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Yaoundé (; , ) is the
capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...
of Cameroon and, with a population of more than 2.8 million, the second-largest city in the country after the port city Douala. It lies in the Centre Region of the nation at an elevation of about 750 metres (2,500 ft) above sea level. The outpost of Epsumb or Jeundo was founded between the
Nyong The Nyong (formerly german: Yong) is a river in Cameroon. The river flows approximately to empty into the Gulf of Guinea. Course The Nyong originates east of the town of Abong-Mbang, where the northern rain forest feeds it. The river's leng ...
and Sanaga
rivers A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...
at the northern edge of the area's forests in 1887 by German explorers as a trading base for rubber and ivory. A military garrison was built in 1895 which enabled further colonization. After Imperial Germany's defeat in World War I, France held eastern Cameroon as a
mandate Mandate most often refers to: * League of Nations mandates, quasi-colonial territories established under Article 22 of the Covenant of the League of Nations, 28 June 1919 * Mandate (politics), the power granted by an electorate Mandate may also ...
, and Yaoundé was chosen to become the capital of the colony in 1922. Douala remained the more important settlement, but Yaoundé saw rapid growth and continued as the seat of government for the Republic of Cameroon upon its independence in 1960. Most of Yaoundé's economy is still centred on the administrative structure but major industries in Yaoundé include tobacco,
dairy A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting or processing (or both) of animal milk – mostly from cows or buffaloes, but also from goats, sheep, horses, or camels – for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on ...
products, beer, clay, glass goods and timber. The city has many striking monuments and buildings, such as the Presidential Palace and Palais des Congrès.


History

The earliest inhabitants of Cameroon were likely the Bakas (pygmies). They still inhabit the forests of the south and east provinces. Bantu speakers originating in the Cameroonian highlands were among the first groups to move out before other invaders. During the late 1770s and early 1800s, the Fulani—a pastoral Islamic people of the western Sahel—conquered most of what is now northern Cameroon, subjugating or displacing its largely non-Muslim inhabitants. The outpost of Epsumb or Jeundo was founded between the
Nyong The Nyong (formerly german: Yong) is a river in Cameroon. The river flows approximately to empty into the Gulf of Guinea. Course The Nyong originates east of the town of Abong-Mbang, where the northern rain forest feeds it. The river's leng ...
and Sanaga
rivers A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...
at the northern edge of the area's forests in 1887, 1888,Johnson–Hans, Jennifer
PA34 ''Uncertain Honor: Modern Motherhood in an African Crisis'', p. 34
University of Chicago Press (Chicago), 2006. . Accessed 17 Apr 2014.
or February 1889 by the
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...
explorers Lt. Richard Kund and Hans Tappenbeck by the agreement of the chiefs of Ela Esono. From December 1889 to May 1895, it was occupied by the
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...
botanist Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...
Georg August Zenker as an agricultural research station named Jaunde after the local
Yaunde The Beti-Pahuin are a Bantu ethnic group located in rain forest regions of Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and São Tomé and Príncipe. Though they separate themselves into several individual clans, they all share a ...
or Ewondo people. His settlement served as a base for the area's rubber and
ivory trade The ivory trade is the commercial, often illegal trade in the ivory tusks of the hippopotamus, walrus, narwhal, mammoth, and most commonly, African and Asian elephants. Ivory has been traded for hundreds of years by people in Africa and Asia, ...
, purchasing these from the natives in exchange for imported clothing and iron. It was also known in English as Yaunde Station. Major Dominik's establishment of a military garrison at the site in 1895 permitted a Pallotine mission and religious school at nearby
Mvolyé Mvolyé or Mvolye is a neighbourhood of Yaoundé, Cameroon. Around 1900, during Cameroon's colonial period, the site was part of the lands ruled by Karl Atangana. Atangana donated part of the area to the German Pallottine Fathers, a Roman Catho ...
(now a suburb). During World War I, Jaunde was occupied by Belgian troops from the
Congo Congo or The Congo may refer to either of two countries that border the Congo River in central Africa: * Democratic Republic of the Congo, the larger country to the southeast, capital Kinshasa, formerly known as Zaire, sometimes referred to a ...
. After Imperial Germany's defeat in that war, France held eastern Cameroon as a
mandate Mandate most often refers to: * League of Nations mandates, quasi-colonial territories established under Article 22 of the Covenant of the League of Nations, 28 June 1919 * Mandate (politics), the power granted by an electorate Mandate may also ...
of the League of Nations and Yaoundé was chosen to become the capital of the colony in 1922.Britannica
Yaoundé
britannica.com, USA, accessed on July 7, 2019
Douala long remained the more important settlement, but Yaoundé saw rapid growth after 1957 due to the cocoa crisis and unrest along the coast. It continued as the seat of government for the Republic of Cameroon upon its independence.


