South Region (Cameroon)

South Region
Location of South Region within Cameroon
Coordinates: 2°30′N 11°45′E / 2.500°N 11.750°E / 2.500; 11.750
Country	Cameroon
Capital	Ebolowa
Departments	Dja-et-Lobo, Mvila, Océan, Vallée-du-Ntem
Government
• Governor	Bernard Wongolo
Area
• Total	47,191 km2 (18,221 sq mi)
Population  (2015)
• Total	749,552
• Density	16/km2 (41/sq mi)
HDI (2017)	0.608[1] medium · 3rd of 10

The South Region (

.

The South Region has a fair amount of

subsistence farmers

.

2008 presidential decree abolishes provinces

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. This was to be the end of South.

Geography

Land

The

, where it is mixed. Due to high amounts of leaching, the South's red earth is only marginally productive.

Drainage

Several river systems drain the South Region. The northernmost of these is the

. All of these rivers empty into the Atlantic Ocean.

The

Congo River basin

.

Relief

The South Region begins at sea level on the coast. The land slowly climbs throughout the Kribi-Douala basin, which averages 300–600 metres in altitude, until it reaches the South Cameroon Plateau with elevations of 500 to 1000 metres above sea level. Rocky promontories on the coast and rolling, tree-covered hills inland characterize the land. The Ntem Massif near Ebolowa is the province's highest point at 1400 metres.

Climate

The climate of the South Region is

gets as much as 4000 mm of rain per year. Temperatures are relatively high as well, averaging 24˚ C and 26˚ C from Kribi north along the coast.

In lieu of traditional seasons, the Guinea-type climate affords alternating dry and wet periods. The year begins in a long dry season that lasts from December to May. This is followed by a light wet season from May to June and a short dry season from July to October. A heavy wet season begins around October and lasts through November.

Plant and animal life

The South is almost entirely covered in

, however, allowing sunlight to penetrate to the forest floor and for thick undergrowth to flourish.

Today, the only relatively untouched forest is located in a handful of nature reserves. The Dja Reserve (Réserve du Biosphère du Dja) covers 5,260 km² in the northeastern portion of the province and the south-central portion of the neighbouring East. The Campo Reserve (Réserve du Campo) covers 2,640 km² in the southwest on the border with Equatorial Guinea. Finally, the Mangame Gorilla Sanctuary (Sanctuaire à Gorilles de Mangame) covers 1,224 km² on the Gabon border. In these more virgin areas, the forest is composed of multiple levels. Tall trees about 40 metres high make up the highest stratum. Below these lie smaller, thinner trees with leaves clustered at their tops. The forest bed has very little vegetation as little sunlight penetrates to it.

The southern rain forest supports abundant wildlife, including some of Cameroon's last populations of

.

Demographics

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1976	315,202	—
1987	373,798	+1.56%
2005	634,655	+2.98%
2015	749,552	+1.68%
source:[2]

Settlement patterns

Over 324,000 Cameroonians live in the South Province, and the overall population density is about seven inhabitants per square km. The most populous area is the central region south of Cameroon's capital, Yaoundé, in the neighbouring Centre Province and extending south to Ebolowa, west to Kribi, and east to Sangmélima. The rest of the population lives in the villages and towns built around the roads that criss-cross the terrain. In contrast, the vast tracts of jungle that have little or no road access are scarcely populated. The forest area is also plagued by disease-carrying mosquitoes and blackflies that keep settlers away.

Tradition settlements in the Centre are placed along roads, resulting in large numbers of houses near the road with forest beginning directly behind them. The traditional house is a rectangular structure made of mud bricks and thin, wooden or

palm in the past, but they are more often made of corrugated aluminium, iron, or tin today.

People

The majority of the inhabitants of the South are members of various

. In addition, most inhabitants of the more populated areas can also speak French.

Beti-Pahuin

The Beti portion of the group is primarily situated in the Centre Province, but large numbers of Ewondo and Bane inhabit the Ntem and the Dja and Lobo divisions of the South.

