Douala is Cameroon´s largest city. I want to show it to you ´cos Cameroon is Nigeria´s neighbour, Whom of you have been to Douala or Cameroon? So maybe someone can join the debate and give some insight or general comments!

Population:
around 18 million (2006)

Ethnic groups:
Cameroon Highlanders 31%, Equatorial Bantu 19%, Kirdi 11%, Fulani 10%, Northwestern Bantu 8%, Eastern Nigritic 7%, other African 13%, 30 000 Chinese, 6 000 French, 4 000-5 000 Lebanese and others

Religions:
indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 40%, Muslim 20%

Languages:
24 major African language groups, English (official), French (official)

Economy - overview:
Because of its modest oil resources and favorable agricultural conditions, Cameroon has one of the best-endowed primary commodity economies in sub-Saharan Africa. Still, it faces many of the serious problems facing other underdeveloped countries, such as a top-heavy civil service and a generally unfavorable climate for business enterprise. Since 1990, the government has embarked on various IMF and World Bank programs designed to spur business investment, increase efficiency in agriculture, improve trade, and recapitalize the nation's banks. In June 2000, the government completed an IMF-sponsored, three-year structural adjustment program; however, the IMF is pressing for more reforms, including increased budget transparency, privatization, and poverty reduction programs. International oil and cocoa prices have a significant impact on the economy.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$42.2 billion (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$16.37 billion (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
4.1% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$2,400 (2006 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 45.2%
industry: 16.1%
services: 38.7% (2006 est.)

Exports - partners:
Spain 17.3%, Italy 13.8%, France 9.5%, South Korea 8.1%, UK 8.1%, Netherlands 7.9%, Belgium 4.9%, US 4.3% (2005)

Imports - partners:
France 21%, Nigeria 15%, Belgium 6.3%, China 5.6%, US 5.1%, Thailand 4.5%, Germany 4.2% (2005)


[img]http://images.world66.com/ph/ot/o_/photo_1_galleryfull128[/img]








Douala highrises

































a building is under construction over there















one Douala highrise building

[imghttp://farm1.static.flickr.com/63/171915253_0c22f05b46_o.jpg[/img]http://farm1.static.flickr.com/92/245363451_c022f2a5dd_o.jpg[/img]


[img]http://images.world66.com/ci/ty/_g/city_galleryfull[/img]

[img]http://images.world66.com/mt/n_/bu/mtn_building_galleryfull[/img]

[img]http://sserra76.free.fr/douala/images/douala1475.JPG[/img]

[img]http://sserra76.free.fr/douala/images/douala1474.JPG[/img]

[img]http://sserra76.free.fr/douala/images/douala3245.JPG[/img]

[img]http://sserra76.free.fr/douala/images/douala3238.JPG[/img]

[img]http://sserra76.free.fr/douala/images/douala0669.JPG[/img]

[img]http://maxexperience-photos.chez.tiscali.fr/photos/Cameroun/Mars2005/Cameroun-RoadLimbeDouala14.jpeg[/img]

[/img]http://farm1.static.flickr.com/92/245363451_c022f2a5dd_o.jpg[/img]

[img]http://sserra76.free.fr/douala/images/douala3255.JPG[/img]

when it rains some side roads of Doula can turn into,



at a bar



some more highrises in Douala














fruit market in Douala









a photo taken inside Douala International Airport

at Douala International Airport

[img]http://www.myaviation.net/search/display_photo.file?filename=3/7/4/00466473.jpg&ZyXtCe=MTkzMTQx&id=00466473&ViD=middle[/img]

taken from the plane you can see the gates

[img]http://www.myaviation.net/search/display_photo.file?filename=0/6/7/00765760.jpg&ZyXtCe=MTkzMzI4&id=00765760&ViD=middle[/img]

Makes Lagos almost look like a well ordered city

Though I would like to see some shots of Lagos at
street level and not just the high-rises DBLOCK
and co are fond of posting.

Thanks for posting those picture,Yes I live in yaoundé the political capital of cameroun, there is no way you can compare cameroun with Nigeria, nigeria is heaven to cameroun,even the poorest state in naija is more orderly and more beautiful than cameroun.

Thanks for posting those picture,Yes I live in yaoundé the political capital of cameroun, there is no way you can compare cameroun with Nigeria, nigeria is heaven to cameroun,even the poorest state in naija is more orderly and more beautiful than cameroun.

Echideme, are you Cameroonian? Well, Douala also has some nice buildings and places, but if you are from Cameroon, please can you tell me what happened to Douala, it used to be a nice and orderly city in the 70´s and 80´s or am I wrong?

And how is Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon, is it better than Douala? what about entrepreneurs? Cameroonian people are also dynamic people like Nigerians I have heard! I´ve never been to your country but I would like to find out, please give me an honest reply! And what about tousrism in Cameroon, Cameroon is a nice country, it has a beautiful lanscape!

Hope you can answer me those questions!

Africans should be encouraged to do annual renovation, painting etc. this will make old building look like new.

good job with the pix.

Dear Constantin: Thanks for your post and inquiry, actually am not a camerounian, an Nigerian from Abia state, but I live and do my business here in yaoundé cameroun. The pictures you sent are all douala pictures, when I have a free time I will post yaoundé pictures for you ok?

