Maroua (Fula: Marwa, , 𞤥𞤢𞤪𞤱𞤢) is the capital of the Far North Region of

Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

, stretching along the banks of the Ferngo and Kaliao Rivers, in the foothills of the

Mandara Mountains The Mandara Mountains are a volcanic range extending about 190 km (about 120 mi) along the northern part of the Cameroon–Nigeria border, from the Benue River in the south () to the north-west of Maroua in the north (). The highest ...

. The city had 301,371 inhabitants at the 2005 census, consisting mainly of the

Fulbe The Fula, Fulani, or Fulɓe people are an ethnic group in Sahara, Sahel and West Africa, widely dispersed across the region. Inhabiting many countries, they live mainly in West Africa and northern parts of Central Africa, South Sudan, Darfur, ...

Fulani The Fula, Fulani, or Fulɓe people are an ethnic group in Sahara, Sahel and West Africa, widely dispersed across the region. Inhabiting many countries, they live mainly in West Africa and northern parts of Central Africa, South Sudan, Darfur, ...

ethnic group.

History

The city was occupied by the Guiziga in the 17th century and the Mofu in the 18th century. The

Maroua Declaration The Maroua Declaration is a 1975 maritime boundary agreement between Cameroon and Nigeria. A question regarding the validity of the agreement arose during an International Court of Justice case that decided a boundary dispute between the two count ...

, a

maritime boundary A maritime boundary is a conceptual division of Earth's water surface areas using physiographical or geopolitical criteria. As such, it usually bounds areas of exclusive national rights over mineral and biological resources,VLIZ Maritime Boun ...

agreement between

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

and Cameroon, was signed in Maroua on 1 June 1975.

Economy

Embroidery, leather goods, jewelry, pottery are the important economic activities in the city of Maroua.

Transport

The city also has the

Maroua Salak Airport Salak Airport (, ), is an airport serving Maroua, the capital of the Far North Region in Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Ch ...

Education

The University of Maroua is based in the city.

Places of worship

Among the

places of worship A place of worship is a specially designed structure or space where individuals or a group of people such as a congregation come to perform acts of devotion, veneration, or religious study. A building constructed or used for this purpose is so ...

, they are predominantly

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

mosques. There are also Christian churches and temples :

Roman Catholic Diocese of Maroua–Mokolo The Roman Catholic Diocese of Maroua–Mokolo () is a diocese located in the cities of Maroua and Mokolo in the ecclesiastical province of Garoua in Cameroon. History * March 11, 1968: Established as Apostolic Prefecture of Maroua–Mokolo from th ...

(

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

Evangelical Church of Cameroon The Eglise Evangelique Du Cameroun EEC (Evangelical Church of Cameroon) was born out of the European missionaries, the Paris Mission, Basel Mission and English Baptist Mission. After 1917 the Basel Mission handed over the majority of its mission s ...

(

World Communion of Reformed Churches The World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) is the largest association of Reformed (Calvinist) churches in the world. It has 230 member denominations (227 members and three associate or affiliate members) in 108 countries, together claiming ...

Presbyterian Church in Cameroon The Presbyterian Church in Cameroon (PCC) is a Calvinism, Reformed and Presbyterianism, Presbyterian denomination in Cameroon. It is the largest English-speaking church in the country and the largest Reformed one, a member of the World Communion of ...

(

Cameroon Baptist Convention The Cameroon Baptist Convention is a Baptist Christian denomination in Cameroon. It is affiliated with the Baptist World Alliance. The headquarters is in Bamenda. History The Convention has its origins in a British mission of the Baptist Missio ...

(

Baptist World Alliance The Baptist World Alliance (BWA) is an international communion of Baptists, with an estimated 51 million people from 266 member bodies in 134 countries and territories as of 2024. A voluntary association of Baptist churches, the BWA accounts f ...

), Full Gospel Mission Cameroon (

Assemblies of God The World Assemblies of God Fellowship (WAGF), commonly known as the Assemblies of God (AG), is a global cooperative body or communion of over 170 Pentecostal denominations that was established on August 15, 1989. The WAGF was created to provi ...

). J. Gordon Melton, Martin Baumann, ‘‘Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices’’, ABC-CLIO, USA, 2010, p. 484-486

Climate

The climate is Sahelian, being hot and dry for most of the year. Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as hot semi-arid (''BSh'').

Sport

Sports activities that are recognized are football and traditional wrestling. File:Lutte traditionnelle de jeunes 03.jpg, by young boys File:Lutte traditionnelle de jeunes 02.jpg, by young girls File:Lutte traditionnelle de jeunes 05.jpg, by warriors

References

{{Capitals of Regions of Cameroon Populated places in Cameroon Far North Region (Cameroon) Provincial capitals in Cameroon Sub-emirates of the Adamawa emirate