The Southwest Region or South-West Region () is a region 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 C ...

. Its capital is

Buea Buea is the capital of the Southwest Region of Cameroon. The city is located in Fako Division, on the eastern slopes of Mount Cameroon, and has a population of 300,000 (at the 2013 Census). It has two Government Hotels, the Mountain Hotel and P ...

. , its population was 1,553,320. Along with the Northwest Region, it is one of the two

Anglophone Speakers of English are also known as Anglophones, and the countries where English is natively spoken by the majority of the population are termed the ''Anglosphere''. Over two billion people speak English , making English the largest language ...

(English-speaking) regions of Cameroon. 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 ''Sud-Ouest'' region as being distinct as a polity from Cameroon.

Administration

The region is divided into six divisions or departments:

Fako Mount Cameroon is an active volcano in the South West region of Cameroon next to the city of Buea near the Gulf of Guinea. Mount Cameroon is also known as Cameroon Mountain or Fako (the name of the higher of its two peaks) or by its indigenous n ...

Koupé-Manengouba Koupé-Manengouba is a division of the Southwest Region in Cameroon. The division covers an area of 3,404 km and in 2005 had a total population of 105,579. The capital of the division is Bangem. Subdivisions The Koupé-Manengouba Division ...

Lebialem Lebialem is a department of Southwest Province in Cameroon. The department covers an area of 617 km and as of 2005 had a total population of 113,736. The capital of the department lies at Menji. Since the outbreak of the Anglophone Crisis in ...

, Manyu,

Meme A meme ( ) is an idea, behavior, or style that spreads by means of imitation from person to person within a culture and often carries symbolic meaning representing a particular phenomenon or theme. A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural i ...

, and

Ndian Ndian is a department of Southwest Region in Cameroon. It is located in the humid tropical rainforest zone about southeast of Yaoundé, the capital. History Ndian division was formed in 1975 from parts of Kumba and Victoria divisions and is ...

. These are in turn broken down into subdivisions. Presidentially appointed senior divisional officers () and subdivisional officers () govern each respectively.

Ambazonian separatism

Separatists from the

administration regard both the Nord-Ouest (Northwest) and Sud-Ouest (Southwest) regions as being constituent components of their envisaged breakaway state.

Geography

The region was notable for having the first English-speaking university in Cameroon (the University of Buea). Towns include the capital

, Limbe,

Tiko Tiko, originally called ‘Keka’ by the Bakweris, is a town and important port in the southwest region of Cameroon. The settlement grew as a market town for Duala (or Douala) fishermen, Bakweri (Kpwe people) farmers and hunters from Molyko, ...

Kumba Kumba is a metropolitan city in the Meme department, Southwest Region, Western Cameroon, referred as "K-town" in local slang. Kumba is the most developed and largest city in the Meme Department and has attracted people from the local villag ...

and

Mamfe Mamfe or Mamfé is a city in and the capital of Manyu, a division of the Southwest Region in Cameroon. It is from the border of Nigeria, on the Manyu River. It has a population of 36,500 (2017 estimate). It is known as a centre for traditiona ...

. Limbe in particular is a popular tourist resort notable for its fine beaches.

Korup National Park Korup National Park is in the Southwest Province of Cameroon and extends over 1,260 km2 of mostly undisturbed primary forest. It is reputedly one of Africa’s oldest and richest tropical forests in terms of floral and faunal diversity. It is ...

is also a major attraction. Buea itself, meanwhile, sits at the foot of

Mount Cameroon Mount Cameroon is an active volcano in the South West region of Cameroon next to the city of Buea near the Gulf of Guinea. Mount Cameroon is also known as Cameroon Mountain or Fako (the name of the higher of its two peaks) or by its indigenous n ...

, and possesses an almost temperate climate markedly different from the rest of the province. File:Mer au loin Limbé.jpg, Thatched roof structures at the Limbe Beach File:Bota Beach, Limbe.jpg, View of Bota Beach File:Semme beach - Flickr - EOS Cameroun.jpg, View of Semme Beach, Limbe File:Limbe view with Bioko.jpg, View of Bioko Beach, Limbe File:Mer plage Limbé.jpg, Tourist in Limbe Beach File:Down Beach sur la rive.jpg, Fishing Canoes in Down Beach, Limbe File:IMG-20190626-WA0017.jpg, Limbe Beach with beautiful sandy shore File:Korup National park.jpg, Waterfall in Korup Park File:University of Buea 01.jpg, University of Buea Parking Space File:Mount Cameroon view from Buea (Soppo).jpg, View of Mount Cameroon from Sopo File:University Buea.JPG, Administration Building, UB File:Silicon Mountain as seen in Buea, Cameroon on 26-06-2019.jpg, View of Buea City File:Reunification monument in Buea.jpg, Extensive view of a Reunification Monument in Buea File:Buea-Reunification-Monument.jpeg, Closer view of the Buea Reunification Monument

Culture

The province is largely

and Protestant Christian. File:Groupe danse sud ouest.jpg File:Groupe danse sud ouest1.jpg File:Groupe danse sud ouest5.jpg File:Groupe danse sud ouest6.jpg File:Groupe danse sud ouest3.jpg File:Groupe danse sud ouest4.jpg

Common dishes in the region

File:Water fufu and eru 03.jpg, Eru and Waterfufu File:Poisson braisé de Tayap.jpg, Fish barbecue and fried potato File:Poulet braisé, frites et bières..JPG, Chicken barbecue at "48 spices", Buea File:Le riz jollof façon buea.jpg, Jollof rice File:Le ndolè, plat mythique camerounais..jpg, Ndole and plantains with bobolo File:Le KOKI.gif, Koki mostly eaten by Barondo people File:Riz blanc accompagné d'un bouillon d'escargots du village..JPG, Snails and rice

Demographics

Healthcare

Limbe Provincial Hospital Limbe Provincial Hospital (now Regional Hospital Limbe, also called Mile 1 Hospital) is a 200-bed hospital in the Southwest Province of Cameroon and is the principal referral hospital for the region operated by the Cameroon Ministry of Health. H ...

References

{{Authority control Regions of Cameroon