The Bakossi Mountains are a

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...

that forms part of the Cameroon line of active and extinct volcanoes in western

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

, covering about . The mountains lie in the regions of

Littoral The littoral zone or nearshore is the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore. In coastal ecology, the littoral zone includes the intertidal zone extending from the high water mark (which is rarely inundated), to coastal a ...

and the

Southwest The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...

. The highest peak in this range is

Mount Kupe Mount Kupe or Mont Koupé is a plutonic mountain in the Western High Plateau of Cameroon, part of the Cameroon line of volcanoes. It is the highest of the Bakossi mountains, rising to . The mountain is revered by the local Bakossi people The Ba ...

at . They contain a large area of cloud forest, and have considerable ecological interest. The mountains are home to the

Bakossi people The Bakossi people are a Bantu ethnic group that live on the western and eastern slopes of Mount Mwanenguba and Mount Kupe in the Bakossi Mountains of Cameroon. They number about 200,000, mostly engaged in subsistence farming but also producing ...

. The climate is tropical, with rainfall throughout the year. The drier season lasts from November to March, with cold nights and hot days. The rainy season starts in April and peaks between late August and the end of October. The soil is fertile, supporting coffee and cocoa as cash crops. The mountains hold the

Bakossi Forest Reserve The Bakossi Forest Reserve is a reserve within the Bakossi Mountains in Cameroon, home to many rare species of plants, animals and birds. The Forest Reserve in turn contains the Bakossi National Park, created by a decree in early 2008. The park c ...

, a reserve created in 1956. In 2000, the main section of the reserve was designated a protection forest. All logging was banned and Kupe became a "strict nature reserve". The local Bakossi people participated in delineating the boundaries. The Forest Reserve in turn contains the

Bakossi National Park The Bakossi National Park (BNP) is a protected area within the Bakossi Forest Reserve, created by a decree in early 2008. The park covers , and was justified on the basis of preserving plant diversification. Location The Bakossi Mountains are pa ...

, created by a decree in early 2008. The park covers , and was justified on the basis of preserving plant diversification.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bakossi mountains Volcanoes of Cameroon Mountain ranges of Cameroon Littoral Region (Cameroon) Southwest Region (Cameroon) Cameroonian Highlands forests