The Northwest Region, or North-West Region () is one of ten
regions
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...
in
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 ...
. Its regional capital is
Bamenda
Bamenda, also known as Abakwa and Mankon Town, is a city in northwestern Cameroon and capital of the Northwest Region. The city has a population of about 2 million people and is located north-west of the Cameroonian capital, Yaoundé. Bamenda is ...
. The Northwest Region was part of the
Southern Cameroons
The Southern Cameroons was the southern part of the British League of Nations mandate territory of the British Cameroons in West Africa. Since 1961, it has been part of the Republic of Cameroon, where it makes up the Northwest Region and Sou ...
, found in the western highlands of Cameroon. It is bordered to the southwest by the
Southwest Region, to the south by the
West Region, to the east by the
Adamawa Region
The Adamawa Region (french: Région de l'Adamaoua) is a constituent region of the Republic of Cameroon. It borders the Centre and East regions to the south, the Northwest and West regions to the southwest, Nigeria to the west, the Central ...
, and to the north by
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
. Various
Ambazonia
Ambazonia, officially the Federal Republic of Ambazonia, also referred to as Amba Land, is an unrecognised breakaway state in West Africa which claims the Northwest Region and Southwest Region of Cameroon, though it currently controls almost ...
n nationalist and separatist factions regard the region as being distinct as a
polity
A polity is an identifiable political entity – a group of people with a collective identity, who are organized by some form of institutionalized social relations, and have a capacity to mobilize resources. A polity can be any other group of ...
from Cameroon.
In 1919, the Northwest Region became solely administered by the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...
. In 1961, the region joined the
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 ...
. Separatists from the Ambazonia administration regard both the ''Nord-Ouest'' (Northwest) and ''Sud-Ouest'' (Southwest) regions as being constituent components of their envisaged breakaway state.
Administration
The Northwest Region (known before 2008 as the Northwest Province) is the third most populated province in Cameroon. It has one major metropolitan city,
Bamenda
Bamenda, also known as Abakwa and Mankon Town, is a city in northwestern Cameroon and capital of the Northwest Region. The city has a population of about 2 million people and is located north-west of the Cameroonian capital, Yaoundé. Bamenda is ...
, with several other smaller towns such as
Wum
Wum is a town and commune in Cameroon. It is the capital of Menchum division in the Northwest Province.
Geography
Wum is the third biggest town in the north west region of Cameroon. It lies on a plateau at an elevation of about 1100 m near the ...
,
Kumbo,
Mbengwi,
Ndop,
Nkambé
Nkambe is a city in the Northwest Region (Cameroon), Northwest Region of Cameroon. It is the headquarters of the Donga-Mantung departments of Cameroon, department. ''Nkambe Central'' is also the name of one of the five Communes of Cameroon, commun ...
,
Batibo,
Bambui and
Oshie. The province saw an increase in its population from approximately 1.2 million in 1987 to 1.8 million in 2010.
The population density of 99.12 people per square kilometer is higher than the national average of 22.6. The provincial urban growth rate is 7.95%, higher than the national average of 5.6%, while the rural growth rate, at 1.16%, is equal to the national rate. In 2001, according to the Statistical Provincial Services of the North-West Province, the population of the province is young, with over 62% of its residents being less than 20 years old. Therefore, the dependency rate in the province is high, particularly in the rural areas.
Like other regions in Cameroon, the Northwest Region is made up of administrative divisions. The province was created in 1972 with five divisions or
departments
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
*Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
:
Bui,
Donga-Mantung
Donga-Mantung is a division
Division or divider may refer to:
Mathematics
*Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication
*Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division
Military
*Division (military), a f ...
,
Menchum
Menchum is a department of Northwest Province in Cameroon. The department covers an area of 4469 km and as of 2005 had a total population of 161,998. The capital of the department lies at Wum.
The Menchum River drains this area, flowing w ...
,
Mezam
Mezam is a division of the North West Region of Cameroon. The department covers an area of 1745 km and as of 2005 had a total population of 524,127. The capital of the department lies at Bamenda.
Subdivisions
The department is divided admini ...
, and
Momo. Today, it has seven divisions, the additions being
Boyo, which was carved out of the Menchum division, and
Ngo-Ketunjia
Ngo-Ketunjia is a department of Northwest Province in Cameroon. The department covers an area of and as of 2005 had a total population of 187,348. The capital of the department lies at Ndop. Within the self-declared Federal Republic of Ambazoni ...
or Ngoketunjia, split off from the Mezam division. Each division is further subdivided, with thirty-one total subdivisions in the Northwest Province. The basic unit of local government is the council, and there are thirty-two councils in the region.
