West Region (Cameroon)

West Region
Region
Country	Cameroon
Departments	Bamboutos, Haut-Nkam, Hauts-Plateaux, Koung-Khi, Ménoua, Mifi, Ndé, Noun
Coordinates	5°30′N 10°30′E / 5.500°N 10.500°E / 5.500; 10.500Coordinates: 5°30′N 10°30′E / 5.500°N 10.500°E / 5.500; 10.500
Capital	Bafoussam
Area	13,892 km2 (5,364 sq mi)
Population	1,865,394 (2013)
Density	134/km2 (347/sq mi) (1st)
Governor	Pascal Mani
Location of West Region within Cameroon

The West Region (French: Région de l'Ouest) is 14,000 km² of territory located in the central-western portion of the Republic of Cameroon. It borders the Northwest Region to the northwest, the Adamawa Region to the northeast, the Centre Region to the southeast, the Littoral Region to the southwest, and the Southwest Region to the west. The West Region is the smallest of Cameroon's ten regions in area, yet it has the highest population density.

As home to the enterprising Bamileke (Bamiléké) tribes, the West is an economic bright spot and one of Cameroon's more developed regions. This progressive development is tempered by the strong traditional culture that persists among the Bamileke and the province's other major ethnic group, the Bamum (sometimes Bamoum, Bamun, Bamoun).

The West sits at the geological crossroads of Cameroon; the soil varies greatly within a relatively small land area. The land along the Noun River and at the Bamendjing Reservoir, for example, is a lightly evolved blend of various raw minerals. The province's western half, on the other hand, is a haphazard mixture of raw minerals, granite, ferrallitic patches of red dirt, and other types. Finally, the soil of the eastern portions away from the reservoir is ferrallitic. Rocks in the area range from the volcanic along the reservoir and Noun to Precambrian deposits of crystalline rocks such as granite and gneiss under a cover of basaltic rock in the northwest. Metamorphic rocks like gneiss and mica dominate the rest of the territory. The soil throughout is mostly red in color due to high iron content, though that of the northwest is black or brown basalt. The province's soils are the richest and most productive in Cameroon.