City Africa
Yaoundé
Yaoundé is the capital city of Cameroon, in Africa. It is built on green hills, and it rains a lot there.
Yaoundé is the capital of Cameroon, in Central Africa. Cameroon's official projection gives the city 3,762,900 people at the start of 2025, the second-most in the country after Douala. It grew from a German military post of the late 19th century, among hills 700 to 1,100 meters high.
Yaoundé began as a German colonial military post at the end of the 19th century and became Cameroon's capital after a French decision in 1921. Its official 2025 projection is 3,762,900, up from 1,817,524 at the 2005 census; it is the political capital, while Douala is the economic one.
Photo: Bdx, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Discover Yaoundé
Yaoundé is the capital city of Cameroon. Cameroon is a country in Africa.
The city is built on lots of green hills. Millions of people live there.
Yaoundé is the capital of Cameroon, a country in Central Africa. Cameroon's official projection gives the city 3,762,900 people on 1 January 2025, just behind Douala, the biggest city. At the 2005 census, Yaoundé had 1,817,524 people.
Universalis says the city is built on a group of hills between 700 and 1,100 meters high, and the shape of the city follows the hills.
City Population (Bureau Central des Recensements et des Études de Population and Cameroon's National Institute of Statistics) gives Yaoundé 313,708 people in the 1976 census, 649,252 in 1987 and 1,817,524 in 2005, and a projection of 3,762,900 for 1 January 2025, second after Douala (3,816,500).
Universalis (Roland Pourtier) estimates the agglomeration at about 4 million in 2022 (Africapolis), compared with only 100,000 in 1960, at independence.
- Country
- Cameroon (its capital)
- People in Yaoundé (official projection, 1 January 2025)
- 3,762,900
- People in Yaoundé (census, 11 November 2005)
- 1,817,524
- Hills the city is built on
- 700 to 1,100 m high
From the market roof
This photo was taken from the roof of a big market. You can see shops with signs, a tall white building and a busy road.
Green hills stand far away.
This view of the center of Yaoundé was taken from the roof of the Central Market on 3 December 2014. Shops with colorful signs line the street below, a tall white hotel tower rises on the left, and brown buildings with pointed, zigzag fronts stand beyond a large roundabout. Green hills fill the horizon under white clouds.
Mont Fébé, one of the hills around the city, is 1,060 meters high, Wikidata says.
Commons: 'View of the centre of Yaoundé from the rooftop of the Central Market', 3 December 2014, own work by Bdx (CC BY-SA 4.0); filed under 'Views of Yaoundé'.
Wikidata: Mont Fébé, 1,060 m, 6.32 km NNW of the Central Market; the Municipal Lake 0.70 km WNW; Mvog-Betsi Zoo, a zoo and botanical garden, 3.21 km W.
- Photo
- the city center seen from the roof of the Central Market, 3 December 2014
- Mont Fébé
- 1,060 m high, about 6.3 km north-northwest of the Central Market
- Municipal Lake
- about 700 m west-northwest of the Central Market
From a post to a capital
Long ago, Yaoundé began as an army post. Later it was chosen to be the capital.
Since then it has grown and grown into a huge city.
Universalis says Yaoundé began at the end of the 19th century as a military post set up by the German colonial government, in the heart of the Ewondo people's land. In 1921 France, which then ran part of the old German Cameroon, decided to move the capital from Douala to Yaoundé, partly because its inland site, higher up, had a better climate.
At independence in 1960 Yaoundé had only about 100,000 people.
Universalis: a German colonial military post at the end of the 19th century in Ewondo country; the 1921 transfer of the capital from Douala, decided by France as mandate power, is explained by tensions with the Douala and by the climate of a mid-altitude inland site; about 100,000 people in 1960.
Censuses (City Population): 313,708 (1976), 649,252 (1987), 1,817,524 (2005).
- Beginning
- a German colonial military post, end of the 19th century
- Chosen as the capital instead of Douala
- 1921
- People at independence
- about 100,000 (1960)
Roads, hills and an airport
Roads in Yaoundé go up and down the hills. Planes land at an airport outside the city.
Universalis says Yaoundé's streets and neighborhoods were shaped by the hills it is built on. In the photo, cars and small buses drive around a big roundabout in the center.
