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Yaoundé

General Information about Yaoundé

Yaounde is the capital and second largest city of the African nation Cameroon. Yaounde is home to over 1.4 million people and is situated in the centre of Cameroon, around 750 metres above sea level. Yaounde was founded in 1888 by German traders so is a relatively new city. During World War I, Belgian troops occupied the area but after the war France gained control of Yaounde. The most commonly spoken languages here are French and English.

There are many interesting places to visit in Yaounde including government houses and a central market as well as many restaurants and nightclubs and a zoo. Yaounde also has a few museums. The most popular being the Cameroon Art Museum, the Cameroon National Museum and the Afhemi Museum. The Cameroon Art Museum is located in a former Benedictine monastery and the Cameroon National Museum is located in the former Presidential Palace.

Also in Yaounde is the multi-purpose Stade Omnisports, or Ahmadou Ahidjo. This stadium was built in 1972 and is mainly used for football matches. The Stade Omnisports is the home stadium for both the Canon Yaounde and Tonnerre Yaounde football clubs.

There are also many educational institutes in Yaounde including three major universities and many professional schools. The University of Yaounde I and the University of Yaounde II (which is a campus located outside of town) are both found here as well as the Catholic University for Central Africa. The professional schools here include the Ecole Normal Superieur for teachers as well as various schools for engineering and nursing.

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