Far North

The Far-North Region is one of the ten Regions of Cameroon and the most populated. It is located in the northern part of the country and shares boundaries with Chad and Nigeria. Maroua is its Regional Chief-town. It shares its boundary with six Regions of Chad and two States of Nigeria.

With a surface area of 34,263 km2, the Region is made up of 6 Divisions, 44 Municipal Councils and one City Council, namely, Diamaré with 9 Councils and one City Council in Maroua, Logone and Chari with 10 Councils, Mayo Danay with 11 Councils, Mayo Kani with 7 Councils, and Mayo Tsanaga with 7 Councils.

The Far-North is playing host to over 2,721,500 people. Its populations are distributed between the semi-arid regions of the north (the Sahel) and the central lands and include, among others, the Fula (h) or Fulani (in French: Peuls; in Fulani: Fulɓe), and the Kirdi.

The Waza National Park is one of Cameroon’s national parks. It is located in the Far-North of the country, not far from Lake Chad, and covers a surface area of 1,700 km2. The Waza National Park is considered as a biosphere reserve which has been recognised by UNESCO since 1979. Rich in exceptional natural fauna, it is one of the touristic assets of Cameroon. Originally a hunting reserve established in 1934 under the name Zina-Waza, the Park was erected into the status of a National Park in 1968.

The Far-North of Cameroon is a real crossroads of trade routes and cultures. In addition to trade, its economy is being built around agriculture, livestock, fishing, tourism, freight transport, crafts and hunting. The local economy is dominated by wealthy traders and traditional rulers.