100 Francs 1962, Republic of Cameroon
| in Krause book | Number: 10 |
| Years of issue: | 1962 |
| Edition: | |
| Signatures: | Le directeur général: Claude Panouillot, Un Censeur: Boulou Duouedi |
| Serie: | 1962 Issue |
| Specimen of: | 1962 |
| Material: | Cotton fiber |
| Size (mm): | 126 х 81 |
| Printer: | Francois-Charles Oberthur Fiduciaire SA, Colombes |
* All pictures marked 
are increased partially by magnifying glass, the remaining open in full size by clicking on the image.
** The word "Specimen" is present only on some of electronic pictures, in accordance with banknote images publication rules of appropriate banks.
Description
Watermark:
Eastern giant elands (Taurotragus derbianus) and abbreviation BEAC (Banque des États de l'Afrique Centrale).
Giant Eland inhabit woodlands and forested Sudanian to Guinean savannas, never far from hilly/rocky landscapes nor from water. Kingdon considered that it is quite strictly confined to lsoberlinia doka woodland, but recent studies indicate that its range includes areas of Terminalia-Combretum-Afzelia woodland where there is no Isoberlinia, e.g., in parts of Cameroon’s North Province such as Boumedje Hunting Concession. Giant Elands feed mostly on leaves, shoots, herbs and fruits (but occasionally on grasses), and will drink daily where water is available.There are two recognized subspecies of Giant Eland, Tragelaphus derbianus.
The Western Giant Eland (T. d. derbianus) is listed as Critically Endangered. This subspecies still occurs in southeastern Senegal, the far north of Guinea, probably south-western Mali and possibly eastern Guinea-Bissau.
The Eastern Giant Eland T. d. gigas which Peter Flack deals with in this article is listed as Least Concern. Eastern Giant Eland are one of the most sought after antelope trophies and sustainable safari hunting is having a positive effect on the conservation of populations in many areas. Eastern Giant Elands occur in the central African region, and were formerly distributed from north-eastern Nigeria to north-west Uganda. They now survive mainly in north-east Central African Republic. A separate population lives in northern Cameroon, with herds crossing the Chad border to the east; occasional vagrants may enter Nigerian territory. They may still occur in south-western Sudan, from which they may visit north-eastern DR Congo and north-west Uganda. East estimated that there are probably more than 15,000 Eastern Giant Eland remaining, with over 12,500 in the CAR. Numbers have increased in CAR, Cameroon and Chad since the 1990s. The numbers that survive in Sudan are unknown, but could be substantial. This suggests a total population of the Eastern Giant Eland in the order of at least 15,000~20,000. Its numbers are probably more or less stable over large areas of its range in Central African Republic and Cameroon where human population densities are very low. However, the Eastern Giant Eland’s overall, long-term population trend is probably gradually downwards. (www.africahunting.com)
Avers:
Ahmadou Babatoura Ahidjo (24 August 1924 - 30 November 1989) was a Cameroonian politician who was the first President of Cameroon, holding the office from 1960 until 1982. Ahidjo played a major role in Cameroon's independence from France as well as reuniting the French and English-speaking parts of the country. During Ahidjo's time in office, he established a centralized political system. Ahidjo established a single party state under the Cameroon National Union in 1966.
In 1972, Ahidjo abolished the federation in favor of a unitary state. Ahidjo resigned from the presidency in 1982, and Paul Biya assumed the presidency. This was an action which was surprising to Cameroonians. Accused of being behind a coup plot against Biya in 1984, Ahidjo was sentenced to death in absentia, but he died of natural causes. 
,_Far_North_Province_of_Cameroon.jpg)
Kapsiki Peak in village Rhumsiki (population 5000 people).
Rhumsiki, also spelt Rumsiki and Roumsiki, is a village in the Far North Province of Cameroon.
Rhumsiki is located in the Mandara Mountains 55 km. (34 mi.) from Mokolo, and is located 3 km. (2 mi.) from the border with Michika LGA, Adamawa State, Nigeria. The village is similar to many others in northern Cameroon. The inhabitants, members of the Kapsiki ethnic group, live in small houses built from local stone and topped with thatched roofs; these homes are scattered throughout the village and surrounding valley. Nevertheless, Rhumsiki is one of Cameroon's most popular tourist attractions and "the most touristic place in northern Cameroon".
The attraction is the surrounding scenery. Gwanfogbe, et al., describe it as "remarkable", Lonely Planet as "striking", Rough Guides as "breathtaking" and Bradt Guides as an "almost lunar landscape". Writer and explorer André Gide wrote that Rhumsiki's surroundings are "one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world." The spectacular effect is created by surrounding volcanic plugs (the remnants of long-dormant volcanoes), basalt outcroppings, and the Mandara Mountains. The largest (and most photographed) of these rocks is Kapsiki Peak, a plug standing 1,224 m. (4,016 ft.) tall.
