Douala

Douala or Duala, city in west Cameroon, a port on the Wouri River at the point where it enters the Gulf of Guinea. The chief commercial centre and largest city of the country, Douala has an airport and extensive docks, and is a terminus for two railway lines extending into the interior. Industries include the manufacture of aluminium products, beer, soft drinks, textiles, and the processing of timber and cacao beans. The city was probably named after the Duala, a black African ethnic group that originally settled in the area. Population 1,494,700 (2001).