Mamfe is a city and capital of the Manyu

Manyu (department)

Manyu is a department of Southwest Province in Cameroon. The division covers an area of 9,565 km² and as of 2009 had a total population of 398,000.The capital of Manyu lies at Mamfe.-Sub-divisions:...

 department of the Southwest Province

Southwest Province

The Southwest Region or South-West Region of Cameroon is a province of Cameroon and constitutes part of the territory of Southern Cameroons. Its capital is Buea. , its population was 838,042...

 in Cameroon

Cameroon

Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...

. It is located 60 km (37 mi) from the border of Nigeria

Nigeria

Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...

, on the Manyu River

Manyu River

The Manyu River rises near Wabane in the Upper Banyang Subdivision of the Manyu Department of the Southwest Region, Cameroon.The river runs past the southern border of the Mone River Forest Reserve. Below Mamfe, it is joined by rivers draining the Takamanda Forest Reserve and the Cross River...

. It has a population of 20,300 (2001 estimate). It is known as a centre for traditional religion

Animism

Animism refers to the belief that non-human entities are spiritual beings, or at least embody some kind of life-principle....

 and traditional medicine

Traditional medicine

Traditional medicine comprises unscientific knowledge systems that developed over generations within various societies before the era of modern medicine...

. It used to be known for its bad infrastructure, especially the roads, which however were recently tarred and presently are in a good condition, within the city limits. The roads leading in and out, however, remain untarred and are difficult to impassable during the rainy season.

The name "Mamfe" comes from the Bayangui language.