Douala, Cameroon's largest city and economic center, is located at the mouth of the Wouri river and is a major port city. Further inland, the climate is drier and the vegetation sparser. This region is sometimes called the Grassfields. Bamenda and Bafoussam are prominent cities in this region. In the north, conditions are drier still, and cattle herding is a major occupation.
Cotton is grown also.
This part of country is predominantly muslim. The north has a long tradition of civilization and political development, predating the arrival of Europeans by many centuries. After the first world war, the westernmost quarter of the country was under British rule, while the larger central and eastern portion was controlled by the French.