Population
The Northwest Region has many ethnic groups, including immigrants from other regions and countries. Nigeria is well represented, as it borders the region to both the north and the northwest. The native population comprises a variety of ethnic and linguistic groups. The main ethnic groups are of Tikar origin:
Tikari,
Widikum,
Fulani
The Fula, Fulani, or Fulɓe people ( ff, Fulɓe, ; french: Peul, links=no; ha, Fulani or Hilani; pt, Fula, links=no; wo, Pël; bm, Fulaw) are one of the largest ethnic groups in the Sahel and West Africa, widely dispersed across the region. ...
, and
Moghamo. The most widely spoken languages in the province include
Mungaka,
Limbum, Yamba, spoken by the Yamba people also of the Donga Mantung Division; Bafmen,
Oku,
Lamnso
Nso (''Lamnso'', ''Lamnsɔ’'') is the Grassfields language of the Nso people of western Cameroon. A few may remain in Nigeria. It has ten major noun classes. The ISO 639-3 code is lns. Nso is spoken by over 100,000 people.
Writing System
Ns ...
, Ngemba,
Pidgin English
Pidgin English is a non-specific name used to refer to any of the many pidgin languages derived from English. Pidgins that are spoken as first languages become creoles.
English-based pidgins that became stable contact languages, and which have ...
,
Balikumbat
Balikumbat is a town and commune in Cameroon.
It comprises 5 villages :
* Bafanji
* Baligansin
* Baligashu
* Balikumbat (village)
* Bamunkumbit
See also
*Communes of Cameroon
The Arrondissements of Cameroon are the third-level units of admin ...
, Papiakum,
Moghamo, and
Nkom. During the colonial period, administrative boundaries were created which cut across ethnic groups and cultures. As a result, parts of some ethnic groups now lie in different divisions and provinces, which is believed to have led to several land conflicts.
In the provinces, the social organization recognizes a chief as its head, also called the ''Fon''. The Fons, who in their tribal area may be more influential than the official administrative authorities, are considered the living representative of the tribal ancestors.
Politics
The Northwest is a stronghold of the
Social Democratic Front (SDF) which is one of the main opposition parties of Cameroon. Some Northwesterners feel completely marginalized by the government. There is also a secessionist movement, the SCNC (Southern Cameroon's National Council) whose goal is to secede from Cameroon and form a republic consisting of the English-speaking regions. Much of the SCNC's influence exists in the Northwest. In 2008, the President of the Republic of Cameroon,
Paul Biya
Paul Biya (born Paul Barthélemy Biya'a bi Mvondo; 13 February 1933) is a Cameroonian politician who has served as the president of Cameroon since 6 November 1982. , signed decrees abolishing "Provinces" and replacing them with "Regions". The Northwest Province subsequently became the Northwest Region.
Natural attractions
The Northwest region has unique attractions, including the second highest mountain in
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali ...
,
Mount Oku. It is home to birds such as the
Bannerman's turaco
Bannerman's turaco (''Tauraco bannermani'') is a species of bird in the family Musophagidae. It is endemic to Cameroon. In French it is known as ''touraco de Bannerman'' or ''touraco doré''. Its scientific and common names honour the ornithol ...
, which is unique to this region. There are also many crater lakes such as
Lake Oku,
Lake Awing, and
Lake Nyos
Lake Nyos ( ) is a crater lake in the Region of Cameroon, located about northwest of Yaoundé, the capital. Nyos is a deep lake high on the flank of an inactive volcano in the Oku volcanic plain along the Cameroon line of volcanic activity ...
. The largest remaining mountain forest in the Northwest Region is the
Kilum-Ijim Forest
The Kilum-Ijim Forest is an area of mountain rainforest in Cameroon's North-West Region. It is found on Mount Oku and the nearby Ijim Ridge in the Cameroon mountains, with Lake Oku lying in a crater in its center. It is the largest area of Afro ...
.
Menchum Falls, and
Abbi Falls
Abbey Falls (also spelled Abbi Falls and Abbe Falls) ( kn, ಅಬ್ಬೆ ಜಲಪಾತ ) is a waterfall in Kodagu, in the Western Ghats of Karnataka, India. It is located 8 km from the Madikeri, 122 km from Mysore, 144 ...
in the
Mbengwi Division, are also located here.
File:Nyos Lake.jpg, Lake Nyos
File:Lake Oku Cameroon.jpg, Lake Oku
File:Lake Awing and Environment.jpg, Lake Awing and environment
File:Kameroen 987.jpg, Forest around the Menchum falls
File:Lake Awing 2.jpg, Closer view of lake Awing
File:Chute de menchum.jpg, Full extent of Menchum Falls
References
*
Background Note: Cameroon. 2010. Government of Cameroon. Accessed 11 March 2013.
{{Authority control
Regions of Cameroon
States and territories established in 1972