Douala - SpeedyLook encyclopedia

Geography

Located in edge of the Atlantic Ocean, with the mouth of the river Wouri, it is the largest port of the country and one of most important of Africa Centrale.
The city extends on two banks from the river and there exists one bridge to pass from a bank to the other.

Climate

Douala - average Temperatures and precipitations

Heat and wet, the climate of Douala is characterized by an about constant temperature, around 26°, and of very abundant precipitations, particularly during rain season, the June to October. The hygroscopy is of 80% in dry season and 99% in season of the pluies.
This climate is favourable with the development of the mosquitos and thus with the Paludisme.

History

Evolution of the population of Douala (in thousands)

At the end of the 19th century, Germany extends its protectorate on Kamerun. Four villages are installed at the bottom of the estuary of the " Rio back camaroes".

On left bank, the Beautiful village (Bona doh), the village Akwa (Bona ku), and the village Deido (Bona ebelle). On Right Bank the village Hickory (which will become later Bonaberi).

These villages are installed at the edge of the river which is their source of life and richness and are directed by of King.

The 3 villages of left bank are separated by Mboppi (Deido and Akwa) and Besseke (Akwa and Bell).

Along the river, one saw the imposing ones and elegant houses generally of wood and glazes of sheets and in front of each one, the hoisted flag designated the owner and his nationality.

The river Wouri (Rio back Camaroes) was a long time in the center of the activity of the incipient city. one practiced there fishing and especially the trade. It is indeed the principal main door of the country where the guests are accommodated and where the various demonstrations at the time of the special occasionss are organized. A bridge will be built and inaugurated in 1954 by the Minister of France of overseas Coste Floret.

Suellaba

Before arriving at Douala, one could stop at the Suellaba village where the German administration had installed a convalescent home. This village was also exploited for the culture of the palm tree with oil. It is also this village which was used as a basis for the Franco-British forces in July 1914 which prepared to drive out the Germans of the Kamerunais territory.

Port of Douala

The first installations were undertaken in 1881 by German firm WOERMAN LINIE following an agreement with kings Duala. It should be noted that until there the European companies traded from boat-bridge moored in the middle of the river. Thus the chiefs reserved the monopoly of the trade with the interior and became the obligatory intermediaries.

At the beginning, the port is in fact a quay built on the level of the Akwa village and it is only about one quay level obtained after having struck the sheeting piles beyond natural bank and having clogged space thus released. The construction of a genuine concrete quay will be undertaken at the end of the 19th century by the Germans under the authority of the governor J. Von Puttkamer. This last is regarded as the manufacturer of Douala because it transformed the traditional African village modern downtown (tracing of broad streets, draining of the marshes of Bonaku and between Akwa and Deido, improvement and enlarging of the port, construction of the dam between Joss and Akwa, beginning of the drain of running water).

The Germans intended to make this most modern port of the coast of West Africa because, they judged that the absence of bar gave him a determining asset. It is in the port area that will be born the first industries from the country.

The station of the railroad

The mouth of the Besseke river which separates the villages Akwa and Bell was a very important crossroads of the city. It is there that the terminus of the " was established; railroad of Center" who was going to connect Douala to Yaounde. In addition to the first built on this level, one also finds there the first and larger market of the city. The two banks will be occupied by the railwaymen and the administrative buildings of the railroads. The station will be established in the valley. The railroad of the Center started under German protectorate will be completed with the beginning of the year 1920. The railway followed the route which the boulevard of Besseke borrows today, on the level of Sonel Koumassi, it went up towards the College Dominique Savio and skirted the factory of the Breweries in direction of the stations of New-Beautiful and Based on the way of Yaounde.

The Market

Installed at the strategic place which the confluence of Besseke with Wouri represented, near the Station, along the Decauville way which connected the port to the Joss plate (administrative residential center) and very close to Akwa. The dugouts came to supply the city in vivres and fish fresh on the spot by penetrating the heart of the market. In order to better take the taxes and taxes and to centralize the commercial points, the colonial administration builds a market at the edge of Besseke about the years 1920.

Rue Japoma

First name of the current boulevard Ahmadou AHIDJO (which was in the passing avenue of August 27th, 1940), it was the first passage between the plates Akwa and Joss passing by the valley of Besseke.

Akwa

Before becoming the commercial district in the years 1930, Akwa was occupied by missions. The first Christian missionaries were English. The person in charge, a certain Alfred Saker pertaining to the company missionary Baptist of London arrived at Cameroun on June 11th, 1845 and remained there until 1876.

Protestant Missions

The first temple of Douala called " BETHEL" was set up at the place where is currently the temple of the Centenary built and inaugurated on March 30th, 1947 (ground placed at the disposal of the mission Baptist of London by King Akwa).

The temple of Bonalembé (which always exists beside Zépol bakery), was built at the end of the 19th century (1899) by the missionaries Baptists of Basle. These missionaries also built a second place of worship (temple of Bonadouma). This temple does not exist any more but it would seem that he was located on the street Paul Soppo Priso.

Catholic Missions

Pallotins arrived at Douala on October 25th, 1890. They are installed on the other end of the Akwa plate on the axis connecting it to the Joss plate. The first church pallotine was built towards the end of the 19th century. The cathedral Saint Pierre-Saint Paul was built beside the first church in the years 1930 and was inaugurated in 1936. It is a work of the French spiritains come to replace the German missionaries in 1916.

