Noun River
Encyclopedia
The Noun River is a river of the West Province of Cameroon
. It arises at Lake Oku
(6°11′34"N 10°27′14"E) and flows south, it is joined by the Monoun River and flows south in the valley between the mountains Ngotsetzezan and Mount Yahou. It turns east at about 5° N latitude. Its mouth is at the Mbam River
(4°54′42"N 11°06′02"E), which itself is a tributary of the Sanaga River
.
It forms the boundary between the Bamiléké
area and the Bamun
area, and played a key role in the history of the Bamileke people.
The Noun River was dammed at Bamendjing in 1975 (5°41′55"N 10°30′03"E) creating a reservoir with the same name. At its maximum the reservoir is 32 km long and 276 km wide. Its surface area varies between 150 km² and 300 km².
The Noun River hosts hippopotamus
that can be seen all year long, in the wild parts of the river, along with many birds, such as the Palm nut Vulture, the bee-eater
, the hammerkop
, and the kingfisher
.
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 arises at Lake Oku
Lake Oku
Lake Oku is a crater lake on the Bamenda Plateau in the Northwest Region of Cameroon. It is located at on Mount Oku, and is completely surrounded by cloud forest....
(6°11′34"N 10°27′14"E) and flows south, it is joined by the Monoun River and flows south in the valley between the mountains Ngotsetzezan and Mount Yahou. It turns east at about 5° N latitude. Its mouth is at the Mbam River
Mbam River
The Mbam River is the main tributary of the Sanaga River in Cameroon.It flows from the Adamawa Plateau and receives the Kim and Ndjim rivers on its left bank and later the Noun River at its right bank before its confluence with the Sanaga River....
(4°54′42"N 11°06′02"E), which itself is a tributary of the Sanaga River
Sanaga River
The Sanaga River is a river of South Province, Cameroon, Centre Province, Cameroon, and West Province, Cameroon. Its length is 890 kilometers.The Sanaga River forms a boundary between two tropical moist forest ecoregions...
.
It forms the boundary between the Bamiléké
Bamileke
The Bamileke is a folk whose native ancestral area is in the western highlands of Cameroon's West Province, west of the Noun River and southeast of the Bamboutos Mountains and in the Moungo region of the Littoral, Southwest, and Centre Provinces. They are a part of the Semi-Bantu ethnic groups...
area and the Bamun
Bamun
Bamum, also spelled Bamoum, Bamun, or Bamoun, may refer to:*The Bamum people*The Bamum kingdom*The Bamum language*The Bamum script...
area, and played a key role in the history of the Bamileke people.
The Noun River was dammed at Bamendjing in 1975 (5°41′55"N 10°30′03"E) creating a reservoir with the same name. At its maximum the reservoir is 32 km long and 276 km wide. Its surface area varies between 150 km² and 300 km².
The Noun River hosts hippopotamus
Hippopotamus
The hippopotamus , or hippo, from the ancient Greek for "river horse" , is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third largest land mammal and the heaviest...
that can be seen all year long, in the wild parts of the river, along with many birds, such as the Palm nut Vulture, the bee-eater
Bee-eater
The bee-eaters are a group of near-passerine birds in the family Meropidae. Most species are found in Africa and Asia but others occur in southern Europe, Australia, and New Guinea. They are characterised by richly coloured plumage, slender bodies, and usually elongated central tail feathers...
, the hammerkop
Hammerkop
The Hamerkop , also known as Hammerkop,Hammerkopf, Hammerhead, Hammerhead Stork, Umbrette, Umber Bird, Tufted Umber, or Anvilhead, is a medium-sized wading bird...
, and the kingfisher
Kingfisher
Kingfishers are a group of small to medium sized brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species being found in the Old World and Australia...
.