Bamenda, city in northwestern Cameroon, capital of North-West Province. Located 366 km (227 mi) northwest of the Cameroonian capital, Yaoundé, Bamenda is known for its cool climate and scenic hilly location. With air and road links to Yaoundé and Douala, the city has numerous markets, banks, offices, coffee- and cocoa-processing facilities and an important Baptist mission. The local museum and shops display a wide variety of local baskets, beads, woodcarvings and bronze statues. North of Bamenda is the Ring Road, a 367-km (228-mi) circular route through Cameroon's most spectacular mountains. Along this road is Mount Oku (3,000 m/9,800 ft), the Kimbi River Game Reserve, the Metchum River waterfalls, a huge chief's palace at Bafut, and a pyramidal thatched shrine at Achum. In 1986 a gaseous eruption of carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulphide caused 2000 deaths around nearby Lake Nios.
Bamenda's principal ethnic group is the Tikar. In the past, the Tikar faced invasions from peoples in the surrounding hills, and between 1700 and 1800, they joined a confederation established by the Mbum for defense purposes. Bamenda was subjected to German colonialism in the late 19th century and then British administration under a League of Nations mandate after World War I (1914-1918). Today, many of the city's inhabitants are English-speaking.
