Dschang is a city located in the West (Ouest)

Province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

, with an estimated population of 87,000 (est) in 2001, growing dramatically from 21,705 recorded in 1981. The 2006 Population is estimated to be 200,000 inhabitants. Dschang is the capital of the division of Ménoua. The

Bamiléké The Bamiléké people are an ethnic group of Central Africa that inhabits the Western High Plateau colloquially known as the ''grassfields'' of Cameroon. According to Dr John Feyou de Hapy, Bamiléké means "people of faith". Languages The Bam ...

are the predominant ethnic tribe.

History

Colonial era

The documented history of Dschang began in 1895, when it was invaded by a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

military mission. In 1909, the city replaced

Fontem Fontem is a sub division in the Lebialem division of Cameroon. Consisting of three Fondoms, Lebang, the biggest, Essoh Etah and Fotabong III. Its headquarters are at Menji, they are located in the South West Region, and are west of Dschang and ...

as the capital of a Germany military district. The region where Dschang now exists was then not the place of any major settlement but, instead, was an area that two bordering chiefdoms fought over. The name Dschang translates to "dispute" in the local language. Following Germany's defeat during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Cameroon became both a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

and French possession, France declared Dschang to be the capital of West Province, and developed the city's vacation resort in the 1940s. This resort now forms the basis of Dschang's plans to promote the city as a tourist destination. Dschang-pjt1

Post-colonial era

On January 1, 1960, Cameroon became an independent state, and the regional administration was moved to the city of

Bafoussam Bafoussam is the capital and largest city of the West Region (Cameroon), West Region of Cameroon, in the Bamboutos Mountains. It is the 3rd most important (financially) city in Cameroon, after Yaoundé and Douala. The ''communauté urbaine'' (Urba ...

. Dschang suffered from this move, as much more effort was invested in the infrastructure of Bafoussam. Following the opening of the Université de Dschang (University of Dschang) in 1993, however, foreign interest and developmental investment of the city began to increase, and plans for a drive to increase tourism and the exploitation of mineral deposits will contribute to the city's current development.

Economy and infrastructure

Due to its elevation of 1380 m, Dschang is favoured by relatively cool temperatures and attractive scenery. It is therefore regarded as a mountain tourist resort. Since colonial times, Dschang has been an important agricultural center. Pig production plays a major role. Deposits of the aluminum-bearing ore

bauxite Bauxite () is a sedimentary rock with a relatively high aluminium content. It is the world's main source of aluminium and gallium. Bauxite consists mostly of the aluminium minerals gibbsite (), boehmite (γ-AlO(OH)), and diaspore (α-AlO(OH) ...

have been discovered nearby; however, a lack of infrastructure has prevented full-scale mining operations to date.

Transport

The town is reached by year-round trafficable dust roads or asphalt roads. There are bus connections to

and

Yaoundé Yaoundé (; , ) is the Capital city, capital city of Cameroon. It has a population of more than 2.8 million which makes it the second-largest city in the country after the port city Douala. It lies in the Centre Region (Cameroon), Centre Region o ...

. There is also an airstrip.

Higher education

Since 1993, Dschang has a

university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

with faculties for Agricultural Sciences; Economic Sciences and Business Management; Humanities; Law and Political Sciences; and Sciences. The Faculty for Agricultural Sciences, has been the first faculty and the university continues to be very strong in this thematic area.

Culture

The population of Dschang mainly speaks

Yemba language Yɛmba or Yemba, also Yémba or Bamiléké Dschang, is a major Bamileke language in West Region of Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west an ...

, a

Bamileke The Bamiléké people are an ethnic group of Central Africa that inhabits the Western High Plateau colloquially known as the ''grassfields'' of Cameroon. According to Dr John Feyou de Hapy, Bamiléké means "people of faith". Languages The B ...

language. In early 2011, the Musée des Civilisations du Cameroun à Dschang was inaugurated. This museum offers to discover the origin of the Cameroonian people and the diversity of the country's four large cultural domains via their history, but also their artistic productions, their architectures, and their political and social organizations.

Gallery

File:Lac-Municipal-Dschang. 03.jpg, Dschang Municipal Lake File:Mamy Wata.jpg, Mamy Wata waterfalls File:Chutes de Nsem-Tsa à Dschang.jpg, Nsem-Tsa waterfall in Dschange File:Dschang 14.jpg, Front view of the entrance to the Climate Center File:Dschang 13.jpg, Climate Centre in Dschang File:Dschang 05.jpg, Front view of the Nautical Base in Dschang File:Basseek Fils Miséricorde à DSCHANG.jpg, Inhabitants of Dschang File:Baguettes stall, Dschang, Cameroon.jpg, Bread selling on a street in Dschang File:Entrée de l'Université de Dschang.jpg, Entrance to the University of Dschang File:Pirogue sur les eaux du lac municipal de Dschang 01.jpg, Canoe on the Dschang Municipal Lake File:Pirogue sur les eaux du lac municipal de Dschang 02.jpg

References

External links

University of Dschang

Tourist office of Dschang

{{Authority control Populated places in West Region (Cameroon)