Kribi is a beach resort and sea port in Cameroon.

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 largest city in Cameroon and the busiest seaport in the country. The coordinates of Kribi are: 2° 56' 6.00"N, 9° 54' 36.00"E (Latitude: 2.9350; Longitude: 9.9100)

Overview

It has an estimated population of 55,401. It services sea traffic in the Gulf of Guinea and also lies near the terminus of the Chad-Cameroon pipeline. The Lobé Waterfalls are nearby and there is a road inland, through the Littoral Evergreen Forest, as far as Bipindi and Lolodorf where native communities of Pygmies are found.

Kribi Power Station

Kribi Power Development Company (KPDC) has built a natural gas-powered electricity generating plant,

Kribi Power Station Kribi Power Station is a 216 MW natural gas-fired thermal power plant in Cameroon. Location The power station is located in the community of Mpolongwe, approximately , by road, north of the coastal town of Kribi (est. pop. 60,000 in 2007), ...

, in the community of Mpolongwe, approximately , north of the Kribi

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...

. The 216 MW plant that cost US$390 million (CFA:176.3 billion) to build, came on line in 2013. It is now owned by Globeleq A second phase expansion is planned.

Port

The vicinity of Kribi is a possible location of a port for the export of

iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the fo ...

from about away. Specifically, the port could be at Lolabé about halfway between Kribi and the border with

Equatorial Guinea Equatorial Guinea ( es, Guinea Ecuatorial; french: Guinée équatoriale; pt, Guiné Equatorial), officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea ( es, link=no, República de Guinea Ecuatorial, french: link=no, République de Guinée équatoria ...

, which is , by road, to the south of Kribi. Since there is no natural harbour at Kribi, the port itself would be several kilometres offshore where deepwater of at least is suitable for large Capesize ships. It is also the location for the

Kribi Lighthouse Kribi Lighthouse is located in Kribi, in the southern part of Cameroon near the Gulf of Guinea. It is a currently active lighthouse in a tourist destination, even though the historic structure is closed to tourists. History The lighthouse w ...

Update 2017. The port development has proceeded at Kribi See. Update 2020. The port is being developed by Louis Berger. The port would be served by railways of two different gauges, 1435mm and 1000mm. There would be a new 130km rail link between the port and the existing metre gauge network. Dual gauge sleepers would be installed so that the lines are compatible with the proposed African Integrated High Speed Rail Network (

AIHSRN The African Union of Railways is an organisation under the auspices of the new African Union dealing with railways. It is similar to the International Union of Railways (UIC). Overview Africa's railways are disjointed and disconnected. The AU ...

Iron mine

The iron ore will come from mines near

Mbalam Mbalam is a place in Cameroon near the southern border with the Republic of the Congo where there are significant deposits of iron ore. The mining company is Sundance Resources Limited. Namesakes There are two other places in Cameroon with th ...

. The mine would have an output of approximately 35 million tonnes per year, with a 30-year or so lifespan. An alternate site for this port is at Lolabé. This line would be an extension of existing metre gauge lines (1000mm). In 2021, a contract was let to build the rail line to

Bauxite mine

It is proposed to connect the port of Kribi to a new bauxite mine in the north of Cameroon at

Minim, Martap Minim (or Minim II, or Menim) is a village in the commune of Martap, in the department of Vina, in the Adamawa Region, Cameroon. The village contains Cameroon's main source of bauxite. Population In 1967, Minim contained 90 inhabitants, mostly ...

with a metre gauge (1000mm) railway. A link line junctions from the Camrail line at

Edéa Edéa is a city located along the Sanaga River in Cameroon's Littoral Region. It lies on the Douala–Yaoundé railway line. Its population was estimated at 122,300 in 2001. There are bauxite facilities, aluminium processing facility, stee ...

and proceeds 130km to Kribi.

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Kribi is twinned with: * Ouistreham, France *

St-Nazaire Saint-Nazaire (; ; Gallo: ''Saint-Nazère/Saint-Nazaer'') is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France, in traditional Brittany. The town has a major harbour on the right bank of the Loire estuary, near the Atlantic Ocean. T ...

, FranceKribi, twinned with Saint Nazaire in France

Climate

Kribi has a tropical monsoon climate ( Köppen climate classification ''Am''). Due to its equatorial position, Kribi sees a short, fairly dry season and a long, very wet season. The hottest month, February, has an average high temperature of 32 C (89.6 F), and an average low of 25 C (77 F). The wettest month, September, sees of rain. 27 of the 30 days in September see rain. The driest month, December, sees of rain. The coldest month is August, with an average high of 28 C (82.4 F), and a low of 23 C (73.4 F). Humidity remains high year-round.

Great things to do

Kribi is renowned for its popular beach locations in Ngo'e and near the Lobé Waterfalls. Kribi is equally very popular for its roasted fish. Fishermen typically come in from the sea on week-ends and sell fresh fishes that tourists can then buy and have roasted in many restaurants around the beach. The nightlife especially in places in like Big-BEN is also among some of the exciting things to do in Kribi.

Gallery

File:ASC Leiden - van Achterberg Collection - 1 - 011 - Stockage du bois dans le port - Kribi, Cameroun - 6-12 février 1997.tif, Storage of wood in the port, Kribi 1997 File:ASC Leiden - van Achterberg Collection - 1 - 013 - Magasin dans la rue principale - Kribi, Cameroun - 6-12 février 1997.tiff, Shop on main street, Kribi 1997 File:ASC Leiden - van Achterberg Collection - 1 - 005 - Le jardin de l'hôtel De l'Océan - Kribi, Cameroun - 6-12 février 1997.tiff, The garden of Hotel De l'Océan, Kribi 1997 File:Lighthouse in Kribi - panoramio.jpg, Lighthouse in Kribi, 2007 File:Des pêcheurs au travail à Kribi 4.jpg, Fishermen at work, 2010 File:Des pêcheurs vendant du poisson à Kribi 4.jpg, Fishermen selling fish, 2010 File:Lobe.jpg, Lobé River, 2016 File:Plage Kribi32.jpg, Kribi water waves, 2017 File:Plage Kribi24.jpg, Kribi Beach, 2017

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Populated places in South Region (Cameroon)