Oyem
Encyclopedia
Oyem is the capital of Woleu-Ntem
Woleu-Ntem
Woleu-Ntem is one of Gabon's nine provinces. It covers an area of 38,465 km². The provincial capital is Oyem.As Woleu-Ntem is the most northerly province of Gabon, it is the only province that borders Cameroon, as well as bordering the Republics of Equatorial Guinea and of the Congo...

 province in northern Gabon
Gabon
Gabon , officially the Gabonese Republic is a state in west central Africa sharing borders with Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, and with the Republic of the Congo curving around the east and south. The Gulf of Guinea, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean is to the west...

, lying on the N2 road
N2 road (Gabon)
The N2 road is one of the national highways of Gabon. It connects to the north and across into Cameroon.Towns located along the highway include:*Anonébéré*Bifoun*Alembe*Viate*Mitzic*Bibasse*Oyem*Bitam*Éboro –...

 and the River Ntem.

Geography

The town lies on a plateau at an elevation of about 3000 feet (914.4 m). It is the administrative and transport center for the surrounding agricultural area. Oyem is located 411 kilometers away from the national capital, Libreville
Libreville
Libreville is the capital and largest city of Gabon, in west central Africa. The city is a port on the Komo River, near the Gulf of Guinea, and a trade center for a timber region. As of 2005, it has a population of 578,156.- History :...

.

History

Oyem is named after a large tree that grows around the town. In the 1990s, there were several female Peace Corps
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by the United States Government, as well as a government agency of the same name. The mission of the Peace Corps includes three goals: providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand US culture, and helping...

 officers raped and murdered in Gabon, stirring controversy over the safety of its locations.

The town was sieged by rabid dogs in March 2004, who killed three of five residents infected. The town council was forced to shoot 50 strays.

In October 2004, Oyem was affected by water and power cuts. In December of that year, it was severely affected by a rare typhoid fever
Typhoid fever
Typhoid fever, also known as Typhoid, is a common worldwide bacterial disease, transmitted by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with the feces of an infected person, which contain the bacterium Salmonella enterica, serovar Typhi...

 outbreak which spread across northern Gabon. About 50 cases were reported in Oyem.

Economy

Cocoa and coffee are the most important cash crops in Oyem and are trucked to the Cameroon ports of Kribi
Kribi
-Location:The coastal town of Kribi lies on the Gulf of Guinea, in Océan Department, South Province, at the mouth of the Kienké River. This location, lies approximately , by road, south of Douala, the loargest city in Cameroon and the busiest seaport in the country...

 and Douala
Douala
Douala is the largest city in Cameroon and the capital of Cameroon's Littoral Province. Home to Cameroon's largest port and its major international airport, Douala International Airport, it is the commercial capital of the country...

for export. Rubber and potatoes are also farmed.

Facilities

Within the town is a hospital, two churches, an agricultural school, a government secondary school, and a customs station.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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