughout Africa, and Cameroon was no exception. In what year did Cameroon become fully independent? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Who was the first president of independent Cameroon? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. After Cameroon's first president stepped down in 1982, the longtime Prime Minister acceded to the office. Who was the second President of Cameroon, whose terms of office continued into 2012? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. In 1986, a bizarre natural disaster occurred around a Cameroon lake. A large amount of carbon dioxide dissolved in the water was suddenly released, suffocating around 1,700 people in the area. What lake saw this horrible tragedy? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. One of Cameroon's most inspiring cultural triumphs came in the 1990 FIFA World Cup, where the Cameroon side defeated defending champion Argentina on its way to a quarterfinal finish against England. This was the first time an African team would finish in the final eight of the tournament. What center forward did the Cameroon President coax out of retirement to lead this landmark national team? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Mar 16 2024 : DeepHistory: 10/10
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Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Like most African countries, Cameroon has been the site of many major population migrations. Which of these ethnic groups has been a force in Cameroon's history?

Answer: The Fulani

A Muslim people, the Fulani came to power in what is now Cameroon through a series of jihads in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Though never a majority of the region's population, their political sophistication (including allegiance to the Sokoto Caliphate that stretched across West Africa) cemented the Fulani as the dominant political force in the area before the colonial period.
2. The first European explorers in this region gave Cameroon its name, a derivation of "Rio dos Camarões" (River of Prawns). Who were these explorers?

Answer: The Portuguese

Portuguese sailors charted the area in 1472, and trade with coastal areas flourished off and on for several centuries. European incursion into the African interior was limited, however. Unlike the Americas, where European diseases like smallpox would often wipe out native populations more effectively than military force, Africa was essentially protected by malaria, which was particularly deadly to people from outside the continent.

By the 1850s, quinine had gradually emerged as an effective treatment for this parasitic disease, opening the rugged continent to European colonization.
3. The Trans-Atlantic slave trade had a huge impact on Cameroon. What island in the Gulf of Guinea served as a major collection center for slaves from the region?

Answer: Fernando Po (now known as Bioko)

The slave trade was a destructive influence for many reasons. It fostered wars in the interior, where powerful political groups would provoke conflicts with weaker tribes so they could sell the resulting prisoners of war as slaves. Demographically, the slave trade also stole thousands of healthy young people from the region. Economically, it diverted interest from more sustainable development of resources, commerce, and technology.

As the slave trade diminished in the nineteenth century, Cameroon's economy came to rely on exports of palm oil, ivory, and gold.
4. Europeans first started colonizing Cameroon in 1884, instituting a harsh system of mandated labor to build roads and railways. How did Cameroon's status as an imperial colony change in 1919?

Answer: Germany lost World War I and ceded all its Cameroon rights to France and Britain.

During the First World War, Britain invaded the German colony (then spelled "Kamerun") from the British stronghold in Nigeria. By the war's midpoint, Britain had expelled German troops entirely. In the postwar League of Nations mandates, Cameroon was split between Britain and France. Though French and British colonial rule is looked at with disdain by most modern historical writers, it was almost certainly an improvement over Germany's colonial policies, which often bordered on genocide.
5. When the dust had settled after World War I, most of Cameroon was controlled by France. Which of these best characterizes French rule in Cameroon through World War II? (Hint: this is very characteristic of how France operated in its African colonies.)

Answer: Intense programs of investment and French education, essentially trying to integrate Cameroon with European France culturally and economically

The French cultural impact on Cameroon was profound. Into the twenty-first century, French remained the most common language in the country, and Roman Catholic Christianity remained the dominant religion with a distinct Muslim minority in the north. In spite of (or, perhaps, because of) this activist French policy, anti-French sentiment grew into the 1940s, with French hegemony largely viewed as racist and condescending.

The situation in the British territory was scarcely better; since the British Cameroons were administered through Nigeria, the Cameroonians often complained that they were "a colony of a colony."
6. After World War II, pro-independence sentiment began to grow throughout Africa, and Cameroon was no exception. In what year did Cameroon become fully independent?

Answer: 1960

Postwar Cameroon (spelled "Cameroun" under French administration) saw a stepping-up of education, with increasing numbers of students sent to college in Senegal. This did produce unintended consequences for the French, however, as educated Africans began to work for increased autonomy instead of closer ties with France.

The anti-colonial Union of the Peoples of Cameroon (UPC) formed in 1948. In the face of its increasing radicalism, the UPC was banned in 1955, touching off a civil war that ran for many years and killed thousands, even after independence. Cameroun was granted autonomy in 1956 and became fully independent on January 1, 1960, merging with the much smaller South British Cameroons in 1961.
7. Who was the first president of independent Cameroon?

Answer: Ahmadou Ahidjo

A Fulani from the north of the country, Ahidjo worked through much of the south as a radio operator under the French postal service. He entered local politics in 1946, rising to President of the Legislative Assembly and, later, Deputy Prime Minister during the period of local autonomy.

He was elected President as leader of the largest political party (the Cameroon Union) and went uncontested in that office until 1982, eventually outlawing all opposition in 1976. He is largely credited with convincing South British Cameroons to federate with the country in 1961, and though his terms of office were dictatorial by Western standards, his administration was largely successful compared to the work of despots like Zaire's Mobutu Sese Seko.

After stepping down in 1982, he had a nasty split with the new President and spent the rest of his life in exile.
8. After Cameroon's first president stepped down in 1982, the longtime Prime Minister acceded to the office. Who was the second President of Cameroon, whose terms of office continued into 2012?

Answer: Paul Biya

Though Biya stood for competitive, multiparty elections in 1992, 1997, 2004, and 2011, most observers consider these elections inherently corrupt and laced with fraud, and the state-controlled media censors most opposition voices in the country. Though the twenty-first century has seen a marked uptick in ostensible anti-corruption movements, the administration of Cameroon has been critiqued by independent media sources who largely consider Biya's regime an oppressive dictatorship. Travel through the country without bribery is difficult, and road banditry is pervasive.

It does bear mentioning, however, that Cameroon's per-capita gross domestic product (GDP) has consistently been in Sub-Saharan Africa's top ten under Biya's watch.
9. In 1986, a bizarre natural disaster occurred around a Cameroon lake. A large amount of carbon dioxide dissolved in the water was suddenly released, suffocating around 1,700 people in the area. What lake saw this horrible tragedy?

Answer: Lake Nyos

The phenomenon at Lake Nyos has come to be called a "limnic eruption." The lake sits over a volcanically active region which, over time, "charges" the lake with carbon dioxide. In normal circumstances, this is relatively harmless, and the lake resembles a gently aspirating carbonated beverage.

The 1986 event, whose cause is not known, was analogous to a soft drink being shaken and opened rapidly, causing a sudden, massive release of the embedded gas. The only previous incidence of this type of disaster occurred at Lake Monoun in 1984, also in Cameroon; this limnic eruption killed 37 people.
10. One of Cameroon's most inspiring cultural triumphs came in the 1990 FIFA World Cup, where the Cameroon side defeated defending champion Argentina on its way to a quarterfinal finish against England. This was the first time an African team would finish in the final eight of the tournament. What center forward did the Cameroon President coax out of retirement to lead this landmark national team?

Answer: Roger Milla

The 1990 team's 1-0 victory over Argentina, along with a 2-1 triumph over Romania, propelled them into the tournament's second round, where Roger Milla scored two goals in extra time to lead the team to a 2-1 win over Colombia. Milla punctuated his goals with his trademark dance around the corner flag.

The great striker returned in 1994 to become the oldest player ever to score in the World Cup.
Source: Author stuthehistoryguy

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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