Yaoundé Nsimalen International Airport lies about 16 kilometers south-southeast of the Central Market, Wikidata's points show.
Universalis: the organization of urban space was molded on the relief of hills. Douala kept some national administrations, especially in transport, and is the economic capital, with most industry and trade, while Yaoundé's work is mostly services tied to its role as capital.
Wikidata: Yaoundé Nsimalen International Airport, 16.3 km SSE of the Central Market.
- Yaoundé Nsimalen International Airport
- about 16 km south-southeast of the Central Market
- City layout
- shaped by its hills
- Economic capital
- Douala, the port city
Two rainy seasons
Yaoundé is warm all year. It rains a lot.
In December, January and February it is much drier.
The World Meteorological Organization's averages for Yaoundé (1981–2010) give about 1,580 millimeters of rain in a year. Rain peaks twice, in May and again in October, the wettest month, with about 285 millimeters. Universalis says there is a true dry season from December to February.
Nights stay mild all year, with average lows of about 18 to 20 °C.
WMO World Weather Information Service, Yaoundé (1981–2010): rainfall 1,580.1 mm on about 134 days a year with at least 0.1 mm; May 200.8 mm and October 284.6 mm peaks, July 95.5 mm between them, January 14.6 mm. Average lows 18.2–20.1 °C; average highs 26.3 °C (August) to 33.4 °C (March).
Universalis: mean temperature 23.5 °C, three degrees cooler than Douala, with half as much rain.
- October rainfall (WMO, 1981–2010)
- 284.6 mm
- January rainfall (same table)
- 14.6 mm
- Rainfall in a year
- 1,580.1 mm
A capital of offices and banks
Most work in Yaoundé is in services, such as offices and shops. A big bank there makes money for several countries.
The city also has a zoo with a garden of plants.
Universalis says most work in Yaoundé is in services linked to its role as capital. The Bank of Central African States has its headquarters there. It issues the CFA franc used by the countries of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community.
The city also hosts a United Nations office for Central Africa and many other international bodies. Mvog-Betsi Zoo, a zoo and botanical garden, lies about 3 kilometers west of the Central Market.
Universalis: seat of the BEAC (issuer of the CFA franc of CEMAC), of the Central Africa office of the UN Economic Commission for Africa and of many international bodies, delegations and NGOs; industry limited to a few consumer-goods plants; most crafts and services in the informal sector.
Its growth was fed first by migrants from the center-west, and since independence by people from other regions too.
- Bank of Central African States (BEAC)
- headquarters in Yaoundé
- United Nations
- Central Africa office of the Economic Commission for Africa
- Mvog-Betsi Zoo
- a zoo and botanical garden, about 3 km west of the Central Market
Yaoundé on the map
Find Africa on the globe, then Cameroon. Yaoundé is a little north of the equator.
Yaoundé lies at about 3.9° north, just north of the equator, inland in Cameroon. Measured from the Central Market, the Municipal Lake is about 700 meters west-northwest, Mvog-Betsi Zoo about 3.2 kilometers west and Mont Fébé about 6.3 kilometers north-northwest.
The airport is about 16 kilometers south-southeast.
Yaoundé lies at about 3.87° N and 11.51° E. From the Central Market (Wikidata points): Municipal Lake 0.70 km WNW, Mvog-Betsi Zoo 3.21 km W, Mont Fébé 6.32 km NNW, Yaoundé Nsimalen International Airport 16.3 km SSE.
Universalis: a site of hills from 700 to 1,100 m, inland, in the heart of Ewondo country.
- Latitude
- about 3.9° north
- Longitude
- about 11.5° east
- Setting
- inland, on hills in the center of Cameroon
Amazing facts
-
In 1960, about 100,000 people lived in Yaoundé. Now millions do!
Universalis says Yaoundé had only about 100,000 people at independence in 1960; the official projection for 2025 is 3,762,900.
Universalis: about 100,000 in 1960; Africapolis about 4 million in the agglomeration in 2022; official projection 3,762,900 for 1 January 2025.
-
Yaoundé is built on lots of hills.
Universalis says Yaoundé is built on a group of hills from 700 to 1,100 meters high, and its neighborhoods follow the hills.
