Édéa
The "city of light", on the falls of the Sanaga
Littoral Region (capital: Douala) · Sanaga-Maritime department (capital: Édéa)
Related language : Bassa
Where is Édéa?
Édéa is in the Littoral Region of Cameroon, about 60 km from Douala by road.
Edéa is the capital of the Sanaga-Maritime division, in the Littoral region, some sixty kilometres south-east of Douala. With 66,581 inhabitants at the 2005 census, it was the country's sixteenth-largest city. It is one of the few crossing points over the Sanaga, Cameroon's largest river, between Douala and Yaoundé.
History and origin of the name
Under German rule, a steel bridge built in Germany was shipped out in 1911 to span the Sanaga at Edéa. During the First World War, British and French troops occupied the town on 26 October 1914, after the German forces fell back towards Yaoundé. Its growth from the 1950s onwards came from its industrial zone, built around the hydroelectric dam and the aluminium smelter.
What to see
- The German bridge, a 160-metre steel arch over the Sanaga: until the early 1980s it was the only crossing of the river for trains, cars and pedestrians. It is now reserved for pedestrians and cyclists.
- The Sanaga falls, whose energy drives the first hydroelectric dam built in Cameroon, completed in the early 1950s.
- The Elog Mpo'o festival, held every December since 1940: canoe races on the Sanaga, traditional wrestling and dances celebrate the heritage of the Mpoo people.
Economy and local life
Edéa owes its nickname of "city of light" to its hydroelectric dam. A large share of the power it generates goes to the Alucam aluminium smelter, set on an island in the Sanaga, which has been producing since 1957: it is one of the oldest industrial sites in Central Africa. Plantations, notably of oil palms, surround the town.
What to eat
Edéa lies in Bassa country, home of mbongo tchobi, fish simmered in a black sauce of roasted spices. When the Camrail train stops at Edéa station, passengers buy mintoumba, a cassava cake described as a speciality of the Sanaga-Maritime.
Practical information
The climate is tropical, hot and humid all year round. Edéa is about 60 kilometres from Douala, 115 kilometres from Kribi and 175 kilometres from Yaoundé by road; the town is also served by Camrail's Douala–Yaoundé train.
Distances by road
Approximate distances, city centre to city centre. Travel time depends heavily on road conditions and traffic.