African domains: Cameroon (.cm)

.cm is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Cameroon.

In August 2006, it was reported that the .cm registry had set up a wildcard DNS record, so that all unregistered domains in this top-level domain go to a parking page with paid search links. This was likely intended to take advantage of typographical errors by users attempting to reach .com web sites. This has been tracked down to Kevin Ham.

The wildcard DNS record in fact comprises three entries:.cm 900 TXT "v=spf1 -all".cm 900 TXT "v=spf2.0/pra -all".cm 900 A 72.51.27.58The first two relate to sender policy framework, although the second is of questionable validity, and mark the wildcarded domains as not originating any email at all. The third causes any non-existent name under .cm to resolve to a search page.

Background Information :

Population

July 2005 estimate 17,795,000 (58th) - 2003 census 15,746,179 - Density 37/km2 (167th) 97/sq mi

GDP

(PPP) 2007 estimate - Total $39.474 billion - Per capita $2,093 (130th)

National Anthem

Èö Cameroun, Berceau de nos AncȬtres (French) O Cameroon, Cradle of our Forefathers

Area

Total 475,442 km2 (53rd) 183,568 sq mi - Water (%) 1.3

International Dialling Code

237

Currency

Central African CFA franc (XAF)

Government

Republic - President Paul Biya - Prime Minister Ephraȯm Inoni

Language

French, English

Motto

: "Paix - Travail - Patrie" (French) "Peace - Work - Fatherland"

Time Zone

WAT (UTC+1) - Summer (DST) not observed (UTC+1). The Republic of Cameroon, French: RȨpublique Camerounaise, is a unitary republic of central and western Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, an the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the Bight of Bonny, part of the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean. The country is called "Africa in miniature" for its geological and cultural diversity. Natural features include beaches, deserts, mountains, rainforets, and savannas. The highest point is Mount Cameroon in the southwest, and the largest cities are Douala, YaoundȨ, and Garoua. Cameroon is home to over 200 different ethnic and linguistic groups. The country is well known for its native styles of music, particularly makossa and bikutsi, and for its successful national football team. English and French are the official languages.

Early inhabitants of the territory included the Sao civilisation around Lake Chad and the Baka hunter-gatherers in the southeastern rainforest. Portuguese explorers reached the coast in the 15th century and named the area Rio dos CamarÈ´es ("River o Prawns"), the name from which Cameroon derives. Fulani soldiers founded the Adamawa Emirate in the north in the 19th century, and various ethnic groups of the west and northwest established powerful chiefdoms and fondoms. Cameroon became a German colony in 1884. After World War I, the territory ws divided between France and Britain as League of Nations mandates. The Union des Populations du Cameroun political party advocated independence but was outlawed in the 1950s. It waged war on French and Cameroonian forces until 1971. In 1960, French Cameroun became independent as the Republic of Cameroun under President Ahmadou Ahidjo. The southern part of British Cameroons merged with it in 1961 to form the Federal Republic of Cameroon. The country was renamed the United Republic of Cameroon in 1972 and the Republic of Cameroon in 1984.

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