Universalis: the site is a set of hills at 700–1,100 m; urban space was molded on that relief.
-
Yaoundé is a little cooler than Douala, Cameroon's biggest city.
Universalis says Yaoundé's average temperature, 23.5 °C, is three degrees lower than Douala's, and it gets half as much rain.
Universalis: mean 23.5 °C, 3 °C below Douala; rainfall half as abundant; a real dry season from December to February.
-
A bank in Yaoundé makes the money for several countries.
The Bank of Central African States, which issues the CFA franc for several Central African countries, has its headquarters in Yaoundé.
Universalis: Yaoundé is the seat of the BEAC, issuer of the CFA franc of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC).
Words to know
- capital
- the city where a country's government works
- projection
- an official estimate of how many people live somewhere, worked out from a past census
- dry season
- the months of the year when little rain falls
- roundabout
- a round junction where cars drive in a circle around a center
- colonial
- to do with a time when a country was ruled by another, faraway country
- currency
- the kind of money used in a country
Discovery challenge
-
Yaoundé is the capital of which country?
Yaoundé is the capital of which Central African country?
In 1921, Yaoundé replaced Douala as the capital of which country?
- Cameroon
- Kenya
- Morocco
Show the answer
Cameroon
Cameroon!
Cameroon.
Cameroon.
-
What is Yaoundé built on?
Yaoundé is built on a group of what, 700 to 1,100 meters high?
Universalis says Yaoundé's urban space was molded on which landform?
- Sand dunes
- Hills
- Islands
Show the answer
Hills
Hills!
Hills.
A set of hills.
-
Which months are dry in Yaoundé?
When is Yaoundé's dry season?
According to Universalis, when does Yaoundé's true dry season fall?
- June to August
- December to February
- March to May
Show the answer
December to February
December to February!
December to February.
December to February (WMO: about 15–28 mm a month).
-
Which city in Cameroon has a few more people than Yaoundé?
In the 2025 projection, which Cameroonian city is just ahead of Yaoundé?
Which city, Cameroon's economic capital, was projected at 3,816,500 for 2025, just ahead of Yaoundé?
- Douala
- Lagos
- Nairobi
Show the answer
Douala
Douala!
Douala.
Douala.
-
What does the big bank in Yaoundé make for several countries?
The Bank of Central African States in Yaoundé issues which currency?
Which currency of the CEMAC countries is issued by the BEAC, headquartered in Yaoundé?
- The CFA franc
- The euro
- The US dollar
Show the answer
The CFA franc
Money called the CFA franc!
The CFA franc.
The CFA franc of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community.
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For parents & teachers
What children will learn
- Locate Yaoundé in Cameroon, just north of the equator.
- Explain why a capital might move to a higher, inland site.
- Read a rainfall table and find two rainy seasons.
- Compare census counts and an official projection across 50 years.
Recommended ages: 3 to 17 · About 15 minutes
Talk about it
- Yaoundé grew from about 100,000 people to millions. What does a fast-growing city need?
- Cameroon has a political capital and an economic capital. Why might they be different cities?
- Yaoundé is built on hills. How do hills change the way a city's roads and houses are laid out?
Try at home or in class
- Rain chart: plot Yaoundé's monthly rainfall and mark its two rainy peaks.
- Hill city: make clay hills on a tray and draw where roads and houses would fit.
- Growth bars: draw bars for 1976, 1987, 2005 and 2025 to see how fast Yaoundé grew.
Key vocabulary: capital, projection, dry season, roundabout, colonial, currency
Where these facts come from
- Wikidata , Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)
- Natural Earth vector data , Natural Earth (NACIS) (Public domain)
- Cameroon: Regions and Cities , City Population (Thomas Brinkhoff), from the Bureau Central des Recensements et des Études de Population and the Institut National de la Statistique
- Yaoundé , Encyclopaedia Universalis (Roland Pourtier)
- Yaounde: climatological information , World Meteorological Organization, World Weather Information Service (Cameroon)
- File:Yaoundé view from central market (2014).JPG (Bdx, 3 December 2014) , Wikimedia Commons
- Wikimedia Commons , Wikimedia Foundation (Per file (public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA); see each media record)
Checked, not yet human-reviewed. Last updated November 1, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.