Buea
Encyclopedia
Buea is the capital of the Southwest Region of Cameroon
. The town is located on the eastern slopes of Mount Cameroon
and has a population of 90,088 (at the 2005 Census). Buea was the colonial
capital of the German
Kamerun
from 1901 to 1919,and the capital of the Southern Cameroons
from 1949 until 1961. The German colonial administration in Buea was temporarily suspended during the eruption of Mount Cameroon from 28 April – June 1909.
Tea
growing is an important local industry, especially in Tole.
The city hosts the University of Buea
, the only Anglophone
university of Cameroon. The city still has a handful of colonial era buildings, notably the palatial former residence of the German
governor, Jesko von Puttkamer
. Other German colonial buildings are still standing, but some of them suffer from lack of maintenance and old age. About 150,000 people live in Buea (including Muea; Tole; Miles 17, 16, 15, 14; Bova; and surrounding villages). It also hosts the Nigerian Consulate in anglophone Cameroon.
Originally, Buea's population consisted mainly of the Bakweri
people. However, due to its position as a university town and the regional capital, there are a significant number of other ethnic groups.
Because of its location at the foot of Mount Cameroon, the climate in Buea tends to be humid, with the neighbourhoods at higher elevations enjoying cooler temperatures while the lower neighbourhoods experience a hotter climate. Extended periods of rainfall, characterized by incessant drizzle
, which can last for weeks, are common during the rainy season as are damp fogs
, rolling off the mountain into the town below.
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...
. The town is located on the eastern slopes of Mount Cameroon
Mount Cameroon
Mount Cameroon is an active volcano in Cameroon near the Gulf of Guinea. Mount Cameroon is also known as Cameroon Mountain or Fako or by its native name Mongo ma Ndemi ....
and has a population of 90,088 (at the 2005 Census). Buea was the colonial
Colonialism
Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
capital of the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Kamerun
Kamerun
German Cameroon was a West African colony of the German Empire from 1884 to 1916 in the region of today's Republic of Cameroon.-History:-1800s:...
from 1901 to 1919,and the capital of the Southern Cameroons
Southern Cameroons
Southern Cameroons was the southern part of the British Mandate territory of Cameroons in West Africa. Since 1961 it is part of the Republic of Cameroon, where it makes up the Northwest Province and Southwest Province...
from 1949 until 1961. The German colonial administration in Buea was temporarily suspended during the eruption of Mount Cameroon from 28 April – June 1909.
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
growing is an important local industry, especially in Tole.
The city hosts the University of Buea
University of Buea
University of Buea or Université de Buea is located in Buea in South West Cameroon near Mount Cameroon. It was founded as a university centre in 1985 and it became a university in 1992 on basis of government decree...
, the only Anglophone
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
university of Cameroon. The city still has a handful of colonial era buildings, notably the palatial former residence of the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
governor, Jesko von Puttkamer
Jesko von Puttkamer
Jesko Albert Eugen von Puttkamer was a German colonial military chief, and nine times governor of Kamerun:*13 May 1887 - 4 October 1887*14 August 1890 - 2 December 1890*31 December 1894 - 27 March 1895...
. Other German colonial buildings are still standing, but some of them suffer from lack of maintenance and old age. About 150,000 people live in Buea (including Muea; Tole; Miles 17, 16, 15, 14; Bova; and surrounding villages). It also hosts the Nigerian Consulate in anglophone Cameroon.
Originally, Buea's population consisted mainly of the Bakweri
Bakweri
The Bakweri are an ethnic group of the Republic of Cameroon. They are closely related to Cameroon's coastal peoples , particularly the Duala and Isubu.-Early population movements:...
people. However, due to its position as a university town and the regional capital, there are a significant number of other ethnic groups.
Because of its location at the foot of Mount Cameroon, the climate in Buea tends to be humid, with the neighbourhoods at higher elevations enjoying cooler temperatures while the lower neighbourhoods experience a hotter climate. Extended periods of rainfall, characterized by incessant drizzle
Drizzle
Drizzle is a light rain precipitation consisting of liquid water drops smaller than those of rain, and generally smaller than 0.5 mm in diameter. Drizzle is normally produced by low stratiform clouds and stratocumulus clouds. Precipitation rates due to drizzle are on the order of a millimetre...
, which can last for weeks, are common during the rainy season as are damp fogs
Fog
Fog is a collection of water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. While fog is a type of stratus cloud, the term "fog" is typically distinguished from the more generic term "cloud" in that fog is low-lying, and the moisture in the fog is often generated...
, rolling off the mountain into the town below.
External links
- Mount Cameroon Inter-communal Ecotourism Board - formerly known as Mount Cameroon Ecotourism Organisation, abbreviated as Mount CEO