town, northern Gabon. It lies on a plateau at an elevation of about 3,000 feet (900 m). Oyem is an administrative and transport centre for an agricultural area. Cocoa and coffee, grown on mixed plantations, are the most important cash crops and are trucked northwest to the Cameroon ports of Kribi and Douala for export. Rubber and potatoes are also cultivated. Oyem has a hospital, Roman Catholic and Protestant churches, an agricultural school, a government secondary school, and a customs station. Pop. (1993) 22,404.