Economy

Most of Yaoundé's economy is centred on the administrative structure of the civil service and the diplomatic services. Owing to these high-profile central structures, Yaounde has a higher
standard of living Standard of living is the level of income, comforts and services available, generally applied to a society or location, rather than to an individual. Standard of living is relevant because it is considered to contribute to an individual's quality ...
and security than the rest of Cameroon. Major industries in Yaoundé include tobacco,
dairy A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting or processing (or both) of animal milk – mostly from cows or buffaloes, but also from goats, sheep, horses, or camels – for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on ...
products, beer, clay, glass goods and timber. It is also a regional distribution centre for coffee,
cocoa Cocoa may refer to: Chocolate * Chocolate * ''Theobroma cacao'', the cocoa tree * Cocoa bean, seed of ''Theobroma cacao'' * Chocolate liquor, or cocoa liquor, pure, liquid chocolate extracted from the cocoa bean, including both cocoa butter and ...
, copra, sugar cane and rubber. Local residents engage in urban agriculture. The city is estimated to have "50,000 pigs and over a million chickens." In 2010, under Mayor Jean Claude Adjessa Melingui, Yaoundé began a flood reduction project, the Yaoundé City Sanitation Master Plan, to deal with "severe floods hatdisrupted the city 15 to 20 times a year, affecting as many as 100,000 people at a time." After four years, the frequency of flooding had been reduced from fifteen to three times a year, and cases of water-borne diseases such as typhoid and malaria were reduced by almost half. Although Melingui died in 2013, local officials are continuing his efforts to transform the city. Ongoing improvements to sanitation infrastructure are being carried out under a "$152 million plan, largely financed by loans, primarily from the African Development Bank and the French Development Agency", slated for completion in 2017. Despite the security issues and humanitarian crises that have plagued the central African nation, its economy remains stable. In fact, there is diversification of its productive economic activities, with the services sector contributing about half of the total domestic production. However, like many African countries, Cameroon has long suffered from corruption, which dominates almost all the sectors, particularly in the capital city. Oil, gas and mining revenues are rarely reported, which implies massive graft. In addition, there is weak protection of real and intellectual property, and the judicial system is vulnerable to political manipulation. According to Yaoundé City Council data, over 130 floods struck the city between 1980 and 2014, causing massive loss of life and economic damage. However, there has been a reduction of flooding in the city since the establishment of a sanitation master plan to address the issue. Another measure was to relocate people living along the drainage routes and in low-lying flood zones.


Architecture

The city centre houses government offices, some hotels, and the central market. The Bastos district, with most homes owned by Cameroonians, is home to foreign embassies and the expatriate European, American and other continental communities (drawn mainly from the diplomatic corps). The presidential palace and compound are in the Etoudi district. Also found in Yaoundé are: * the
Reunification Monument Cameroon's Reunification Monument was constructed in the 1970s to memorialize the History of Cameroon#Cameroon after independence, post-colonial merging of British and French Cameroon. Located in Yaounde, its architects are Gedeon Mpando, Gedeon ...
* the Sport Palace (''Palais des Sports'') * Palais des Congrès There is a small zoo in the Mvog-Betsi neighbourhood. Yaoundé has a small assortment of Pubs, nightclubs and restaurants. A distance outside Yaoundé is the NGO Ape Action Africa, which rescues and rehabilitates Great Apes threatened with extinction by the illegal bushmeat and deforestation trades. File:YaoundeUnityPalace.png, Yaoundé Unity Palace – Cameroon Presidency File:YaoundeNationalMuseum.png, Cameroon National Museum File:Yaoundé Sports Palace 2014 (05).JPG, Yaoundé Sport Palace File:Yaoundé Palais des Congrès.jpg, Palais des Congrès File:Ministry of Finance (MinFin), Yaoundé (2014).JPG, The Ministry of Finance File:Marché central - Central market (interior) in Yaoundé.JPG, The Central Market File:Cameroon-Yaounde04.jpg, Mfoundi market File:Centre Province Yaoundé 002.JPG, A view of a Yaoundé suburb File:Independence square cameroon.jpg, Independence square Cameroon


Culture

* the Cameroon Art Museum (located in a former Benedictine monastery) * the Cameroon National Museum (located in the former presidential palace) * the
Blackitude Museum Blackitude Museum is an ethnographic museum in Yaoundé; Cameroon. The museum project began in March 1998 from a commitment of its founding president Her Majesty Ngo Nab. Fo I NANA Agnes Sunjio through her deep desire to save what remains of the a ...
* the Afhemi Museum * The Yaoundé Municipal Lake * The Mvog-Betsi Zoo-Botanic Park * The Congress Centre in Tsinga


