Adamaoua

The Adamawa Region is one of Cameroon’s ten Regions and the third largest. It shares its boundaries to the West with Nigeria and to the East with the Central African Republic. The Region is characterized by a mountainous area that shares its boundaries to the South with the Cameroon’s forest and to the North with the Savannah. The Chief-town of the Region is Ngaoundéré.

The Adamawa Region is made up of five Divisions, notably, the Vina Division, the Mbéré Division, the Mayo Banyo Division, the Faro and Déo Division, and the Djerem Division. It also has a City Council and 21 Municipal Councils. It covers a surface area of 63 701 Km2, with a population estimated in 2012 at 1,080,500 inhabitants for a density ratio of 17 inhabitants per Km2.

The land is poorly and sparsely populated. The main economic activity is the zebu breeding.

Islam is the main Religion in the Region. The Fulani are the main ethnic group in the region, even though there are significant minorities of Tikar and Gbaya, as well as other smaller ethnic groups.

Adamawa is one of the most geologically enriched Regions in Cameroon. The Gotel and Mambila mountains at border with Nigeria are largely composed of granite, crystalline and metamorphic rocks such as mica, schist, and gneiss. These rocks are often covered with volcanic basalt, a combination that dominates right down to the Faro River. The Eastern part of the Region is characterized by the prevailing presence of granites in the form of sedimentary rocks of the Mbere River valley, and a zone of metamorphic rock which surrounds it. The Lom River also flows through an area of metamorphic rock. Volcanic rock is present from the North-west to the East of the Gotel Mountains as well as in the North-east part of Ngaoundéré, the Regional Chief-town, along the border with the North Region.

Soils are mostly composed of red or brownish laterite, resulting from erosion and mountains and this is due to the alternating dry and wet seasons. The North-western part of the Region has an iron-rich soil, and several mountains in the area, including the Gotel and Mambila Mountains, which contain a mixture of several soil types. The minerals found in the Region are gold and sapphire. There are also bauxite as well as diamond and tins.