Leg 281 FKYS Yaoundé (Cameroon) to FKKN N'gaoundere (Cameroon)
FKYS - Airport Info
;)
ICAO code: FKYS
Airport name: Nsimalen
Location: Yaoundé
Useful information
Airport elevation:
Time zone:
Lighted runways:
Maximum runway lenght:
Runway surface:
Instrument approach (ILS, LOC, LDA, and SDF):
Yaoundé Info
Yaoundé, is the capital city of Cameroon and second largest city in the country after Douala. It lies in the centre of the nation at about 750 metres (2,500 ft) above sea level.
Yaoundé was founded in 1888 by German traders as a base for the ivory trade and an agricultural research station. It was occupied by Belgian troops during World War I. After Germany's defeat, France became the colonial power in eastern Cameroon, and Yaoundé became the capital of French Cameroon. It has continued as the capital of the Republic of Cameroon until the present day.
Major industries in Yaoundé include cigarettes, dairy products, breweries, clay, glass goods, and lumber. Yaoundé is a regional distribution center for coffee, cocoa, copra, sugar cane, and rubber.
The city centre houses government offices, some hotels, and the central market. The Bastos neighbourhood, with most homes owned by Cameroonians, is home to foreign embassies and the expatriate European community (drawn mainly from the diplomatic corps). The presidential palace and compound is in the Etoudi neighborhood.
Also found in Yaoundé are the cathedral, the Cameroon Art Museum (located in a former Benedictine monastery), the Cameroon National Museum (located in the former presidential palace), and the Afhemi Museum. There is a small zoo in the Mvog-Betsi neighbourhood.
Yaoundé has a small assortment of nightclubs and restaurants.
FKKN - Airport Info
ICAO code: FKKN
Airport name: N'gaoundere
Location: N'gaoundere
Useful information
Airport elevation:
Time zone:
Lighted runways:
Maximum runway lenght:
Runway surface:
Instrument approach (ILS, LOC, LDA, and SDF):
N'gaoundere Info
N'Gaoundéré is the capital of the Adamawa Province of Cameroon. It lies at the northern end of the railway to Yaoundé and is also home to an airport. The current city was founded in approximately 1835 by the Fulani leader Ardo Njobdi, although the site had previously been an Mbum capital as well. Attractions in the city include the Lamido Palace and the Lamido Grand Mosque. The name Ngaoundéré is a composite word in the Mbum language meaning Navel-Mountain, where "Ngaou" means mountain and "ndéré" means navel. The town is named after a nearby mountain.
The Mbum are the indigenous population of Ngaoundéré and the immediate area. The Fulani invaded the area in the 19th century, becoming the ruling caste of the area. Being the largest city in Adamaoua by far, Ngaoundéré attracts numerous settlers from the surrounding rural areas, including Díi from further north, Gbaya from the Meiganga area, and Pere from the west. The population expanded precipitously after completion of the railway with a large percentage of that population originating from outside of Adamaoua Province. This is evident in the ironic dichotomy between the so-called Grand Marché, adjacent to the Grand Mosqué and housing mainly local merchants, and the much larger Petit Marché located to the northwest in a neighborhood housing a population largely originating in the southern provinces of Cameroon.
The city has a mixture of numerous religions. There are approx 60% muslims, most are rather pragmatic with regards to religious observancy. There are further 30% Christians of various denominations, including Lutheran Protestant, Catholic, Baptist and Anglican. There has traditionally been few problems between the various religions, but a radicalization of Islam does seem to have taken place the last 10 years or so. Married women in the area have traditionally worn a cloth over their hair (irrespective of religion), but garments like Hijab were previously almost unknown. Some Muslim women now choose to wear the hijab, but other Muslim dresses like the burqa are unknown.