Centre Region | |
Region | |
Country | Cameroon |
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Departments | Haute-Sanaga, Lekié, Mbam-et-Inoubou, Mbam-et-Kim, Méfou-et-Afamba, Méfou-et-Akono, Mfoundi, Nyong-et-Kéllé, Nyong-et-Mfoumou, Nyong-et-So'o |
Coordinates | 4°45′N 12°00′E / 4.750°N 12.000°ECoordinates: 4°45′N 12°00′E / 4.750°N 12.000°E |
Capital | Yaoundé |
Area | 68,953 km2 (26,623 sq mi) |
Population | 3,919,828 (2013) |
Density | 57/km2 (148/sq mi) (6th) |
Governor | Eyene Roger Nlom |
Location of Centre Province within Cameroon
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The Centre Region (French: Région du Centre) occupies 69,000 km² of the central plains of the Republic of Cameroon. It is bordered to the north by the Adamawa Region, to the south by the South Region, to the east by the East Region, and to the West by the Littoral and West Regions. It is the second largest of Cameroon's regions in land area. Major ethnic groups include the Bassa, Ewondo, and Vute.
Yaoundé, capital of Cameroon, is at the heart of the Centre, drawing people from the rest of the country to live and work there. The Centre's towns are also important industrial centres, especially for timber. Agriculture is another important economic factor, especially with regard to the province's most important cash crop, cocoa. Outside of the capital and the plantation zones, most inhabitants are sustenance farmers.
In 2008, the President of the Republic of Cameroon, President Paul Biya signed decrees abolishing "Provinces" and replacing them with "Regions". Hence, all of the country's ten provinces are now known as Regions.
The Centre's soil is primarily composed of Precambrian deposits of metamorphic rocks, such as gneiss, mica, migmatites, and schists. Granite dominates from about 4˚ N and to the Adamawa border. Faults along the border with the South Province have deposited metamorphic schists and quartzites, with some granite. Laterites are also common, caused by the decomposition of the crystalline rock.