The Wouri is a river 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...

. The river is formed at the confluence of the rivers Nkam

Nkam River

The Nkam River rises in the Western High Plateau in the West Region of Cameroon, and joins the Makombé River to become the Wouri River. It is known to tourists for the spectacular Chutes d'Ekom, an high waterfall about from Bafang....

 and Makombé, 32 km (19.9 mi) northeast of the city of Yabassi

Yabassi

Yabassi is a town and commune in western Cameroon, and capital of the Nkam department. Its population in 2001 was estimated at 12,000. The main dialect spoken is the Bassa Yabassi. However, there are also other dialects originating in the Nkam which are spoken....

. The Wouri then flows about 160 km (99.4 mi) southeast to the Wouri estuary

Wouri estuary

The Wouri estuary, or Cameroon estuary is a large tidal estuary in Cameroon where several rivers come together, emptying into the Bight of Biafra. Douala, the largest city in Cameroon, is at the mouth of the Wouri River where it enters the estuary...

 at Douala

Douala

Douala is the largest city in Cameroon and the capital of Cameroon's Littoral Province. Home to Cameroon's largest port and its major international airport, Douala International Airport, it is the commercial capital of the country...

, the chief port and industrial city in the southwestern part of Cameroon on the Gulf of Guinea

Gulf of Guinea

The Gulf of Guinea is the northeasternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean between Cape Lopez in Gabon, north and west to Cape Palmas in Liberia. The intersection of the Equator and Prime Meridian is in the gulf....

. The river is navigable about 64 km (39.8 mi) upriver from Douala.

Exploration

The Portuguese navigator and explorer Fernão do Pó

Fernão do Pó

Fernão do Pó , also Fernão Pó, Fernando Pó, Fernando Poo was a Portuguese navigator and explorer of the West African coast. He discovered the islands in the Gulf of Guinea around 1472, one of which until the mid 1900s bore a version of his name, Fernando Pó or Fernando Poo. The island is...

 or Fernando Poo, is believed to be the first European to explore the estuary of the Wouri, around the year 1472. The explorers noted an abundance of the mud lobster Lepidophthalmus turneranus

Lepidophthalmus turneranus

Lepidophthalmus turneranus , the Cameroon ghost shrimp, is a species of "ghost shrimp" or "mud lobster" that lives off the coast of West Africa...

in the Wouri River and named it Rio dos Camarões, Portuguese for River of Prawns, and the phrase from which Cameroon is derived.

Bridge

In the 1950s, during the colonial period, the French built a bridge across the river, which connects Douala with the city of Bonabéri

Bonabéri

Bonabéri is a port in the Littoral Province of Cameroon. It is located on the western side of the harbour across the Wouri River from the larger port of Douala.- External links :* *...

across the river. The bridge is now of great economic importance to western Cameroon, carrying auto, truck, and train traffic. Since 2004 the bridge has been undergoing a major rehabilitation.