Lake Oku is a

crater lake Crater Lake ( Klamath: ''Giiwas'') is a volcanic crater lake in south-central Oregon in the western United States. It is the main feature of Crater Lake National Park and is famous for its deep blue color and water clarity. The lake partly fill ...

on the Bamenda Plateau in the Northwest Region of

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 ...

. It is located at on Mount Oku, and is completely surrounded by

cloud forest A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest (TMCF), is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, montane, moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud ...

. The lake lies in an explosion crater formed in the last phase of development of the Oku Massif, a large volcanic field with a diameter of about . Mount Oku is a

stratovolcano A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a conical volcano built up by many layers (strata) of hardened lava and tephra. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with a summit crater and peri ...

that rises to . The lake is the subject of many myths among the local people. The lake is the only known habitat of the Lake Oku Clawed Frog. The surrounding

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 ...

is a nature reserve, set up by

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...

, and home to many rare species.

References

{{reflist, 1, refs= {{cite journal , editor-last=Doherty-Bone , editor-first=Thomas , date=2014 , title=A Working Conservation Action Plan for Lake Oku , url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/269104431 , doi=10.13140/2.1.4988.5760 , accessdate=2018-10-31, last1=Doherty-Bone , first1=Thomas {{cite web , url=http://www.edgeofexistence.org/amphibians/species_info.php?id=579 , title=Lake Oku Clawed Frog (Xenopus longipes , work=EDGE , accessdate=2011-02-06 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930084226/http://www.edgeofexistence.org/amphibians/species_info.php?id=579 , archive-date=2011-09-30 , url-status=dead Oku Northwest Region (Cameroon) Oku

See also

References