IN A little under two weeks, a taste of West African culture and sporting excellence will descend on the Rose City.

In a coup for the region, the Southern Downs will host more than 65 Cameroon Commonwealth Games athletes, coaches and officials.

Southern Downs Regional Council economic development and tourism manager Scott Templeman said the opportunities were greater than just of a sporting nature.

"We are so excited to be welcoming the Cameroon Commonwealth Games team to our region,” he said.

"There's a great opportunity for cultural exchange with people who come from an area of the world that is great different from our own,” he said.

"There's the opportunity for education, trade and friendship, which we're very grateful for.”

Two years ago the council approached Commonwealth nations inviting them to utilise the Southern Downs as a pre-games training base camp.

"Some responded and others didn't,” Mr Templeman said.

"Late last year Cameroon officials got in touch with us and asked if the offer was still open.

"They came for a visit and in December confirmed they would be taking us up on the offer.”

Voyage Gym will host the powerlifting and weightlifting athletes, track and field athletes will travel to the Glennie School in Toowoomba and basketball and wrestling teams will train out of WIRAC.

YMCA WIRAC manager David Jordan said there would be the opportunity for the public to see the teams in action.

"We can't wait to have the teams in residence here for that week in the lead-up to the games,” he said.

"It's be absolutely buzzing and they'll be in the great hall and the public will hopefully have the chance to watch them train, which is a fantastic opportunity.

"There will be a mild inconvenience to hall users that week, but we've been in touch with everyone to let them know what's happening.”

The team will stay in housing on the Warwick Christian College campus and will be in Warwick from March 20-28.

Some things you didn't know about the central African country of Cameroon.

• Population: 23,439,189 (Australia's is 24,850,700)
• Land area: 475,442 sq km (Our Maranoa electorate is 731,297 sq km)
• Official languages: French and English
• Capital city: Yaoundé (2,440,462 population)
• The average rainfall in Cameroon is about 1500mm a year. (Warwick's is about 670mm)
• The country is often referred to as "Africa in miniature” for its geological and cultural diversity. Natural features include beaches, deserts, mountains, rainforests, and savannas.
• The country is well known for its native styles of music, particularly makossa and bikutsi, and for its successful national football team.
• Cameroon experiences relatively high political and social stability. This has permitted the development of agriculture, roads, railways and large petroleum and timber industries.
• Among youths age 15-24 the literacy rate was 85.4percent for males and 76.4percent for females.
• Cameroon's per-capita GDP (purchasing power parity) was estimated as US$2,300 in 2008, one of the ten highest in sub-Saharan Africa. Major export markets include France, Italy, South Korea, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Cameroon is aiming to become an emerging country by 2035.
• Cameroon has a high level of religious freedom and diversity. The predominant faith is Christianity, practised by about two-thirds of the population, while Islam is a significant minority faith, adhered to by about one-fifth.
• On January 1, 1960, Cameroon became an independent republic.
• In 2014, the unemployment rate in Cameroon was estimated to be at 4percent.