Limbe, Cameroon

Coordinates: 4°01′N 9°13′E / 4.017°N 9.217°E / 4.017; 9.217

Limbe Bimbia Victoria
A tourist area in Limbe
Nickname(s): Town of Friendship
Limbe Location in Cameroon
Coordinates: 4°01′N 9°13′E / 4.017°N 9.217°E / 4.017; 9.217
Country	Cameroon
region	South-West
Divisions	Fako
Founded	1858
Elevation	150 m (490 ft)
Population (2005)
• Total	84,223 (Census)
Climate	Am

Limbe (1858–1982: formerly Victoria) is a seaside city in the South-West Region (Cameroon) of Cameroon. Limbe was founded in 1858 on the southern slopes of Mount Cameroon by the British missionary Alfred Saker. At the 2005 Census, the population was 84,223.

History

1908 painting by R. Hellgrewe of the town when it was known as Victoria

Victoria was founded by the British missionary Alfred Saker of the Baptist Missionary Society of London in June 1858. Due to this treaty, initially Victoria and its vicinity was not part of the new German colony Kamerun and remained under British administration. On May 7, 1886 Great Britain and Germany agreed to exchange Victoria and its vicinity for German rights at the Forcados River in Nigeria and St. Lucia in South Africa. On March 28, 1887 Victoria and its vicinity were handed over to the German administration. At the same time Swiss Presbyterian missionaries bought the land from the Baptist Missionary Society in 1887.

Victoria became British again in 1915. In 1982 Victoria was renamed by Ahmadou Ahidjo and is since then became known as Limbe.

Language

The Southwest Province's official language is English, although French is spoken due to the city's geographic proximity to Douala, where the official language is French. Most of the population speaks Cameroonian Pidgin English. The native language of the region is Bimbia or Isubu.

Of interest

Traditional fishing boats on the beach

Limbe is located on a beautiful bay against the backdrop of a major mountain range. Black sand beaches make Limbe one of two coastal towns (Kribi being the other) that are popular among Western tourists. The Limbe Wildlife Centre and Limbe Botanical Gardens are notable attractions. The Germans left a Bismarck tower in the vicinity of Limbe. Limbe is considered a good region in the country in terms of night life, and is considered a good tourist city in the country to visit. It is the home to the Bakweri people.

The coastline with Bioko in the background.

Transport

Limbe was served by a terminal station of a 600 mm (1 ft 11 ⁵⁄₈ in) gauge plantation railway from Soppo, near Buea, of the West African Planting Society Victoria.^[1]

Commerce

Limbe is the center of Cameroon's oil industry. Other important industries are fishery and tourism. The Port of Limbe is one of four commercial ports in Cameroon.^[2]

Industry

In 2008, Limbe became the site of a cement works.The city is also host to the head office (located at Bota, Limbe) of one of Cameroon's largest company known as the CDC. The head office is at Bota, Limbe. Limbe has the only oil refinery company SONARA. Bundes Construction is also the largest Civil Engineering Company. Limbe also has a non-operational natural sea port. Limbe, along with the rest of Cameroon, Central African Republic, and Chad, rely on all import / export activities through the port of Douala, the economic capital of Cameroon. Limbe which is a viable tourist destination in Cameroon offers tourist attractions such as the Limbe Wildlife Center, the Limbe Botanic Garden, and an extensive and almost unique dark sand public and private beaches. Several small inns and motels: THE LK HOTEL^[3] Atlantic Beach, Guest House, Park and Mirama, Trinity, Savoy Palms, First International Inn (Fini), etc. are available to accommodate both business and tourist guests. Amongst, THE LK HOTEL is situated above a spectacular view (mile 4) of the Atlantic Ocean, the perfect vantage point from which to view the famed sunsets that envelop the Atlantic Ocean, mount Cameroon and the Malabo Islands.

Sport

The construction of a stadium in Limbe is planned, financed by the state-owned Chinese company, the Exim Bank of China. ^[4]

Twin towns – Sister cities

Limbe is twinned with:

References

External links

Media related to Limbe at Wikimedia Commons

Seattle-Limbe Sister City Association website

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/22/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.