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Yaoundé

Capital of CameroonInland in Cameroon's Centre Region, Yaoundé spreads over hills between the Nyong and Sanaga rivers, well away from the Atlantic coast.

Why it's the capital

German explorers set up an outpost here in the late 1880s as a base for the rubber and ivory trade. France chose Yaoundé as the capital of its colony in 1922, and it stayed the seat of government when Cameroon became independent in 1960.

Fun facts

  1. The German botanist Georg August Zenker ran a research station here from 1889 to 1895 and named it Jaunde, after the local Yaunde, or Ewondo, people.
  2. Its nickname is 'La Ville aux Sept Collines', French for 'the City of Seven Hills'.
  3. During World War I, Belgian troops from the Congo occupied the town.

Finding it on the globe

Find Douala on Cameroon's coast and move east, inland, into the southern half of the country: that is Yaoundé.

Easy to mix up

Many players tap Douala, the largest city and a port on the coast. The capital is Yaoundé, inland to the east.

Sources: Wikipedia: Yaoundé, Wikipedia: Douala