Lake Barombi

Kumba, Southwest Region, Cameroon

---

Lake Barombi Mbo, usually called Lake Barombi, is a deep volcanic crater lake located about 4 kilometers northwest of Kumba in Cameroon's Southwest Region, and it is the largest volcanic lake in this part of the Cameroon volcanic chain. This ancient lake is one of the oldest radiocarbon-dated lakes in Africa, with its youngest lava flow dating back about one million years, and it sits within the Barombi Mbo Forest Reserve at an elevation of 301 meters above sea level. The lake is globally significant for its extraordinary biodiversity, hosting 12 to 14 endemic fish species that exist nowhere else on Earth, including 11 unique cichlid species, making it one of the places with the highest density of endemic species per area in the world. Beyond its biological importance, Lake Barombi serves as a critical source of drinking water for over 400,000 inhabitants of Kumba and is a sacred site deeply tied to the cultural and social life of the Barombi and Bafaw people, who claim it as "their lake". The lake is also a designated Ramsar wetland site since 2006, recognized as a center for tourism and a place to visit, though it faces threats from over-fishing, introduction of foreign fish species, pesticide use on nearby cocoa farms, and deforestation.