Bertoua

Province

Bertoua ( German: Bertua ) is a city in Cameroon. It is the capital of the province Est and the Department of Lom -et- Djerem. With 218,000 inhabitants ( 2011) it is the only center of the region.

Location

The location of the city is characterized by the transition zone from woodland to savanna.

History

Bertoua (actually Gamane ) is an ancient administrative center of Gbaya and was in pre-colonial times the seat of a Oberhäuptlingstums that was influenced early on by the north neighboring Islamic kingdoms. The city fell after 1903 under German suzerainty. County seat was at this time, however, the further south-west to Dume. Only after the First World War, under the French Mandate, was Bertoua administrative center for East Cameroon.

Economy

Bertoua is the only urban settlement and thus also the economic center of the province. Branches of industry are agriculture ( tobacco cultivation ), forestry and the market traffic, which is frequented by village settlements further afield. Tourism is of no importance. Bertoua has gas station, pharmacy and hospital.

Traffic

The connection is via tarmac roads of Nanga Eboko and Abong - Mbang and an airport. The nearest train station is in Belabo (about 80 km northwest at the track Yaounde Ngaoundéré ), which is also accessible via an asphalt road. In the East routes lead on to Batouri and Yokadouma

Religion

The city is the seat of a Catholic diocese since 1983, since 1994 an archbishopric ( Archdiocese of Bertoua ).