Akwa De luxe hotel

Hotel inaugurated in 1951, it is one of the 3 great establishments of class international (with the Meridian line) of the city. It is located on the Boulevard of Freedom.

Joss plate

The Joss plate was the first space of Douala occupied by the Germans because of his situation which overhangs Wouri.

Palate of Beautiful Manga

The Pagoda whose name comes from its architectural style was built in 1905 by king August Manga Ndoumbe (1897 - 1910) which made its studies in England at the Bristol-board university. He is the son of king Ndoumbe Lobe and the father of Rudolf Douala Manga Bell.

About the years 1920, the Pagoda sheltered the offices of the forest company Sangha Oubangui. It also sheltered the seat of the naval company of the west, the hangar with the back was used for the first cinema as Douala " Paradis" , the last stage sheltered a restaurant " the Cross of the sud".

Beautiful

The tenant abandonment action undertaken by the Germans into 1913 towards the district New Bell knew a violent opposition and resulted in death by hanging of Rudolf Duala Manga Bell and its right-hand man Ngosso DIN on August 8th, 1914. The Beautiful one will never occupy this district since the Germans left Cameroun two years later and following the negotiations with the French, it is rather in Bali that they will settle.

Source: Douala-guide.com

Population

With 2,0093 million inhabitants, Douala is more the big city of the Cameroun. The city draws its name from the ethnos group which founded it, the Doualas. Nevertheless, Douala is today a mosaic of the various ethnos groups which compose Cameroun, the city in front of its recent growth with the rural migration which pushed hundreds of thousands of Cameronian to leave their campaigns to settle in the cities.

Religion

Mix ethnos groups of Cameroun and besides, Douala is also multi-confessionnelle.
The tolerance of the inhabitants (specific to the city) makes it possible the various religions harmoniously to cohabit and thus avoids the creation of districts confessionnels.
The principal religions are Christian: catholic worship and Protestants. There exists also a strong minority musulmane.
These last years are remembered by a strong progression of the sects Christian women, often directed by individuals having adopted the trade of Pasteur to earn their living.

Douala is the seat of the Archidiocèse of Douala, where is the Cathédrale Saint Pierre-Saint Paul de Douala (to also Voir: List of the bishops and archbishops of Douala )

Legal mode of the city

Vis-a-vis the danger seeing the town of Douala in the camps of the opposition, the government, by the law n° 87-15 of July 15th, 1987, Douala into urban community (eq will transform. district urban to mode special ). This derogatory mode removes the function of mayor to the profit of a delegate of the government named by the presidency.

The constitutional law of January 18th 1996 modifies the mode of the urban community , which remains directed by a delegate of the government, but which also creates 5 urban communities of district (Douala I, II, III, IV and V) equipped with elected municipal councils.

Economy

The port of Douala

If the town of Douala were essential like economic capital of the country, it is thanks to its port which allowed the development of almost 80% of the industrial activity of Cameroun. With him only, the port drains more than 95% of the harbor traffic of the pays.
The port of Douala-Bonaberi is so far the principal maritime opening of the Cameroun and CEMAC.
The principal exported products are wood (of Cameroun and Central Africa), the fruits (in particular bananas) and oil.

Reprisals of the capacity

Continuations with the operations Dead cities in 1991, on arrival at the head of John Fru Ndi with the poll of 1992 in Douala and the victory of the opposition (Social Democratic Face) to the municipal elections of Douala in 1996, the central government in Yaounde will turn off the tap of the appropriations with Douala, and will amend the finance law since 1996 to centralize on the level of the state the municipal receipts of Douala. Thus, between 1996 and 2001, the town of Douala received only small portions of the budget which was reserved for him (for example, for 1999-2000, the city will receive only 800 million Francs CFA on its budget of 69 billion). The suspension of the municipal budget will make impossible the maintenance of the roadway system, and this one will be degraded little by little.

The roads of the city are thus in a deplorable state and certain districts are inaccessible conveys some during the rain season. The same applies to the water conveyance and the gutters. An epidemic Choléra appeared besides in the city in 2004.

However, this bad roadway system allowed the development of the Bensikins , the taxi-motor bikes of Douala.

However, since the victory of the RDPC (presidential party) to the elections minicipales and legislative of 2002, of many renovation work of the roadway system were implemented.

Corruption

Corruption, omnipresent in Cameroun, blocks the economic development of Douala. Goods transport is regularly taken for target, since, for example, on the axis Douala-Bojongo via Buea, one does not count less than 33 checkpoints or it will have to pay on average 1000 Francs CFA of “parafiscal tax”.

According to Niels Marquartd, former ambassador of the United States in Cameroun, corruption in Cameroun discourages the investment in the country.

The GICAM, employers' federation of Cameroun complains as for him tax and customs harassing of which would be victims the companies.

Exports are slowed down considerably by the bureaucracy of the Cameronian administration, since it is necessary to count on average 10 days to dispatch a container.

Large companies

More the large companies of the country installed their head offices with Douala rather than with Yaounde. This geographical positioning makes it possible the companies to be closest to their outlets (export or local market) and their inputs (port and airport) and enables them to be far away from the ministries for the capital.

Some photographs

the turn of the round not deido

Districts of Douala

Douala counts approximately 120 districts divided into 6 districts. Each district is in oneself a city in the city.

See detailed article: District of Douala

External bonds

Bonaberi.com

Random links:

Olympe de Gouges | Sun d' Or | Hirsingue | Catalan countries | Medveđa