Buéa
The former German capital, at the foot of Mount Cameroon
South-West Region (capital: Buéa) · Fako department (capital: Limbé)
Related language : Pidgin camerounais
Where is Buéa?
Buéa is in the South-West Region of Cameroon, about 80 km from Douala by road.
Buea is the capital of the South-West region, in the Fako division. It climbs the eastern slopes of Mount Cameroon, between 870 and 1,020 metres above sea level depending on the source. The commune had 131,325 inhabitants at the 2005 census and was estimated to be approaching 200,000 by 2020. A university town, it is one of the centres of the English-speaking part of the country.
History and origin of the name
Buea was originally a Bakweri village, a people who farmed the fertile slopes of Mount Cameroon. From 1901 the town became the capital of the German colony of Kamerun; the administration was suspended there from April to June 1909 during an eruption of the volcano. After the First World War it came under British administration: capital of the Southern Cameroons from 1949 to 1961, then of West Cameroon until the end of the federation in 1972.
What to see
- The Bismarck Fountain, built in 1899, and the former German governor's residence, now a presidential residence: the main landmarks of the colonial era.
- Mount Cameroon and its Race of Hope, a running race of nearly 42 kilometres held every February on the slopes of the volcano.
- The Tole tea estate, a few kilometres from town, established by the British in 1928, run by the CDC from 1947 and privatised in 2002.
- The University of Buea, founded in 1993, the country's first English-speaking university.
Economy and local life
An administrative and university town, Buea has also become a hub for tech start-ups, so much so that its digital ecosystem has been nicknamed "Silicon Mountain". Tea growing on the slopes of Mount Cameroon remains an important activity around the town.
What to eat
Buea is in Bakweri country, home of kwacoco banga: grated cocoyam steamed in leaves and served with palm-nut soup. Eru, the South-West speciality, is also widely eaten.
Practical information
Thanks to its altitude the climate is cooler than on the coast, but rainfall is among the highest in the world. The town is close to Limbe and less than 100 kilometres from Douala. The security situation linked to the Anglophone crisis should be checked before any trip.
Distances by road
Approximate distances, city centre to city centre. Travel time depends heavily on road conditions and traffic.