Yaounde

The earliest inhabitants of Cameroon were likely the Bakas (pygmies), who still inhabit the forests of the south and east regions. Bantu speakers originating in the Cameroonian highlands were among the first groups to move out before other invaders. During the late 1770s and early 1800s, the Fulani—a pastoral Islamic people of the western Sahel—conquered most of what is now northern Cameroon, subjugating or displacing its largely non-Muslim inhabitants. The outpost of Epsumb or Jeundo was founded between the Nyong and Sanaga rivers at the northern edge of the area's forests in 1887, 1888, or February 1889 by the German explorers Lt. Richard Kund and Hans Tappenbeck by the agreement of the chiefs of Ela Esono. From December 1889 to May 1895, it was occupied by the German botanist Georg August Zenker as an agricultural research station named Jaunde after the local Yaunde or Ewondo people. …

Yaoundé features a tropical wet and dry climate (Aw), and it is thermally equatorial rather than tropical, with a narrow range of monthly temperatures throughout the year. However, primarily due to the altitude, temperatures are not quite as hot as one would expect for a city located near the equator. Yaoundé has a lengthy wet season, covering a ten-month span between March and November. However, there is a noticeable decrease in precipitation within the wet season, seen during the month of July, almost giving the city the appearance of having two separate rainy seasons; this is because the city is only slightly north of the equator. It is primarily due to the relative lull in precipitation during this month that Yaoundé features a tropical wet and dry climate, as opposed to a tropical monsoon climate.

The city centre houses government offices, some hotels, and the central market. The Bastos district, with most homes owned by Cameroonians, is home to foreign embassies and the expatriate European, American and other continental communities (drawn mainly from the diplomatic corps). The presidential palace and compound are in the Etoudi district. Also found in Yaoundé are: the Reunification Monument the Sport Palace (Palais des Sports) Palais des Congrès There is a small zoo in the Mvog-Betsi neighbourhood. Yaoundé has a small assortment of pubs, nightclubs and restaurants. A distance outside Yaoundé is the NGO Ape Action Africa, which rescues and rehabilitates great apes threatened with extinction by the illegal bushmeat and deforestation trades.

Most of Yaoundé's economy is centred on the administrative structure of the civil service and the diplomatic services. Owing to these high-profile central structures, Yaoundé has a higher standard of living and security than the rest of Cameroon. Major industries in Yaoundé include tobacco, dairy products, beer, clay, glass goods and timber. It is also a regional distribution centre for coffee, cocoa, copra, sugar cane and rubber. Local residents engage in urban agriculture. The city is estimated to have "50,000 pigs and over a million chickens." In 2010, under Mayor Jean Claude Adjessa Melingui, Yaoundé began a flood reduction project, the Yaoundé City Sanitation Master Plan, to deal with "severe floods [that] disrupted the city 15 to 20 times a year, affecting as many as 100,000 people at a time. …

Two trans-African automobile routes pass through Yaoundé: Tripoli-Cape Town Highway Lagos-Mombasa Highway Many bus companies operate from the city; particularly in the Nsam and Mvan districts. Frequent buses run on the road between Yaoundé and Douala, which has witnessed several fatal accidents. Travel time by road between Douala and Yaounde is approximately 3 hours. Traffic in the city can be heavy during weekdays, but is very light during the weekends. Yaoundé has made significant progress in infrastructure, especially road construction. Yaoundé Nsimalen International Airport is a major civilian hub, while nearby Yaoundé Airport is used by the military. Train lines run west to the port city of Douala and north to N'Gaoundéré.

Pierre Hervé Ateme Elanga, Cameroonian former professional footballer Jean-Pierre Bekolo, born in Yaoundé, film director Jeanne-Louise Djanga, poet, novelist and choreographer Arnold Ebiketie, outside linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles Joel Embiid, professional basketball player, Philadelphia 76ers Breel Embolo, Swiss professional footballer Jeando Fuchs, born in Yaoundé, professional footballer for English club Peterborough United Dominique Malonga, born in Yaoundé, professional basketball player, Seattle Storm Luc Mbah a Moute, professional basketball player, NBA Charles Minlend, professional basketball player, 2003 Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP Francis Ngannou, UFC heavyweight champion Achille Njanke, Cameroonian footballer Ngando Pickett, Cameroonian football fan Youssoufa Moukoko, German professional footballer Balep Ba Ndoumbouk, Cameroonian-born Armenian footballer Sa …