The Northwest Region, or North-West Region is one of ten regions in Cameroon. Its regional capitol is Bamenda. The Northwest Region is part of the Southern Cameroons, found in the western highlands of Cameroon. It is bordered to the southwest by the Southwest Region, to the south by the West Region, to the east by the Adamawa Region, and to the north by Nigeria. Various Ambazonian nationalist and separatist factions regard the region as being distinct as a polity from Cameroon.
Bamenda, also known as Abakwa and Mankon Town, is a city in northwestern Cameroon and capital of the Northwest Region. The city has a population of about 2 million people and is located 366 kilometres (227 mi) north-west of the Cameroonian capital, Yaoundé. Bamenda is known for its cool climate and scenic hilly location.
The Bamileke are a Grassfields ethnic group. They make up the largest ethnic group in Cameroon and inhabit the country's western region. The Bamileke are subdivided into several tribes, each under the guidance of a King or fon. They speak a number of related languages from the Eastern Grassfields branch of the Grassfields language family.
Bafut is a town located in a modern commune in Cameroon, it is also a traditional fondom. It is located in the Mezam Department, which in turn is located in the Northwest Province.
Mankon is a geo-historic community constituting a large part of Bamenda in Cameroon, formed as an amalgamation of about five different ethnic groups. The Mankon fondom (kingdom) represents one of the oldest monarchies of the grassfield people of the Northwest Province. The fondom is ruled by a fon (king) with rights to kinghood acquired by birth. The crowned fon is usually a designated son of the deceased king, a child who was born only during his reign.
Jacqueline Sonia Durrell was the first wife of Gerald Durrell. She assisted him on several of his animal collecting expeditions, and with Jersey Zoo that he founded.
The Fon of Bafut is the fon or Mfor of the town of Bafut and its adjoining areas in the Northwest Province, Cameroon, which comprise the erstwhile Fondom of Bafut. At present, the Fon of Bafut is still a local ruler, but under the jurisdiction of the Government of Cameroon, and a board of Fons. Bafut is one of the largest villages in the North West Province.
The Bafut Wars were a series of wars fought in the early 20th century between the troops of the Fon of Bafut and German-backed troops of neighbouring fondoms and German troops. The wars ultimately led to a defeat for the Fon of Bafut, forcing him into exile, and making the Fondom of Bafut part of the German protectorate of Kamerun.
Achirimbi II was the tenth Fon ("King") who ruled over the town of Bafut and adjoining areas in a semi-autonomous fashion. His reign lasted from 1932 to 1968, and included the time of handover from the British protectorate of British Cameroon to the independent country of Cameroon. He was preceded by Abumbi I and succeeded by Abumbi II.
A Fon is a chieftain or king of a region of Cameroon, especially among the Widikum, Tikar, and Bamiléké peoples of the Bamenda grass fields and the Lebialem of the South West Region. Though once independent rulers, most Fons were brought under German rule or military subjugation during the colonial period. Following the defeat of Germany in World War I, the Fons of British Cameroon came under British rule, and the Fons of French Cameroon came under French rule. Since Cameroon's independence in 1961, the Fons are under the jurisdiction of the Government of Cameroon. However, they maintain semi-autonomous union councils and jurisdiction over their hereditary land.
The Fondom of Bafut political system centred on the Fon or Mfor who was the fount of the political and religious life of the people.
The Nso are a people of the Bamenda grass fields Northwest Region of Cameroon. Their traditional language is Lamnso and their capital is Kumbo – where the Palace of the Fon is found.
Bambui is an emerging township in northwestern Cameroon. With a population of about 17,000 people, it is located at an elevation of about 1350 metres above sea level. Administratively, Bambui is the headquarters of Tubah Sub-Division in the North West Region of Cameroon. Popularly known to its inhabitants as “abeh-mbeuh,” Bambui is one of the Bamenda grassfield communities of Cameroon, and is known for its mix of modern and indigenous African life. With its lush, rolling, and fertile plains, a mild tropical climate, and an extremely industrious farming community, Bambui is the bread basket of the North West Region in particular and of Cameroon in general. Lying snug in the immense arms of the Sabga hill, Bambui is situated between Sabga and the undulating foothills that separate it with its neighbors, virtually in the shape of a bowl. Bambui is located at the cross-roads that lead to some of the North West Region's major towns of Bamenda, Ndop, Kumbo, Fundong and Nkambé.
The Regions of Cameroon are divided into 58 divisions or departments. The divisions are further sub-divided into sub-divisions (arrondissements) and districts. The divisions are listed below, by province.
The Bafut Beagles by British naturalist Gerald Durrell tells the story of Durrell's 1949 expedition to the Cameroons collecting animals for zoos, made with Kenneth Smith. Published in 1954, it was Durrell's third book for popular audiences.
The Widikum people are an ethnic group of Cameroon and are one of the largest ethnic groups of the North-West Region of Cameroon.
The Menchum River and its tributaries drains a large area of the Northwest Region of Cameroon. It in turn is a tributary of the Benue River in Nigeria.
Balikumbat is a village located in Balikumbat Sub Division, Ngoketunjia Division of the North West Region, Cameroon. Balikumbat is the Sub Divisional Headquarter of Balikumbat Sub Division and located about 20.9 km from Ndop town.
Men Own the Fields, Women Own the Crops: Gender and Power in the Cameroon Grassfields is a 1996 anthropological book written by Miriam Goheen that collects observations made by Goheen during a sixteen year long stay with the Nso people of Cameroon. During this time she studied the gender and power dynamics between the elite class and the Nso women.
Bafutpeople, also known as Fut or Bufu people are a Grassfields ethnic group located in the Tuba Subdivision of the North West Province, Cameroon.
