North

The North Region is located in the northern part of the country. Its Chief-town is Garoua. It stretches between 8° and 10° North latitude and between 12° and 16° East longitude, between the Far-North Region to the North, the Adamawa Region to the South, the Republic of Chad and the Central African Republic to the East and the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the West.

It shares boundaries with four Regions of Chad, a Division of the Central African Republic and a State in Nigeria.

The Region is made up of four Divisions, a City Council, and 21 Municipal Councils. There are the Bénoué Division with 12 Councils and a City Council, the Mayo Louti Division with 3 Councils, the Mayo Rey Division with 4 Councils, and the Faro Division with 2 Councils. It covers a surface area of 65,576 km2 and is playing host to over 1,227,000 inhabitants.

The North Region has a Sudanese-type climate, i.e. six months of rain and six months of drought, with an average temperature of 35°C. The relief of North Cameroon includes “Mayo” (watercourses), dry grassy savannah, shrub and savannah trees, wooded savannah, forest galleries and highland vegetation.

The Region has two major rivers, notably, Benue and Faro. In addition, there are a number of small streams that often run dry during the dry season.

The population is made up of several ethnic groups: the Fali, who are farmers and traders, the Bororo, who are often herders, the Hausa, who are mainly traders, and the immigrants (Laka, Toupouri, Massa, Matakam, etc.), who are mostly farmers. Agriculture and livestock are practiced by 90% of the population. Fishing has increased significantly with the creation of the hydroelectric dam on Lake Lagdo.

North Cameroon is also a network of protected areas including 3 National Parks: the Benue National Park (180,000 ha) and the Faro National Park: 330,000 ha, the Bouba Ndjida National Park: 220,000 ha. There are 28 zones reserved for hunting activities, (ZIC) among which 23 are leased to professional hunting guides.

These protected areas represent almost 33% of the total surface area of the Region. The main species found in these areas are the Derby elk, lion, panther, hartebeest, cobbler, warthog, baboon, buffalo, etc.