The Fang group lives close to the province's southern borders. The Fang proper are inland on the border with Equatorial Guinea and near Djoum. The Ntumu inhabit the area around Ambam, also on the southern border. The Mvang (or Mvae) occupy the regions directly east and west of the Ntumu. These tribal groups have many more members in Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Congo.

The Bulu form the third group with about a third of the total Beti-Pahuin population. They are further broken down into the Bulu proper, who inhabit the rich cocoa producing area from Kribi to Ebolowa and east through Sangmélima and Djoum. Inland from Kribi live the Pahuin proper, centered on the villages of Bivouba and Fifinda. The Zaman occupy the valley of the Dja River.

Other tribes

Several non-Pahuin tribes also inhabit parts of the South. Several related peoples who speak

live inland from the border with Equatorial Guinea to Ngumba territory. Most of these tribes have their own distinct languages.

The South is also home to some of Cameroon's oldest continuous inhabitants,

, and Kribi. These pygmy groups are becoming increasingly sedentary, however, taking up lifestyles very similar to their Beti-Pahuin and Makaa–Njem-speaking neighbours and intermarrying with them.

Religion

, animists still greatly outnumber Christians.

Economy

The South is one of Cameroon's most economically robust areas due to its numerous plantations and the tourism generated by its scenic beaches. The area's economic stronghold, however, is the port of Kribi, which services the Gulf of Guinea. Campo, near the border with Equatorial Guinea, is another important port.

Agriculture

Sustenance farming

The majority of farming in the South Province is done on the sustenance level.

, and other foodstuffs are raised in more modest quantities.

Traditional farms are placed in forest plots that are cleared with basic tools such as axes, hoes, and machetes. This is done during the dry season, and the resulting brush is then burned, with care taken to preserve any fruit trees. Planting occurs at the start of the wet season. Vegetables and spices are grown close to the house, while tubers such as cassava, cocoyams, and yams are planted with plantains in larger fields further into the forest. Plots are fertilised with farmyard manure. Farmers harvest at the beginning of the next dry season.

These

methods provide high yields the first year or two, but they eventually drain the soil of fertility. This necessitates the clearing of more farmland every few years, as this exhausted land can remain infertile for up to ten years. This presents little problem in the South's more underpopulated areas, but can pose difficulties in areas of higher population density.

Plantation farming

The South's equatorial climate makes it suitable for large plantations, as well. Cocoa is the major

is harvested near Campo.

Other food sources

The South is also home to various animal husbandry operations. Poultry farms operate in the towns of Ebolowa and Sangmélima. Modest cattle rearing takes place inland from Kribi, as well, though the area's thick forests and the presence of the tsetse fly prevents larger-scale operations. Kribi is also the base for various commercial fishing interests that operate along the province's coast.

Rural inhabitants of the South also practice

from the region.

Industry

With ocean access and vast tracts of forest, the South is home to a good deal of industry.

rivers.

The South also has a fair amount of mineral wealth. Iron ore is mined near Campo and Kribi. Natural gas is found offshore of Campo, and a Kribi-based plant has been processing this since the 1980s. Perhaps the region's most lucrative resource is oil. This, too, is found off the coast of Campo. But more importantly, the South Province is located at the terminus of the Chad-Cameroon oil pipeline, which was completed in June 2004. The pipe's mouth is located just south of Kribi, a fact that promises to bring in high revenues for both Cameroon and the province.

Transportation

For a region so heavily forested, the South has a fairly developed transportation network. Four main roads service the greater area of the region. The first of these, National Road 2, runs from Yaoundé to Ambam and then to the border with Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. National Road 7 is located completely in the South, travelling along the coast from Kribi to Campo. National Road 9 comes south from Yaoundé via Mbalmayo and then to Sangmélima, Djoum, and Mintom. Finally, National Road 17 begins at Sangmélima and goes to Megong before crossing the border to Gabon. Other major roads cover the stretches between Mbalmayo and Ebolowa and between Kribi and Edéa in the Littoral Province. Of these, the route from Edéa to Kribi and from Ebolowa and Sangmélima to Yaoundé are paved. All other roads in the province are dirt, and thus subject to weather conditions.

