Limbe (Cameroon)

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Limbe
Limbe (Cameroon)
Limbe
Limbe
Coordinates 4 ° 1 '  N , 9 ° 13'  E Coordinates: 4 ° 1 '  N , 9 ° 13'  E
Basic data
Country Cameroon

region

Sud-Ouest
district Fako
ISO 3166-2 CM-SW
Residents 84,500 (2001)
founding 1858
Culture
Twin cities FranceFrance Saint-Brieuc Saint John's Seattle
Antigua and BarbudaAntigua and Barbuda
United StatesUnited States
Limbe
Limbe

Limbe (also Limbé ) is a city in southwest Cameroon . It was founded in 1858 under the name Victoria on the southern slope of Mount Cameroon and has developed into an important coastal city.

Statistical data

  • Population: 84,500 (as of 2001)
  • Religions: Christians, Muslims, followers of traditional African religions
  • Languages: English, French, African languages ​​(Kpe-Mboko)
  • Industry: Food production, textile production, chemical industry, petroleum and gas refineries
  • Export goods: coffee, cocoa, tea, cotton, sugar, tobacco, rubber, palm oil
  • Climate: Tropical

history

Limbe was founded in June 1858 by the British missionary Alfred Saker under the name Victoria , in honor of the then British Queen. He came here with about 90 native Baptists because they had to leave the Spanish-speaking Douala for reasons of faith . Its acquired rights meant that after the German occupation of the rest of the coastline ( Cameroon colony ) the place and its surroundings initially remained under British administration and only on May 7, 1886 against German claims at Forcados in the Niger area ( Mahinland ) and St. Lucia in South Africa was exchanged and transferred to German administration on March 28, 1887 and occupied by a department of the German police force.

Victoria decreed under German rule, then often in spelling Viktoria , about to Duala second most important port in the colony of Cameroon, a post office, a customs office missions of both denominations, a government school, a hospital and a leprosy home. The botanical garden, founded in 1891 with a research institute for regional culture, was used to test various useful plants under local climatic conditions. From 1906 to 1907 the German biologist August Weberbauer was director of the botanical garden. A model of the system is shown in the Botanical Museum in Berlin.

The West African Planting Society Victoria (WAPV) played an important role in economic life, maintaining its main planting there and operating its own production facilities for the processing of oil palm products from 1910. Other trading and plantation companies were also represented with branches, including Ambas Bay Trayding Co. Ltd. (Liverpool), the German West African Trading Company (Hamburg) and the Cameroon Land and Plantation Society (Hamburg).

Victoria was initially the seat of a district office, the area of ​​which originally extended into the Kamerungebirge . In 1902/03, the Buëa region was separated from this as an independent civil administrative district. In 1914 both districts were reunited.

In 1982 Victoria was renamed Limbe.

  • Victoria during the German colonial era, around 1910

  • Viktoria and the small Kamerunberg during the German colonial period, around 1910

  • Viktoria and the great Kamerunberg during the German colonial period, around 1910

  • Studies with pepper, vanilla and nutmeg in the experimental garden of the Victoria station, before 1905

language

The official language of the Southwest Province of Cameroon is English. However, French is also often used because the French-speaking city of Douala is nearby. In addition to the official languages, local languages ​​are spoken, mainly Bakweri (Kpe) and Cameroonian Pidgin English as the colloquial language .

economy

Beach section in Limbe with fishermen and fishing boats

Cameroon is world-famous for its agricultural products such as tea, which was first planted under German colonial rule. Limbe is the center of the Cameroonian oil industry and one of the four largest trading ports in Cameroon. Fishing is a significant local industry. Limbe is also home to one of the seven national employment offices of the National Employment Fund (NEF).

Attractions

Volcanic beach section in Limbe with a view of the island of Bioko

Limbe lies in a beautiful bay with a large mountain range; in the background the view of the Cameroon Mountain . Besides Kribi , Limbe is one of the most popular coastal cities for tourists because of its black sandy beaches. Freshly caught fish and seafood are grilled and sold directly on the beaches. There are also numerous restaurants and bars there. The Limbe Wildlife Center and Botanical Gardens are also noteworthy sights. The monument to the city's founder, Alfred Saker, should also be viewed when visiting Limbe.

Personalities

Twin cities

Web links

Commons : Limbe  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Ype Schaaf: L'histoire et le rôle de la Bible en Afrique , CETA, HAHO et CLE, Lavigny 2000, ISBN 9-966-886-72-9 , pp. 60-63