Office of Intergovernmental Relations
600 Fourth Avenue, 5th Floor
P.O. Box 94746
Seattle, WA   98124-4746
(206) 684-8055

Seattle International Sister City:
Limbe, Cameroon
(Sister City established in 1984)

Population: 67,000
Religion: Christian, Muslim, Traditional
Language: French, English, African Language
Industry: Food processing, Textiles, Chemicals, Petroleum
Exports: Coffee, Caco, Cotton, Sugar,Tobacco Rubber, Palm oil
Climate: Tropical

The Atlantic port city of Limbe, formerly known as Victoria, is on the southwest coast of the Republic of Cameroon between West and Central Africa. Colonized by Germany in 1884, then divided into French and British zones after World War I, Cameroon became a republic in 1972.

Official languages for its people are French and English. Limbe is located on a beautiful bay against the backdrop of a major mountain range. Cameroon is world famous for its tea and agriculture production, and Limbe is the center of its oil industry.

The Seattle-Limbe sister city relationship has been highlighted by an official visit to Seattle of the Cameroonian Ambassador to the United States and the "African Panoply" Seattle Art Museum exhibit. The association has secured pharmaceuticals for the Limbe Clinic, organized a bike tour led by Seattle residents, and hosted visitors from the Cameroon.

In 1988, Mayor Charles Royer led a delegation to Limbe to present a medical aid van as a gift from the City of Seattle. In 1989 the Limbe Association received Sister Cities International Award for program revitalization.

As Limbe mayor Matute stated in his welcoming telex to the Seattle delegation, "The trip to Limbe will bring our two cultures closer and will foster an appreciation for the similarities and rich diversity we can build upon for the future."

Sister City Association Contact Info:
Ruperta Alexis, President
5309 Ferdinand Street
Seattle, Washington 98118
(206) 723-3984
Seattle-Limbe Sister City Association

Content contact: Kristine Kertson

Page last updated: September 21, 2005