Bamenda, Cameroon

Bamenda is a city in northwestern Cameroon and capital of Northwest Province. The city has an estimated 327,000 inhabitants. Located 366 km (227 mi) northwest of the Cameroonian capital, Yaoundé, Bamenda is known for its cool climate and scenic hilly location. With air and road links to Yaoundé and Douala, the city has numerous markets, banks, offices, coffee and cocoa processing facilities and an important Baptist mission. The local museum and shops display a wide variety of local baskets, beads, woodcarvings and bronze statues. North of Bamenda is the Ring Road, a 367 km (228 mi) circular route through Cameroon's most spectacular mountains. Along this road is Mount Oku (3,000 m/9,800 ft), the Kimbi River Game Reserve, the Metchum River waterfalls, a huge chief's palace at Bafut, and a pyramidal thatched shrine at Akum(also known as Bagangu).

History

In 1986, a gaseous eruption of carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulphide caused 2000 deaths around nearby Lake Nyos. Bamenda's principal ethnic group is the Tikar. In the past, the Tikar faced invasions from peoples in the surrounding hills, and between 1700 and 1800, they joined a confederation established by the Mbum for defense purposes. Bamenda was subjected to German colonialism in the late 19th century and then British administration under a League of Nations mandate after World War I (1914-1918). Today, many of the city's inhabitants are English-speaking.