Douala is like Lagos while Yaoundé is like former Enugu state or Abuja,is cool here, even the whether here is always cooled, cos of the numerous mountains that surround yaoundé you will hadly feel your in Africa,because of the cooled, not too much though.

Yes Douala use to be very nice in the 70's and 80's till there was a political riot and the Citizens burn down many infrastructures including destroying the former beautiful roads,the old man thats the President who has been in power more than 27 years refuse to rebuild anything again in douala, hence thats way those roads are like that, but not all part of douala is like that though.

Cameroun is better than nigeria only in terms of constant electricity, constance water supply, and Security,business also is good here I mean that why we are .

Catch you later.

Dear Constantin: Thanks for your post and inquiry, actually am not a camerounian, an Nigerian from Abia state, but I live and do my business here in yaoundé cameroun. The pictures you sent are all douala pictures, when I have a free time I will post yaoundé pictures for you ok?

Douala is like Lagos while Yaoundé is like former Enugu state or Abuja,is cool here, even the whether here is always cooled, because of the numerous mountains that surround yaoundé you will hadly feel your in Africa,because of the cooled, not too much though.

Yes Douala use to be very nice in the 70's and 80's till there was a political riot and the Citizens burn down many infrastructures including destroying the former beautiful roads,the old man thats the President who has been in power more than 27 years refuse to rebuild anything again in douala, hence thats way those roads are like that, but not all part of douala is like that though.

Cameroun is better than nigeria only in terms of constant electricity, constance water supply, and Security,business also is good here I mean that why we are .

Catch you later.



Thanks for your reply!

Cameroon´s currency is strong as opposed to our Nigerian currency, right? That gives the country some fiscal discipline.

I still have a few questions:

1.) Are many people in Cameroon speaking English or only French?
2.) Are there as many rich people in Cameroon as in Nigeria? Despite poverty in Nigeria, you can see big big houses for miles on end? Is that the same in Cameroon? What about the urban middle-classes in Cameroon?
3.) Are many investors coming to Cameroon? (Nigerian, French, Chinese etc.) and are Cameroonian open-minded people?
4.) And what about Cameronnian people, how are they like in general? Same like Nigerians or somehow different?

I would really be glad if you find the time to answer me those questions!

I know that cameroon is Nigeria´s neigbour but I know very little of that country.

Do you want to come to cameroun? anywhere send me an email offline, I will give you all what you want to know. see my profil and get my email.

Remain Bless

thanks for pics.

Questions: why is that all of sub-sahara africa all same; dirty, guttered-roads, unkept building, same building architecture etc??

cant any nation stand out among the crowds

thanks for the pics. i am dating a cameroonian and have been doing some research on it. i know africa is mostly the same but this is kinda bad. Not sure if i can adapt it as my home. Is the countryside better?

Echidime:


Dear Constantin: Thanks for your post and inquiry, actually am not a camerounian, an Nigerian from Abia state, but I live and do my business here in yaoundé cameroun. The pictures you sent are all douala pictures, when I have a free time I will post yaoundé pictures for you ok?

Douala is like Lagos while Yaoundé is like former Enugu state or Abuja,is cool here, even the whether here is always cooled, cos of the numerous mountains that surround yaoundé you will hadly feel your in Africa,because of the cooled, not too much though.

Yes Douala use to be very nice in the 70's and 80's till there was a political riot and the Citizens burn down many infrastructures including destroying the former beautiful roads,the old man thats the President who has been in power more than 27 years refuse to rebuild anything again in douala, hence thats way those roads are like that, but not all part of douala is like that though.

Cameroun is better than nigeria only in terms of constant electricity, constance water supply, and Security,business also is good here I mean that why we are .

Catch you later.

Dear Echidime, i must commend u for ur honesty and objectivity. I am a Cameroonian but i live in Lagos. One of ur paragraphs put it all right which says Cameroon is only better than Nigeria only in terms of constant electricity, security and drinkable water. Let me also add that Cameroon has enough food supply, good educational system and also has a good media censorship that would somewhat contain rubbish media published nonsense as is the case with unregistered news papers spreading political junk here in Nigeria. However if Nigeria could provide its citizenry with just these aforementioned....then Africans would reject America in favour of beloved Naija.

Confession14:
Dear Echidime, i must commend u for ur honesty and objectivity. I am a Cameroonian but i live in Lagos. One of ur paragraphs put it all right which says Cameroon is only better than Nigeria only in terms of constant electricity, security and drinkable water. Let me also add that Cameroon has enough food supply, good educational system and also has a good media censorship that would somewhat contain rubbish media published nonsense as is the case with unregistered news papers spreading political junk here in Nigeria. However if Nigeria could provide its citizenry with just these aforementioned....then Africans would reject America in favour of beloved Naija.

can I be ur friend? will love to knw more abt u.

Nigeria GOOD Ooo

Better ,neater and cleaner than Oshodi,Makoko and Ajegunle. Definetely worth a visit.

babasin:
thanks for pics.

Questions: why is that all of sub-sahara africa all same; dirty, guttered-roads, unkept building, same building architecture etc??

cant any nation stand out among the crowds

weathering and some other things.