Places of worship

The places of worship in the city are predominantly
Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
churches: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Yaoundé ( Catholic Church), Christian Missionary Fellowship International and Associated Churches (Pentecostal),
Evangelical Church of Cameroon The Eglise Evangelique Du Cameroun EEC (Evangelical Church of Cameroon) was born out of the European missionaries, the Paris Mission, Basel Mission and English Baptist Mission. After 1917 the Basel Mission handed over the majority of its mission s ...
( World Communion of Reformed Churches),
Presbyterian Church in Cameroon The Presbyterian Church in Cameroon (PCC) is a Reformed denomination in Cameroon and a member of the World Communion of Reformed Churches. It is the largest English-speaking church in Cameroon, founded by Basel Mission. In addition to its religious ...
( World Communion of Reformed Churches),
Union of Baptist Churches in Cameroon The Union of Baptist Churches of Cameroon (french: Union des Églises Baptistes du Cameroun) is a Baptist Christian denomination in Cameroon. It is affiliated with the Baptist World Alliance. The headquarters is in Douala. History The Union h ...
( Baptist World Alliance), Full Gospel Mission Cameroon (
Assemblies of God The Assemblies of God (AG), officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, is a group of over 144 autonomous self-governing national groupings of churches that together form the world's largest Pentecostal denomination."Assemblies of God". ...
). There are also
Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
mosques.


Climate

Yaoundé features a tropical wet and dry climate ( Aw), with constant temperatures throughout the year. However, primarily due to the altitude, temperatures are not quite as hot as one would expect for a city located near the equator. Yaoundé features a lengthy wet season, covering a ten-month span between March and November. However, there is a noticeable decrease in precipitation within the wet season, seen during the months of July and August, almost giving the city the appearance of having two separate rainy seasons. It's primarily due to the relative lull in precipitation during these two months that Yaoundé features a tropical wet and dry climate, as opposed to a tropical monsoon climate.


Transport

Yaoundé Nsimalen International Airport Yaounde Nsimalen International Airport (french: link=no, Aéroport international de Yaoundé-Nsimalen) , also known as Nsimalen airport, is the second busiest and largest public airport in Cameroon. The airport is located 27 km (16 miles) so ...
is a major civilian hub, while nearby Yaoundé Airport is used by the military. Train lines run west to the port city of Douala and north to N'Gaoundéré. Many bus companies operate from the city; particularly in the Nsam and Mvan districts. Frequent buses run on the road between Yaoundé and Douala, which has witnessed several fatal accidents. Travel time by road between Douala and Yaounde is approximately 3 hours. Traffic in the city can be heavy during weekdays, but is very light during the weekends. Yaoundé has made significant progress in infrastructure, especially road construction.


Education

Cameroon is a bilingual country, where English and French are both official languages; therefore in the city there is a coexistence of French educational system schools, where the degree giving access to university is the Baccalaureate, and all the education is in French, and the English educational system schools, where the degree giving access to university is the GCE Advanced level. There are three American schools in Cameroon, the
American School of Yaounde The American School of Yaounde (ASOY) in Quartier du Lac, Yaoundé, Cameroon, is an independent coeducational school founded in 1964, which offers an educational program from Pre-K 3 through grade 12 for students of all nationalities. In the 2018 ...
(ASOY) and
Rain Forest International School Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water fo ...
(RFIS), and the
American School of Douala American School of Douala (ASD) is an American international school in Douala, Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-cen ...
(ASD). There is also one Turkish School, The Amity College/School. Yaoundé is the site of several universities: the University of Yaoundé II (on a campus outside of town), the Protestant University of Central Africa (UPAC) and the Catholic University of Central Africa (UCAC). Several of the nation's professional schools are also located in Yaounde (Higher Teacher's training college, École Militaire InterArmes du Cameroun) as well as various schools for Engineers (Polytech), Doctors (CUSS), Nurses and Diplomats.


Healthcare

The largest hospital is the
Central Hospital of Yaoundé The Central Hospital of Yaoundé (In French, Hôpital Central de Yaoundé - HCY) is a hospital in the city of Yaoundé, Cameroon founded in 1933. It is Cameroon's largest hospital. Simon Pierre Tchoungui (1916-1997), the former prime minister of ...
(''Hôpital Central de Yaoundé'') with 650 beds.
Yaoundé General Hospital The Yaoundé General Hospital (Hôpital Général de Yaoundé - HGY) is a hospital in Yaoundé, Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a cou ...
(''Hôpital Général de Yaoundé'' – HGY) had 302 beds when it was built in 1985. Other hospitals are the
Yaoundé Gynaecology, Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital The Yaoundé Gynaecology, Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital (French Hôpital gynéco-obstétrique et pédiatrique de Yaoundé - HGOPY) is a hospital in Yaoundé, Cameroon that specializes in caring for women and children. The hospital was built w ...
(''Hôpital Gynéco-Obstétrique et Pédiatrique de Yaoundé'' – HGOPY) and the
University Hospital Center of Yaoundé The University Teaching Hospital of Yaounde (French: Centre Hospitalier et Universitaire de Yaoundé - CHU) is one of the main hospitals in Yaoundé, Cameroon. It was founded by a Presidential decree on 28 October 1965. It has the goal of trainin ...
(''Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Yaoundé'' – CHU).


