Adamawa Plateau

Adamawa Plateau (also Adamaoua), plateau region, west-central Africa, in central Cameroon, extending into south-eastern Nigeria and western Central African Republic. An upland area of volcanic origin, it has an average elevation of about 1,000 m (3,300 ft). Savannah vegetation predominates. It is a sparsely populated region, cattle raising being the chief occupation. Its name is derived from the Fulani Muslim leader Modibbo Adama, who established an emirate incorporating much of the territory prior to his death in 1848. The Sukur Cultural Landscape (a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999), with its remains of an early iron industry, dwellings, palaces, and evidence of land use, illustrates the scope of the material and spiritual culture of early societies in the area.