After the sailors and navigators set on their journey, they discovered numerous places, both inhabited by people and deserted as well. Their journeys gave a new direction to the thinking of people about the world. With increased traveling opportunities and ease in immigration rules, people shifted from one place to another which caused people from one race to get divided into different nations. Have you heard about what race is Cameroon? What nationality is Cameroon Congo? Let us know more about what ancestry is Bantu. Where are Bantu originally from?
1. What is the Ethnicity of Cameroon and Congo?
The region of Congo was named after the old kingdom of Kongo in Africa. Cameroon was named after the Portuguese sailors who began visiting the place in 1472. They found crayfish in the Wouri River, after which the land was called Rio dos Camaroes or the River of Shrimp. Afterward, the word camaroes changed into Cameroon. (See What is a List of Cultures around the World?)
2. Are Cameroon and Congo the Same?
No, both nations are different from each other. Cameroon is a country in western-central Africa while the Republic of Congo, or simply Congo, is a country in Central Africa.
3. What Nationality is Cameroon Congo?
Since Cameroon and Congo are different nations, they have different nationalities. Cameroon offers Cameroonian nationality to the people living in the country. Residents of Cameroon are known as Cameroonians. The nationality of Congo is Congolese and its residents are also known as Congolese. (See What Country am I in?)
4. What Ethnic Groups Reside in Cameroon and Congo?
Here is the list along with their population percentage in the country.
A. Cameroon
- Adamawa – Ubangi (Mbum-Gbaya): 9.8%
- Bamileke – Bamum: 24.3%
- Beti/Bassa – Mbam: 21.6%
- Biu – Mandara: 14.6%
- Fulani & Shuwa: 11%
- Grassfielders: 7.7%
- Others/Foreign: 4.5%
- Pygmy people: 3.3%
- Sawa / Cotier 2.7%
- Southwest Bantu: 0.7%
B. Congo
- Duma: 1.5%
- Foreigner: 8.2%
- Kongo: 40.5%
- Makaa: 1.3%
- Mbere/Mbeti/Kele: 4.4%
- Mbochi: 13.1%
- Other and unspecified: 1%
- Oubanguiens: 1.6%
- Punu: 4.3%
- Pygmy: 1.6%
- Sangha: 5.6%
- Teke: 16.9%
5. What Race is Cameroon?
As per the estimated data collected by the researchers, here is the list of the race of the people living in the Cameroon region of Africa.
- Cameroon Highlanders: 31%
- Eastern Nigritic: 7%
- Equatorial Bantu: 19%
- Fulani: 10%
- Kirdi: 11%
- Non-Africans: less than 1%
- Northwest Bantu: 8%
- Other African: 13%
6. What is Religious Diversity in Cameroon?
The population of Cameroon is highly diversified and so is their religion. Here is the list of religions along with their percentage in the population.
- Animist: 5.6%
- Muslims (Sunni): 20.9%
- Non-religious or others: 88.8%
- Protestants: 26.3%
- Roman Catholic: 38.4%
7. What are the Main Linguistic Groups in Cameroon?
It will be interesting to know about the ratio of different language speakers after learning about what nationality is Cameroon Congo. The diverse group of people living in Cameroon can be divided into 3 main linguistic groups, namely Bantu, Semi-Bantu, and Sudanese.
- The Bant-speaking people reside towards the south and include groups of Duala, Maka, and Ndje.
- People speaking Semi-Bantu are found towards the west and include groups of Bamileke, Tikar, and Pygmies.
- Sudan language-speaking people are in the north.
8. What Race is Congo?
Here we have two places that will be considered under Congo, namely the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and the Republic of Congo.
A. Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
This region consists of more than 200 ethnic African groups, among which Bantu holds the majority. The four largest tribes in the region make up 45% of the population. These tribes are:
- Kongo (contains all Bantu tribes)
- Luba
- Mangbetu-Azande or Hamitic tribe
- Mongo
B. Republic of Congo
The race percentage of the people living in this region is as follows:
- Europeans and others: 3%
- Kongo: 48%
- M’Bochi: 12%
- Sangha: 20%
- Teke: 17%
9. What are the Main Linguistic Groups in Congo?
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is considered as one of the most linguistically diverse countries. The country has 4 national languages, namely Kikongo (Kituba), Lingala, Swahili, and Tshiluba. However, French is the official language of the Congo. Must read What are Language Branches and Groups?
10. What is the Religious Diversity in Congo?
After learning about what nationality is Cameroon Congo, take a look at the religious diversity in Congo. According to the estimates of the Per Research Center, Washington DC, the United States, the percentage of religions of people in Congo is as follows:
- Christians: 95.8%
- Muslims: 1.5%
- Non-Religious: 1.8%
11. What Ancestry is Bantu?
According to the researchers, the roots of the African southeastern Bantu regions lie in Cameroon and Nigeria, West Africa. Bantu is the language that is spoken by the people of Bantu origin. About 3,000 years ago, a group of the Niger-Congo languages, Bantu, originated. Proto-Bantu is the hypothetical ancestor of Bantu languages as per the theory of Johannes Gutenberg. This language is considered the most diverse as it comprises more than 500 languages. (See How do You tell Ancestry by Physical Features?)
12. Where are Bantu Originally From?
In its diverse languages, the meaning of the term Bantu is people. It is said to have first originated around the Benue-Cross River areas in southeastern Nigeria. According to experts and historians, there are possibly two reliable theories of the origin of the Bantu. The first was given by Johannes Gutenberg and the other was by Malcolm Guthrie.
- Theory of Gutenberg: Johannes Gutenberg analyzed and compared hundreds of African languages in 1963, after which he found that one language was spoken by people of Southeastern Nigeria. According to him, Proto-Bantu is the hypothetical ancestor of Bantu languages that spread from south to east over a period of hundreds of years.
- Theory of Guthrie: Guthrie analyzed each Bantu language and then concluded that the origin is in the southern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and in Zambia because these regions have the most stereotypical language speakers. In the process of determining what nationality is Cameroon Congo, were these theories considered? What do you think?
13. How did Bantu Language Spread?
With an increase in the population in West Africa, people of the Bantu group began migrating in two directions, west, and east. After that, they turned towards the south. All this migration led to the spread of the language.
- Migration of Bantu Towards the East: The Eastern migration began in 1000 B.C when they moved towards different eastern countries like modern-day Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. There they settled and began farming, after which they learned to make farming tools.
- Migration Of Bantus towards the West: In the same year, some Bantu people left western Africa towards the coast. Their journey ended in areas of Angola and Namibia. Since they were closer to the rainforest and riverine areas of Africa, they learned the skill of fishing.
- Migration of Bantus towards the South: After the migrated people settled in the West and East regions, they faced the same problem of population increase. Due to this, they had to migrate toward Southern Africa. The southeastern Bantu region holds the maximum regions that extend over more than 2,500 miles (4,023.36 Kilometers) from north to south.
After knowing about what nationality is Cameroon Congo, take a look at the areas covered under the Bantu region that are modern-day,
- Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda in the north
- Mozambique, Zambia, and Zimbabwe in the center
- Botswana, Angola, Namibia, and South Africa in the south
So, today you got to know about what nationality is Cameroon Congo. Did you find out what race is Cameroon? There were possibly two answers to the question of where are Bantu originally from. Did you remember what ancestry is Bantu? (See What Language did They Speak in Rome?)