Rhumsiki has adapted to the flow of tourists. Children in the village act as tour guides, showing visitors several pre-arranged attractions. Among these are craftspeople, such as blacksmiths, potters, spinners, and weavers; native dancers; and the féticheur, a fortune-teller who predicts the future based on a crab's manipulation of pieces of wood. Rhumsiki is now a standard item on most tourist itineraries, a fact of which the travel literature disapproves. Rough Guides describes Rhumsiki as "overrun" and "tainted by organized tourism", and Lonely Planet calls it "something of a tourist trap." The standard guided tour of the village leads The Rough Guide to doubt its authenticity: "The appeal of the visit is largely to get a taste of the 'real' Cameroon, and the built-in flaw is that the more people come, the more distorted and unreal life in the village becomes."
The Rhumsiki 'plug' is very obviously phallic and both traditionally (barren women making sacrifices at its foot) and in the modern world (selling the hotel as a honeymoon destination) this has been one of the main features of Rhumsiki.
"How difficult it must be for these people in a Muslim environment and in their rocky mountains of Mandara, at the bottom of a narrow valley! But the pagan people of Kapsika live and believe in their spirits. At one time, the Fulbe people tried to conquer them and convert to Islam, but in vain, they hid in the gorges. Not progressive people, children of the mountains, what to take from them! By the way, Rumsiki has a very archaic life - there is no electricity, it is only in the hotel. Each family (or, rather, a clan) lives separately - several huts are grouped nearby and fenced.
But it doesn’t matter here! Because the surrounding Kapsiki mountains, which are part of the Mandara massif, are a megabyte. One of the most popular types of Cameroon, sung by the French writer Andre Gide. He assured that this is the best landscape on earth. Perhaps Gide was a fan of unearthly civilizations. In any case, the landscape is surreal and resembles a somewhat lunar one with its sharp volcanic peaks. Especially expressive, of course, in the full moon. There are practically no trees around, but the mass of grass and dry shrubs. The hills are great for hiking, and literally behind them is Nigeria.
In a word, two or three days in Rumsiki is what you need to dive into another world, isolated from the Internet and TV." (www.konnesans.ru .rus)
Denominations in numerals are in top corners. In lower right corner - in words.
Revers:
Right and left - stylized palm trees. At the bottom is a ribbon with a Cameroonian pattern.
On the banknote - the port (pier) of the city of Douala and 2 white ships (it is not yet possible to determine the names of the ships). Bales (not yet established) and people on the pier.
Port handles dry and liquid bulk, LPG, containers, fruit, forest products, Ro-Ro and breakbulk cargo. Berths are located in Douala, on the left bank of the river, and Bonaberi on the right.
Douala (German: Duala) is the largest city in Cameroon and its economic capital. It is also the capital of Cameroon's Littoral Region. Home to Central Africa's largest port and its major international airport, Douala International Airport (DLA), it is the commercial and economic capital of Cameroon and the entire CEMAC region comprising Gabon, Congo, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Central African Republic and Cameroon. Consequently, it handles most of the country's major exports, such as oil, cocoa and coffee, timber, metals and fruits.
The first Europeans to appear in the area of modern Douala were the Portuguese in 1472. Around 1650, a settlement of the dual people arose on the territory of modern Douala. In the XVIII century, the settlement became the center of the transatlantic slave trade. In the middle of the XIX century, English missionaries arrived here. In the second half of the XIX century, on the site of the three African villages of Aqua, Bell and Deido, Cameroon City emerged, which became the center of European trade with the locals. In 1881, the German company Woerman Linie, by agreement with the leaders of the dual, began to build a port (before the construction of the port, sea trade was carried out using pontoons fixed in the middle of the river). At this time, palm oil was the main exported commodity. In 1884, the city passed to the Germans and received the name Cameroonstadt. Cameroonstadt became the capital of German Cameroon.
At the end of the XIX century, construction of the embankment began. Construction projects were managed by Governor von Puttkamer, who gradually turned the future Douala from an ordinary African village into a modern city by that standards. Wide streets were laid, a dam was built, bogs were drained, and a railway station was built. The construction of the railway to Yaoundé, begun under the German protectorate, was already completed by the French. In 1901, the capital was moved to the city of Buea with a more favorable climate, but Douala continued to develop and remain the economic center of the colony. In 1907, the city received the modern name of Douala. In 1916, the city came under the joint control of the British and French, and in 1919 became part of French Cameroon. From 1940 to 1946, Douala was the capital of Cameroon.
Denominations in numerals are in top corners.
Comments:
Obverse engraver: Poilliot, G.
Obverse designer: Lambert, P.
Reverse engraver: Beltrand.
I purchased this Cameroon banknote along with a whole bunch of documents and papers issued by the same married couple - Mr. and Mrs. H.A.Flin.
Among these papers:
The ceremony of reunification and independence, Western Cameroon, program of events.
Booklet with a photo of the first president and vice president of Cameroon.
Merry Christmas from the English Embassy to Mr. and Mrs. Flynn.
Ball, lunch and dinner invitations from the British Consulate, the English Trade Mission and other British organizations in West Cameroon addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Flynn.
And some other documents of the same couple.
Obviously, these people worked, in that period, in Cameroon.
Ball, lunch and dinner invitations from the British Consulate, the English Trade Mission and other British organizations in West Cameroon addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Flin.
Federal State of Western Cameroon, Assembly Debate, 1962.
Ball, lunch and dinner invitations from the British Consulate, the English Trade Mission and other British organizations in West Cameroon addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Flin.
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