Weather Today: High: 98 degrees, Calm and Sunny
The Extreme North province is the fourth most inhabited in Cameroon. It is mostly savannah, although the majority of native animals currently reside in the national parks. The most famous being Waza National Park.
This area is generally dry, and currently in the dry season. Human inhabitation has increased the desert-ness of the region, but Operation Green Sahel is aiming to plant more than one million trees this year to stop the encroaching desert.
The Far North lacks industrialization and most inhabitants subsist through sustenance farming or handicrafts. This lack of industrialization makes it a popular destination for adventure tourists interested in wildlife.
The Fulani are the major ethnic group here and the captital, Maroua, is mainly a Fulani settlement. When Germany took control in 1884, they met with great resistance from this group.
France took control of the territory after World War I and allowed the Fulani leaders or "lamidos" to essentially control the region. In the 1950's as European colonial rule in Africa was drawing to a close and André-Marie Mbida, a Cameroon native, became prime minister, the Far North province attempted to secede to Chad as the lamidos feared democratization. A Northerner, Amadou Ahidjo, used this issue to win the position of prime minister from Mbida.
Unforuntately, the current news from the Far North is that a terrible fire has ravaged the village of Ngoumouldi, not far from the capital. Most of the village was at a nearby market and a poorly extinguished hearthfire was believed to be the cause. Two children were killed, thousands of sacs of grain, millions of Francs, and hundreds of goats were lost, as well as the homes of nearly all of the 590 residents.
No comments:
Post a Comment