Nkambe | |
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Location in Cameroon | |
Coordinates: 6°38′N 10°40′E / 6.633°N 10.667°E | |
Country | Cameroon |
Region | Northwest Region |
Division | Donga-Mantung |
Population | (est. 2001) 32,900 |
Time zone | WAT (UTC+1) |
Climate | Cwb |
Nkambe is a city in the Northwest Region of Cameroon. It is the headquarters of the Donga-Mantung department. Nkambe Central is also the name of one of the five communes in Donga-Mantung. Nkambe lies at the north edge of the Bamenda Grassfields, on the northeast arc of the Ring Road, farthest from Bamenda. The Nigerian border is only 25 or 40 km away, but roads toward the border are undeveloped jungle tracks.
Most of the people in Nkambe Central commune are Wimbum - the three clans which speak the Limbum language. Nkambe Central contains the northwest part of Wimbum-land, including the villages of Kungi, Konchep, Binshua, Bih, Saah, Wat, Nwangri, Mbaa, Kup, Chup, Bongom, Mbot, Tabenken, Njap, Binka, Binjeng, and Nkambe-town.Ndu Commune contains the southeast part of Wimbum-land. Most Wimbum are farmers, raising maize, beans, njama-njama, Irish potatoes, cocoyams, plantains, bananas, etc. Scattered Fulani also live in the district, grazing cattle on the grasslands. The population of Nkambe Central was estimated around 170,000 in 2011.
Nkambe-town, long an administrative center, has attracted a more cosmopolitan mix than the surrounding villages, including Hausa traders, students from around Donga-Mantung, and civil servants from other parts of Cameroon. The town has a daily market, a government hospital, various schools, churches, a mosque, gas pumps, a gendarmerie, and administrative offices.
As mentioned above, Nkambe lies in the Bamenda Grassfields, in the chain of highlands that runs from São Tomé up into Nigeria. The land varies from cool grassy highlands like the 2200m Mount Binka to lower, warmer places like Chup at 1500m.