Batouri
Encyclopedia
Batouri is a town and commune in the East Province
of Cameroon
. It is the second largest municipality in the province after the provincial capital Bertoua
. It is located on the main (though unpaved) road connecting Bertoua to the Central African Republic
and to the Cameroonian town of Yokadouma
. It had around 25,000 inhabitants as of 1997.
. However several other ethnic groups, such as the Baya, Yangélé, and the Mézimé are also native to the area . In addition there are many recent immigrants to the Batouri area. Many come from other parts of southern Cameroon
and speak other Bantu languages
. There is also a large Muslim
population in town living mainly in the Mokolo quarter. Most people speak French
though Fulfulde serves as a lingua franca
for much of the Muslim community and is spoken widely throughout the town. There are also a number of other language groups, notably Hausa
and a small number of Arabic
speakers. There are a number of Cameroonian English and Cameroonian Pidgin speakers as well. All of the languages spoken, except for the colonial languages, Pidgin, Hausa, and Arabic are part of the Niger–Congo family.
at an elevation of about 653 m (2142 ft). It has a Guinea type climate which is hot and humid for most of the year with a dry season from mid November to Early March, then another small one in July. The wettest times of the year are April and May and then August through October. October is the wettest month with an average of 240.6 mm (9.5 in) of rain and January is the driest with an average of 17.3 mm (17.3). The average annual precipitation is 1479.4 mm (789.6 in).
Temperature extremes are greatest during the dry season with the highest average high temperatures of 32.1°C (89.8°F) in February and the lowest average lows of 17.1 C (62.8 F) in January. Meanwhile the wet season produces more tempered average daily temperature fluctuations with both July and August having average highs 27.4°C (81.3°F), and average lows of 27.4 C (66.0 F).
Like Bertoua, Batouri lies in an area of transition of vegetation and climatic zones. In a simplified description the Guinea savannah vegetation lies north of the town while the lowland rainforest vegetation lies south of the town. However, much of the forest around Batouri is severely degraded. Wooded areas follow rivers northward and can extend many miles into the surrounding Guinea vegetation.
The topography consists mostly of gently rolling hills. There is a large granite outcrop called Mt. Pandi about 25 km (15.5 mi) north of town, just west of the P5 road to Ngoura
.
The Kadéï River
flows just west of town (3.5 km or 2 mi). The area all drains into the Kadéï and is part of the large Congo River
basin.
and it is the seat a Catholic Dioceses and 3 parishes (St. Martin, St. John and Notre Dame)
East Province (Cameroon)
The East Region occupies the southeastern portion of the Republic of Cameroon. It is bordered to the east by the Central African Republic, to the south by Congo, to the north by the Adamawa Region, and to the west by the Centre and South Regions...
of 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...
. It is the second largest municipality in the province after the provincial capital Bertoua
Bertoua
Bertoua is the capital of the Eastern Province of Cameroon and has a population of 88,462 . It is home to an airport and Mission Cameroon of Polish Dominican Order.-External links:*...
. It is located on the main (though unpaved) road connecting Bertoua to the Central African Republic
Central African Republic
The Central African Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the north east, South Sudan in the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo in the south, and Cameroon in the west. The CAR covers a land area of about ,...
and to the Cameroonian town of Yokadouma
Yokadouma
Yokadouma is a town in south eastern Cameroon, lying near the border with the Central African Republic. It is popular as a base for visiting the local rainforest....
. It had around 25,000 inhabitants as of 1997.
People
Batouri lies in an ethnically Kako area and a large percentage of the population speaks the Kako languageKako language
Kako or Mkako or Mkaka, is a Bantu language spoken mainly in Cameroon, but also has speakers in the Central African Republic and Congo. The main population centers of Kako speakers includes Batouri and Ndélélé in the East Region of Cameroon....
