Rumours, preconceived notions, clichés, superstitions, urban legend: What is real? What is fake?
Though it is nicknamed the “city of 7 hills”, does Yaoundé actually have 7 of those?

Though it is nicknamed the “city of 7 hills”, does Yaoundé actually have 7 of those?

Paru le vendredi, 20 octobre 2017 05:29

A much spread legend states that the capital city has 7 hills. Is it true

Some geographers have added Yaoundé to the famous list of cities of seven hills, where are found Paris, Rome, Lisbon, Washington and Pretoria in South Africa.

Just like these other cities, Yaoundé does not actually have seven hills. Of course, the seven emblematic hills here are: Akok Ndoué, Mbog Ndum, Minloa, Ebaminala, Messa, Mbankolo and Fébé. These are situated at three distinct mountains which tower over the city, namely: Mbam Minkom (1295 m), Mount Nkolodom (1221 m) and Mount Eloumdem (1159 m). 

However, Cameroon’s capital has far more than seven hills as long as a hill is defined as a naturally raised area of land, not as high or craggy as a mountain. Here is a document dating from 1968 providing details about the geography of Yaoundé’s urban landscape:

http://horizon.documentation.ird.fr/exl-doc/pleins_textes/divers13-11/15217.pdf

Starting from the seventh page of this document, we find a plethora of nameless hills located in the city. The source reveals that the Mfoundi River and its affluents have separated from Mount Fébé, a first group of hills having a height that in some cases exceeds 800 m and where are settled the districts of Oliga, Ntougou, Ekoudou, Bastos and Mfoundassi North.

Moreover, the Mfoundi goes around the Etoa Meki hill, on its Eastern side. There are also the Ebogo, Ewoué, Aké and Nkié streams which have divided the Essos, Mvog Ada, Mvog Ada, Nkolndongo, Mvog-Mbi, Awaé, Mfoundasi South, Ekounou and Nkondengui hills.

To say therefore that Yaoundé is a city of thousand hills would be more illustrative. But one must admit that the number 7 has something quite magical to it…

Monique Ngo Mayag

The 7 known hills

Name of hill

Location

Altitude (in m)

 

1

Akok Ndoué

Yaoundé 6th and 7th

967

 

2

Mbog Ndum

Yaoundé 7th

900

 

3

Minloa

Yaoundé 7th

966

 

4

Ebaminala

Yaoundé 7th

1005

 

5

Messa

Yaoundé 2nd et 7th

1015

 

6

Mbankolo

Yaoundé 2nd

1096

 

7

Febe

Yaoundé 2nd

1073

 
Dernière modification le vendredi, 20 octobre 2017 05:33

● Fact Cheking




● E-SCAMS