Cameroon’s coast was connected to the wider world through early exploration and trade. These contacts preceded formal colonial occupation.
Carthaginian Contact
According to the source tradition, the Carthaginian expedition led by Hanno explored the Gulf of Guinea coast. The account is associated with early knowledge of the region.
Portuguese Contact
Portuguese sailors reached the Cameroon coast in the fifteenth century and named the Wouri estuary Rio dos Camaroes, meaning River of Prawns.
Later European Contacts
- Spanish visitors used forms of the name Camerose.
- The Dutch established trading stations along the coast in the seventeenth century.
- British, French, Swedish and Danish traders also participated in coastal commerce.
Effects
Early contacts encouraged trade in goods, new geographical knowledge and cultural exchange, but later commercial competition contributed to foreign intervention and exploitation.