. However several other ethnic groups, such as the Baya, Yangélé, and the Mézimé are also native to the area . In addition there are many recent immigrants to the Batouri area. Many come from other parts of southern 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...
and speak other Bantu languages
Bantu languages
The Bantu languages constitute a traditional sub-branch of the Niger–Congo languages. There are about 250 Bantu languages by the criterion of mutual intelligibility, though the distinction between language and dialect is often unclear, and Ethnologue counts 535 languages...
. There is also a large Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
population in town living mainly in the Mokolo quarter. Most people speak French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
though Fulfulde serves as a lingua franca
Lingua franca
A lingua franca is a language systematically used to make communication possible between people not sharing a mother tongue, in particular when it is a third language, distinct from both mother tongues.-Characteristics:"Lingua franca" is a functionally defined term, independent of the linguistic...
for much of the Muslim community and is spoken widely throughout the town. There are also a number of other language groups, notably Hausa
Hausa language
Hausa is the Chadic language with the largest number of speakers, spoken as a first language by about 25 million people, and as a second language by about 18 million more, an approximate total of 43 million people...
and a small number of Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
speakers. There are a number of Cameroonian English and Cameroonian Pidgin speakers as well. All of the languages spoken, except for the colonial languages, Pidgin, Hausa, and Arabic are part of the Niger–Congo family.
Geography
Batouri lies on the South Cameroon PlateauSouth Cameroon Plateau
The South Cameroon Plateau or Southern Cameroon Plateau is the dominant geographical feature of Cameroon. The plateau lies south of the Adamawa Plateau and southeast of the Cameroon Range. It slopes south and west until giving way to the Cameroon coastal plain in the southwest and the Congo River...
at an elevation of about 653 m (2142 ft). It has a Guinea type climate which is hot and humid for most of the year with a dry season from mid November to Early March, then another small one in July. The wettest times of the year are April and May and then August through October. October is the wettest month with an average of 240.6 mm (9.5 in) of rain and January is the driest with an average of 17.3 mm (17.3). The average annual precipitation is 1479.4 mm (789.6 in).
Temperature extremes are greatest during the dry season with the highest average high temperatures of 32.1°C (89.8°F) in February and the lowest average lows of 17.1 C (62.8 F) in January. Meanwhile the wet season produces more tempered average daily temperature fluctuations with both July and August having average highs 27.4°C (81.3°F), and average lows of 27.4 C (66.0 F).
Like Bertoua, Batouri lies in an area of transition of vegetation and climatic zones. In a simplified description the Guinea savannah vegetation lies north of the town while the lowland rainforest vegetation lies south of the town. However, much of the forest around Batouri is severely degraded. Wooded areas follow rivers northward and can extend many miles into the surrounding Guinea vegetation.
The topography consists mostly of gently rolling hills. There is a large granite outcrop called Mt. Pandi about 25 km (15.5 mi) north of town, just west of the P5 road to Ngoura
Ngoura
-References:* * - Thèse de Donation Avele, Université Montesquieu Bordeaux IV * Charles Nanga, , Mémoire ENA....
.
The Kadéï River
Kadéï River
The Kadéï River is a tributary of the Sangha River that flows through Cameroon and the Central African Republic. Its total drainage basin is 24,000 km². The river rises from the eastern Adamawa Plateau, southeast of Garoua-Boulaï |East Province]]. The Kadéï is swelled by two tributaries, the...
flows just west of town (3.5 km or 2 mi). The area all drains into the Kadéï and is part of the large Congo River
Congo River
The Congo River is a river in Africa, and is the deepest river in the world, with measured depths in excess of . It is the second largest river in the world by volume of water discharged, though it has only one-fifth the volume of the world's largest river, the Amazon...
basin.
Institutions
Batouri is home to a Post Office, three heath centers (a government hospital, an Adventist hospital, and a Centre de Santé Catholique). It is the seat of the prefecture for the Kadey DepartmentKadey
Kadey is a department of East Province in Cameroon. The department covers an area of 15,884 km² and as of 2001 had a total population of 192,927...
and it is the seat a Catholic Dioceses and 3 parishes (St. Martin, St. John and Notre Dame)