The South is also accessible via sea and air. The major seaports are Kribi and Campo, though Kribi is busier. Kribi is also the site of the regional airport. There are also airstrips at Ambam, Campo, Ebolowa, and Sangmélima.

Tourism

The South sees a good number of tourists due largely to its long, white-sand beaches. These run along the entire coastline, though the easiest to reach are at Kribi and Lobé. Kribi is the most popular destination due to its accessibility from Douala and Yaoundé via paved roads. It is also the largest beachfront town in the South, and it has an active

". The undertow at Campo is less dangerous, though the difficult road to reach that town keeps most holiday-seekers away.

Lobé, only a few kilometres south of Kribi, is another popular spot with tourists due to its even more isolated beaches and the picturesque Lobé Falls (chutes de Lobé), found where the Lobé River empties into the Atlantic. Local artists and vendors frequent the area around the falls, as do drivers offering to take passengers to Kribi or 65 km further south to see the Lala Pygmy village Elogbatindi, .

In addition, the Cameroonian government is working with various

runs another project that takes travellers to the Campo Reserve and then to traditional homes in Ebodjé, a village 25 km north.

• Places in Lobé and Kribi
• 
  Lobe Beach
• 
  Lobé Falls
• 
  Kibi Débarcadère
• 
  Kribi Down Beach

Administration and social conditions

With the opening of the Chad-Cameroon pipeline in 2003, the population of the South Region only promises to grow as more industry moves to the area, particularly the coast, making the South an important target for Cameroonian politicians.

President Paul Biya, himself a Bulu from a village near Sangmélima, enjoys widespread support in the South due to its place as the heart of Bululand. However, Biya has often been accused of showing favouritism toward members of the Bulu and closely related Beti groups, and a disproportionate number of Bulu and Beti today work in the civil service, in government posts, or in state-owned businesses. On the other hand, Biya has repeatedly shown intolerance of any opposition from his Bulu-Beti base. In 1996, for example, South Region native and Biya aide Titus Edzoa announced his candidacy for the presidency and was arrested on embezzlement charges, apparently at Biya's urging.

Government

The capital of the region is Ebolowa, where the presidentially appointed governor has his offices. The region is further divided into four departments (départements), also called divisions, each under the supervision of a presidentially appointed prefect (préfet) or senior divisional officer.

The Océan department is the farthest west, located on the coast and administered from Kribi. Bordering this are the Vallée-du-Ntem (Ntem-Valley) department, governed from Ambam, and the Mvila department, headed from Ebolowa. Farthest east is the Dja-et-Lobo (Dja and Lobo) department, with Sangmélima its capital.

The Beti-Pahuin and other ethnic groups in the South have little traditional political organisational structure. Instead, groups of families are loosely organised into clans under a single patriarch. During the French colonial period, the Bulu formed a tribal union of their various clans. Today, these elders hold little actual power, and most such positions are merely honorary.

Education

There are 972 schools in the territory. Most of these are located in the area's larger towns and villages. Attendance numbers diminish as one moves into the area's frontiers, particularly the vast, forested areas south of Ebolowa and Sangmélima. Here, students are expected to walk long distances to attend school each day, or else to stay with relatives or alone in towns where schools are located. This problem is not as pronounced at the level of primary school, as these tend to be more widely distributed even in the remoter areas. Nevertheless, all schools in the region tend to be overcrowded.

Health

Poor

epidemic.

As it is almost entirely forested, the South supports many disease-carrying organisms. Malaria-bearing mosquitoes are one such pest, and the disease is a major health hazard in the region. Other parasitic diseases found in the South include dengue fever, falariasis, tuberculosis, and typhoid fever.

in many cases.

