Buea

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Buea
Buéa
—  Town  —
Buea from the foot of Mount Cameroon
Buea from the foot of Mount Cameroon
Buea (Kameroen  )
Buea
Buea
Coordinates: 4°10′0″N -9°14′0″W / 4.16667, 8.76667
Country Cameroon
Province Southwest Province
Division Fako
Elevation 870 m (2,854 ft)
Population (2008)[1]
 - Total 57,000

Buea (French: Buéa) is the capital of the Southwest Province of Cameroon. The town is located on the eastern slopes of Mount Cameroon and has a population of 57000.[1] Buea was the colonial capital of the German Kamerun from 1901 to 1909 and the capital of the Southern Cameroons from 1949 until 1961.

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 provincial 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.

Notable Buea citizens include Mola Njoh Litumbe, Dr. Teresia Elad, Professor Boniface Nasah, and Professor Tanyi Mbuagbaw, who was the director of the Advanced School of Translation and Interpreters, and Dr. Dorothy Njeuma, who was the first vice-chancellor of the university when it started in 1993. Another prominent resident is the paramount chief of the Bakweri, S.M.L. Endeley.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Helders, Stefan. Buéa. World Gazetteer. Retrieved on 2008-03-27.

[edit] External links

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