Mount Cameroon is sometimes called 'Fako' by the local Bakweri people, who have lived on its slopes for hundreds of years. The mountain is so tall that even in tropical Africa, the very top can feel cold and misty, even when the coast below is hot and sunny. Clouds wrap around the upper slopes almost every day.
The volcano has erupted many times — most recently in 2000 and 1999. When it erupts, lava flows down the side of the mountain and often reaches all the way to the sea. The lava cools and hardens into dark rock, which is one reason the beaches nearby at Limbe are made of black sand. It is like the mountain is painting the shore!
The slopes of Mount Cameroon are covered in thick green forest that becomes sparser near the top. Scientists love studying the mountain because dozens of different plants and birds live there that are found nowhere else on Earth. Some of these rare species live only on this one mountain.
Every year, a famous race called the Race of Hope runs all the way up and back down the mountain. Runners come from across Cameroon and the world to take part. The fastest runners can make it to the top and back in just a few hours — an incredible feat on such steep ground.