History

Early population movements

Archaeological finds in the areas of Kribi and Lobé attest to human presence in the territory of the South Province since prehistory. Of the area's current inhabitants, the earliest to arrive were the Pygmies, who moved in from further south and east in ancient times and lived for centuries as hunter-gatherers in the forests. The Batanga arrived and settled the coastal areas in the 18th century.

The Beti-Pahuin Bantu groups entered the area in the 19th century from the northeast, south of the

at this time, as well.

Once across the Sanaga, in present-day East and Centre Provinces, the various tribal groups settled individually in family groups, or clans. The Ntumu, Fang, and Mvae moved toward the Dja valley and into present-day Gabon while the Bulu travelled west along the Nyong to their present territory. The Beti formed the final wave.

European contacts

Europeans knew the entire western coast of the present-day South Province since Portuguese ships first explored it in 1472. The Portuguese set up trade with the natives, collecting particularly pepper, ivory, kola nuts, and slaves. Other Europeans followed the Portuguese, and the Dutch became the most active by the 17th century. Minor trading centers emerged, including Kribi and Campo. Trade was carried out on the Europeans' ships, allowing the coastal tribes to set themselves up as go-betweens, finding slaves from the interior and distributing goods obtained from the Europeans. In fact, the Beti-Pahuin migration was still taking place during this time, allowing the Bulu to set themselves in such a position.

The

. Under the British, trade was conducted on land, and Europeans quickly set up bases along the coast. For example, a trading post was opened in Grand Batanga in 1828 to service the lower Cameroonian coastline. Slaves continued to be traded clandestinely.

German administration

, particularly to grow cocoa. Much of the road infrastructure of the province dates from Von Zimmerer's time, since the Germans needed a means of travelling along the coast and from plantation to plantation. It was largely the native population who was forced to build these improvements.

As the Germans consolidated their power and conscripted workers, they faced resistance from the indigenous peoples. Of Cameroon's southern groups, the Bulu revolted first in 1891 in protest over their loss to the Germans of their lucrative trade position. Von Zimmerer's army finally suppressed the rebellion in 1895. That same year, the Ewondo rose up until the colonials were able to suppress them in 1896. Germany also replaced native chiefs with more sympathetic ones when they deemed it necessary.

Jesko Von Pultkamer became governor of German Kamerun in 1895. He accelerated the creation of plantations through the southern forest zone, which created more need for conscripted native labourers. In 1907, the Ewondo rebelled once more, but the Germans again suppressed them.

French administration

In 1916, France gained control of most of Germany's Cameroonian territory at the end of World War I. Under French administration, the present South Province fell into the Kribi-Lolodorf-Campo district, governed from Kribi, and the Ebolowa-Akoafim district, governed from Ebolowa.

The French maintained the various German-founded plantations and started new ones, including

. They also continued Germany's policy of propping up puppet chiefs of the various native peoples. The French greatly expanded the road network through the region and improved the port at Kribi, albeit still with native forced labour.

Post-independence

Upon Cameroon's independence in 1960, the present-day Centre and South Provinces were one territory called the Centre-South. In 1982, Paul Biya became the second president of Cameroon. One of his first moves was to separate the Centre-South into the modern Centre and South Provinces in August, 1983.

Geology

The West African coast has several

^: 217 The gas-water contact shows up as a seismic amplitude event. .[3]^: 217

Culture

Traditional dance accessories

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Traditional Dances

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Traditional musical instruments

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  Mvêt

Towns and settlements

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References

• Fanso, V.G., Cameroon History for Secondary Schools and Colleges, Vol. 1: From Prehistoric Times to the Nineteenth Century. Hong Kong: Macmillan Education Ltd, 1989.
• Neba, Aaron, Ph.D., Modern Geography of the Republic of Cameroon, 3rd ed. Bamenda: Neba Publishers, 1999.
• Ngoh, Victor Julius, History of Cameroon Since 1800. Limbé: Presbook, 1996.