Yaounde

Yaoundé, nicknamed "City of Seven Hills", is the political capital of Cameroon. Situated next to Douala, the second city of the State of Central Africa, it is recorded to have a population of 2,440,462 inhabitants as of 2011.

It is also the capital of the Central Region and the Department Mfoundi. Yaoundé is home to a large number of the most important institutions of Cameroon. Another nickname is Ongola Yaoundé, which means "end" in Ewondo language, and refers to the wall of the former German mail.

Yaounde lies in the center of the nation at an elevation of about 750 metres (2,500 ft) above sea level.

Yaoundé was founded in 1888 by German traders under the name Jaunde as a base for the ivory trade and as an agricultural research station. It was occupied by Belgian troops during World War I. After Germany's defeat, France became the colonial power in eastern Cameroon. Yaoundé consequently became the capital of French Cameroon, and continued as the capital of the Republic of Cameroon at independence.

Most of Yaounde's economy is centered around the administrative structure of the civil service and the diplomatic services. Due to these high profile central structures, Yaounde enjoys a relatively higher standard of living and security compared to the rest of Cameroon.

Major industries in Yaoundé include tobacco, dairy products, beer, clay, glass goods and lumber. It is also a regional distribution center for coffee, cocoa, copra, sugar cane and rubber.

The city houses government offices, hotels, and the central market. The Bastos neighbourhood, with most homes owned by Cameroonians, is home to foreign embassies and the expatriate European community (drawn mainly from the diplomatic corps).The presidential palace and compound is in the Etoudi neighborhood.

Also found in Yaoundé are the Basilique Marie-Reine-des-Apôtres, built on the site of the first missionary church in Cameroon. The Cameroon Art Museum located in a former Benedictine monastery is also situated here. The Cameroon National Museum was located in the former presidential palace. The Cathédrale Notre Dame des Victoires, seat of the Archdiocese of Yaoundé also can be found here. The Afhemi Museum, the Reunification Monument and the Sport Palace (Palais des Sports) can all be found in this city, along with a small zoo situated in the Mvog-Betsi neighbourhood. Yaoundé has ample eateries and nightclubs to suit the style and taste of any pocket.

A distance outside Yaoundé is the NGO (Non Governmental Organisation) Ape Action Africa, which rescues and rehabilitates Great Apes threatened with extinction by the illegal bush meat and deforestation trades.

Yaoundé Nsimalen International Airport is a major civilian hub, while a nearby Yaoundé Airport is used by the military. Railway lines run west to the port city of Douala and north to N'Gaoundéré. Many bus companies operate from the city; particularly in the Nsam and Mvan neighborhoods. Frequent bus runs occur along the road between Yaoundé and Douala, which has sadly witnessed several fatal accidents. Travel time by road between Douala and Yaounde is approximately three hours drive. Yaounde has made great progress in infrastructure, especially road construction.

There are numerous markets in the city, ranging from small street-side shin digs to the full scale Mfoundi and Mokolo markets. There are also some supermarkets such as the locally owned 'Rayco' and 'Mahima' and the French-owned Casino situated in the centre of city.

Since Cameroon is a bilingual country, with English and French being the official languages, the city has French sub-educational system schools (where the degree giving access to university is baccalaureate) and English sub-educational system schools (where the degree giving access to university is the GCE Advanced leve)l.

There are two American schools in Cameroon, the American School of Yaounde (ASOY) and Rain Forest International School (RFIS) and one Turkish School, The Amity College. Yaoundé is the site of several universities: the University of Yaoundé I, the University of Yaoundé II (on a campus outside of town), the Protestant University of Central Africa (UPAC) and the Catholic University of Central Africa (UCAC). Several of the nation's professional schools are also located in Yaounde (Higher Teacher's Training College, Ecole Militaire InterArmes du Cameroun) as well as various schools for engineers, nurses and diplomats).

The largest hospital is the Central Hospital of Yaoundé (Hôpital Central de Yaounde) with 650 beds. Yaoundé General Hospital (Hôpital Général de Yaoundé - HGY) had 302 beds when it was built in 1985. Other hospitals are the Yaoundé Gynaecology, Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital (Hôpital Gynéco Obstetrique et Pédiatrique de Yaoundé - HGOPY) and the University Hospital Center of Yaoundé (Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Yaoundé - CHU).

The national football (soccer) team plays some of its home matches in the Ahmadou Ahidjo stadium and the football clubs Canon Yaoundé, Impôts FC and Tonnerre Yaoundé are all based in the city. The Grand Prix Chantal Biya, a mean's road bicycle racing event on the UCI Africa Tour starts and finishes in Yaoundé.

The National Institute of Youth and Sport, the school which trained the government worker, who would be in charge of sport all across the country during their career is also based Yaounde.

Yaoundé	Location on the Map