Far North Region (Cameroon)

Far North Region
Region
Country	Cameroon
Departments	Diamaré, Logone-et-Chari, Mayo-Danay, Mayo-Kani, Mayo-Sava, Mayo-Tsanaga
Coordinates	11°00′N 14°30′E / 11.000°N 14.500°E / 11.000; 14.500Coordinates: 11°00′N 14°30′E / 11.000°N 14.500°E / 11.000; 14.500
Capital	Maroua
Area	34,263 km2 (13,229 sq mi)
Population	3,803,138 (2013)
Density	111/km2 (287/sq mi) (4th)
Governor	Midjiyawa Bakary
Location of Far North Region within Cameroon

The Far North Region, also known as the Extreme North Region (from French: Région de l'Extrême-Nord), is the northernmost constituent province of the Republic of Cameroon. It borders the North Region to the south, Chad to the east, and Nigeria to the west. The capital is Maroua.

The province is one of Cameroon's most culturally diverse. Over 50 different ethnic groups populate the area, including the Shuwa Arabs, Fulani, and Kapsiki. Most educated inhabitants speak French, and the Fulani language, Fulfulde, is a common lingua franca.

In 2008, the President of the Republic of Cameroon, President Paul Biya signed decrees abolishing "Provinces" and replacing them with "Regions". Hence, all of the country's ten provinces are now known as Regions.

Sedimentary rock such as alluvium, clay, limestone, and sandstone forms the greatest share of the Far North's geology. These deposits follow the province's rivers, such as the Logone and Mayo Tsanaga, as they empty into Lake Chad to the north. At the province's south, a band of granite separates the sedimentary area from a zone of metamorphic rock to the southwest. This latter region includes deposits of gneiss, mica, and schists. The Rhumsiki Valley, a mountainous field littered by the cores of extinct volcanoes, constitutes a small area of volcanic rock, such as trachyte and rhyolite.