Discover

(Redirected from Southwest Province (Cameroon))

:''For the region of Burkina Faso, see Sud-Ouest Region.''
'The Southwest Province' is a province of Cameroon. Its capital is Buea. As of 1987, its population was 838,042. Along with the Northwest Province, it is one of the two anglophone (english-speaking) provinces of Cameroon, and has long been a hotbed of separatist resentment against the perceived Francophone domination of the country.
The province is divided into six divisions or ''préfectures'': Fako, Kupe-Manenguba, Lebialem, Manyu, Meme, and Ndian. These are in turn broken down into subdivisions. Presidentially appointed senior divisional officers (''prefets'') and subdivisional officers ''sous-prefets'') govern each respectively.
The province was notable for having the first english-speaking university in Cameroon (the University of Buea), the first vice-chancellor being Professor Tanyi Mbuagbaw. Akin to the Northwest Province, the Southwest enjoys a considerably better infrastructure than its francophone neighbours.

Important towns include the capital Buea, Limbe, Tiko, Kumba and Mamfe. Limbe in particular is a popular tourist resort notable for its fine beaches. Korup National Park is also a major attraction. Buea itself, meanwhile, sits at the foot of Mount Cameroon, and possesses an almost temperate climate markedly different from the rest of the province.