Limbe

Limbe also spelled Limbé is a seaside city in the South - West Region of Cameroon. Limbe was founded in 1858 on the southern slopes of Mount Cameroon by the British missionary Alfred Saker. At the 2005 Census, the population was 84,223.

Victoria was founded by the British missionary, Alfred Saker of the Baptist Missionary Society of London in June 1858. Due to this treaty, initially Victoria and its surroundings were not part of the new German colony (Kamerun) and remained under British administration. On May 7, 1886 Great Britain and Germany agreed to exchange Victoria and its environs for German rights at the Forcados River in Nigeria and St. Lucia in South Africa. On March 28, 1887 Victoria and its vicinity were handed over to the German administration. At the same time Swiss Presbyterian missionaries bought the land from the Baptist Missionary Society in 1887.

Victoria became British protectorate again in 1915. In 1982 Victoria was renamed by the natives of Bimbia clan as Limbe and has since been known as Limbe.

The official language the Southwest Province use is English, although French is often spoken due to the city's geographic proximity to Douala, where the official language is French. Most of the population speaks Cameroonian Pidgin English. The native language of the region is Bimbia or Isubu.

Limbe is located on a beautiful bay against the backdrop of a major mountain range. The black sand beaches here make Limbe one of the popular sites among Western tourist sites. The Limbe Wildlife Centre and Limbe Botanical Gardens are notable attractions in this town. The Germans also left a Bismarck tower in Limbe. Limbe is by far the best region in the country in terms of night life, and thus considered the best tourist city in the country. Limbe is home to the Bakwerians in Cameroon. This town is the center of Cameroon's oil industry. Other important industries in this town are fishery and tourism. The Port of Limbe is one of the four commercial ports in Cameroon.

In the year, 2008, Limbe became the site for cement works. The head office of Cameroon's largest company known as the Cameroon Development Coorporation (CDC) is sited at Bota in Limbe. There is also a non-operational natural sea port here. Limbe which is a viable tourist destination in Cameroon offers tourist attractions such as the Limbe Wildlife Center, the Limbe Botanical Garden is extensive and its unique dark sand public and private beaches. Several small inns and motels: Atlantic Beach, Guest House, Park and Mirama, Trinity, Savoy Palms, First International Inn (Fini), etc. are available to accommodate both business and tourist guests. Furthermore, a modern hotel facility called ‘The Splendeur’ which was anticipated to be completed by 2013 is also one the great additions to the town. There has been some other developments like the Limbe Stadium to be financed by the state owned Chinese company, the Exim Bank of China.

Limbe	Location on the Map