Sports

The national
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
team plays some of its home matches in the
Ahmadou Ahidjo Ahmadou Babatoura Ahidjo (24 August 192430 November 1989) was a Cameroonian politician who was the first List of Presidents of Cameroon, President of Cameroon, holding the office from 1960 until 1982. Ahidjo played a major role in Cameroon's inde ...
stadium and the football clubs
Canon Yaoundé Canon Sportif de Yaoundé, commonly known as Canon Yaoundé, is a Cameroonian association football club based in capital city of Yaoundé. The club was formed in 1930 and play their games at Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo. Their most successful period was ...
,
Impôts FC Impôts FC is a Cameroonian football club based in Yaoundé. They are a member of the Cameroonian Football Federation. The won the 2005 ''Coupe de Cameroun'', winning unexpectedly from the second division, with a 1-0 win over Unisport Bafang. ...
and Tonnerre Yaoundé are all based in the city. The
Grand Prix Chantal Biya Grand Prix Chantal Biya is a professional road bicycle racing stage race held in Cameroon and sponsored by the Fédération Camerounaise de Cyclisme/Ateba Koungou. The race is named in honor of Chantal Biya, the First Lady of Cameroon as wife ...
, a men's
road bicycle racing Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on Road surface, paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional sport, professional form of bicycle racing, in terms of numbers of competitors, events and ...
event on the
UCI Africa Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions which were introduced in 2005 by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) to expand cycling around the world. The five circuits (representing the continents of Africa, the ...
, starts and finishes in Yaoundé. Yaoundé is also the base for the National Institute of Youth and Sport ( INJS); this school trains government workers who will be in charge of sport all across the country during their career. Joel Embiid, center for the
Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...
, and
Luc Mbah a Moute Luc Richard Mbah a Moute ( ; born 9 September 1986) is a Cameroonian former professional basketball player who last played for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Mbah a Moute also plays for the Cameroon national t ...
, who was a forward for the Los Angeles Clippers are from Yaoundé, as are
Samuel Umtiti Samuel Yves Um Titi (born 14 November 1993), known as Samuel Umtiti (), is a French professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Lecce, on loan from La Liga club Barcelona. Umtiti began his professional career with Lyon in 20 ...
, a footballer for the national team of France and FC Barcelona,
Breel Embolo Breel Donald Embolo (born 14 February 1997) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Monaco and the Switzerland national team. Born in Cameroon, Embolo moved with his family to France before finally settling in Switz ...
, a footballer for AS Monaco FC and Vincent Aboubakar, a footballer for Porto.


Notable people

*
Pierre Hervé Ateme Elanga Pierre Hervé Ateme Elanga (born 25 September 1986) is a Cameroonian former professional footballer who played as a forward. Career Ateme was born in Yaoundé. He played 2005 for the Cameroonian U17 and 2008 for the U23 of Cameroon. He play ...
, Cameroonian former professional footballer *
Jean-Pierre Bekolo Jean-Pierre Bekolo (born June 8, 1966 in Yaoundé, Cameroon) is a Cameroon film director. Background and career Jean-Pierre Bekolo was born in 1966 in Yaounde, Cameroon. He studied physics at the University of Yaounde in Cameroon from 1984 to 198 ...
, born in Yaoundé, film director *
Arnold Ebiketie Arnold Kevin Ebiketie ( ; born 23 January 1999) is a Cameroonian-born American football linebacker for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Temple before transferring to Penn State. High schoo ...
,
outside linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...
for the
Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...
* Joel Embiid, Professional basketball player,
Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...
*
Jeando Fuchs Jeando Pourrat Fuchs (born 11 October 1997) is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays for EFL League One club Peterborough United and for the Cameroon national team. Career Fuchs started his senior career with French club Sochaux. H ...
, born in Yaoundé professional footballer for English club Peterborough United. * Charles Minlend, professional basketball player, 2003 Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP * Francis Ngannou, UFC Heavyweight Champion *
Breel Embolo Breel Donald Embolo (born 14 February 1997) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Monaco and the Switzerland national team. Born in Cameroon, Embolo moved with his family to France before finally settling in Switz ...
, Swiss professional footballer


References


Bibliography


External links


Image of Yaoundé from Google Earth
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yaounde Capitals in Africa Populated places in Centre Region (Cameroon) Provincial capitals in Cameroon Populated places established in 1888 1888 establishments in Africa