Mount Cameroon is the highest peak in Cameroon and one of Africa’s most active volcanoes.
The massive volcanic mountain rises to 4,095 metres near the Gulf of Guinea. It is part of the Cameroon Volcanic Line, a chain of volcanoes extending from the Atlantic island of Annobón through mainland Cameroon toward Lake Chad. Mount Cameroon is also commonly called Fako by local communities.
Its eruptions are generally relatively fluid basaltic events, producing lava flows rather than the highly explosive eruptions associated with some stratovolcanoes. Historical eruptions have been recorded since the nineteenth century, including major activity in 1999 and 2000. Lava from the 1999 eruption reached the Atlantic coast.
The mountain’s unusually wet southwestern slopes support luxuriant tropical vegetation, while higher elevations become grassland and rocky terrain. The annual Mount Cameroon Race of Hope, founded in 1973, follows a demanding route up and down the mountain.