The Poisonous Lake Nyos

One thing this country does not have in common with other West African countries is the deadly Lake Nyos. This lake can be found in the country's northwest corner. The lake's water is held back by a natural volcanic rock dam. There is a buried pocket of magma beneath the deadly lake where carbon dioxide is leaking into the lake. Because of the carbon dioxide, the lake converts to carbonic acid, making it deadly.

Where the lake emitted a massive cloud of carbon dioxide, almost 1700 people died from suffocation and over 3400 cattle were slaughtered. A landslide is believed to have triggered this event in August 1986. Despite the measures taken to prevent it from happening again, the lake is still considered a danger to people and animals. One thing to remember in Cameroon is to avoid staying in a location where a geological tremor could damage the lake's natural wall, enabling water to spill into surrounding villages and into Nigeria.

The lake is now threatened by its deteriorating natural wall. This natural dike could give way due to a geological tremor, causing water to flood downstream villages all the way into Nigeria and allowing carbon dioxide to escape unchecked into the atmosphere.