Bakossi Mountains
Encyclopedia
The Bakossi mountains are a range that forms part of the Cameroon line
Cameroon line
The Cameroon line is a chain of volcanoes.It includes islands in the Gulf of Guinea and mountains that extend along the border region of eastern Nigeria and western Cameroon, from Mount Cameroon on the Gulf of Guinea north and east towards Lake Chad....

 of active and extinct volcanoes in western Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...

, covering about 230000 square kilometres (88,803.5 sq mi).
The mountains lie part in the Littoral region and part in the Southwest region.
The highest peak in this range is Mount Kupe at 2064 metres (6,771.7 ft). They contain a large area of cloud forest
Cloud forest
A cloud forest, also called a fog forest, is a generally tropical or subtropical evergreen montane moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud cover, usually at the canopy level. Cloud forests often exhibit an abundance of mosses covering the ground and...

, and have considerable ecological interest. The mountains are home to the Bakossi people
Bakossi people
The Koose people live on the western and eastern slopes of Mount Mwanenguba and Mount Kupe in the Bakossi Mountains of Cameroon...

.

The climate is tropical, with rainfall throughout the year. The drier season lasts from November to March, with cold nights and hot days. The rainy season starts in April and peaks between late August and the end of October. The soil is fertile, supporting coffee and cocoa as cash crops.

The mountains hold the Bakossi Forest Reserve
Bakossi Forest Reserve
The Bakossi Forest Reserve is a reserve within the Bakossi Mountains in Cameroon, home to many rare species of plants, animals and birds.The Forest Reserve in turn contains the Bakossi National Park, created by a decree in early 2008....

, a 5517 square kilometres (2,130.1 sq mi) reserve created in 1956.
In 2000, the main section of the reserve was designated a protection forest. All logging was banned and Kupe became a "strict nature reserve". The local Bakossi people participated in delineating the boundaries.
The Forest Reserve in turn contains the Bakossi National Park
Bakossi National Park
The Bakossi National Park is a protected area within the Bakossi Forest Reserve, created by a decree in early 2008.The park covers , and was justified on the basis of preserving plant diversification.-Location:...

, created by a decree in early 2008.
The park covers 29320 hectares (72,451.2 acre), and was justified on the basis of preserving plant diversification.
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