Garoua
Garoua | |
|---|---|
City | |
 The Market at Garoua | |
  Garoua Location in Cameroon | |
| Coordinates: 9°18′N 13°24′E / 9.300°N 13.400°E | |
| Country |  Cameroon |
| Region | North |
| Department | Bénoué |
| Elevation | 249 m (817 ft) |
| Population (2023) | |
| • Total | 2,000,000 |
| Climate | Aw |
Garoua (also Garua; Fula: 𞤺𞤢𞤪𞤱𞤢, Garwa) is a port city and the capital of the North Region of Cameroon, lying on the Benue River. A thriving centre of the textiles and cotton industries, the city has approximately 1,285,000 inhabitants in 2020, mostly Fulbe/Fulani people.[1]
History
Garoua was established by the
The population of the city was 30,000 in 1967.[3]
Geography
Garoua is situated in northern Cameroon, and lies on the
Climate
Garoua has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw), with a wet season and a dry season and the temperature being hot year-round. The average temperature in Garoua ranges from 26.0 °C (78.8 °F) in December and January, the coolest months, to 33.0 °C (91.4 °F) in April, the hottest month. The hottest time of year is in March and April, just before the wet season starts. March has the highest average high at 39.8 °C (103.6 °F), while the highest average low is 26.4 °C (79.5 °F) in April. August has the lowest average high at 30.7 °C (87.3 °F), while December has the lowest average low at 17.3 °C (63.1 °F).
Garoua receives 997.4 millimetres (39.27 in) of rain over 88 precipitation days, with a distinct wet and dry season like most tropical savanna climates. December, January and February receive no precipitation at all. August, the wettest month, receives 247.9 millimetres (9.76 in) of rainfall on average. September has 24 precipitation days, which is the most of any month. Garoua receives 2927.1 hours of sunshine annually on average, with the sunshine being distributed evenly across the year, although it is lower during the wet season.
| Climate data for Garoua | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 34.4 (93.9) |
37.3 (99.1) |
39.8 (103.6) |
39.5 (103.1) |
36.5 (97.7) |
33.2 (91.8) |
31.1 (88.0) |
30.7 (87.3) |
31.5 (88.7) |
34.2 (93.6) |
36.0 (96.8) |
34.8 (94.6) |
34.9 (94.8) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 26.0 (78.8) |
28.9 (84.0) |
32.2 (90.0) |
33.0 (91.4) |
30.7 (87.3) |
28.2 (82.8) |
26.6 (79.9) |
26.4 (79.5) |
26.7 (80.1) |
28.1 (82.6) |
27.3 (81.1) |
26.0 (78.8) |
28.3 (82.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 17.5 (63.5) |
20.5 (68.9) |
24.7 (76.5) |
26.4 (79.5) |
24.9 (76.8) |
23.2 (73.8) |
22.2 (72.0) |
22.0 (71.6) |
21.9 (71.4) |
22.2 (72.0) |
19.2 (66.6) |
17.3 (63.1) |
21.8 (71.2) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
2.0 (0.08) |
44.1 (1.74) |
108.4 (4.27) |
134.8 (5.31) |
205.3 (8.08) |
247.9 (9.76) |
190.0 (7.48) |
63.3 (2.49) |
1.6 (0.06) |
0.0 (0.0) |
997.4 (39.27) |
| Average rainy days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 24 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 88 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 275.0 | 252.6 | 260.1 | 245.4 | 256.7 | 224.4 | 194.0 | 187.2 | 204.5 | 261.5 | 279.2 | 286.5 | 2,927.1 |
| Source: NOAA[6] | |||||||||||||
Demographics
In 2005, Garoua had a population of 495,996 people. The city is inhabited by the
Economy
As the fourth largest port in Cameroon,[8] Garoua is a major center of trade in the country.[9] It developed as a centre for trade in petroleum, cement, hides, peanuts, and cotton, transported on ships along the Benue River, between Burutu in Nigeria.[2] It has long been a thriving centre of the cotton industry and houses several textile processing facilities and factories.[10] The cotton company Sodecoton has one of its major centres in the city.[11] Leatherwork and fishing are also notable industries.[2]
Sport
Roumdé Adjia Stadium was one of the arenas hosting the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.
Places of worship
Among the
Transport
Garoua is served by Garoua International Airport. [13] The United States military uses the airport as a base to conduct unmanned aerial vehicle operations.[14] The city lies on National Highway 1,[4] at a junction of the road between Maroua and Ngaoundéré.[2] The main road leading north through the town and past the airport is called Rue de la Gendarmerie.[4]
Notable people
- Goggo Addi (1911–1999), storyteller who worked to preserve Fulani cultural heritage[15]
- Ahmadou Ahidjo (1924–1989), first president of Cameroon[16]
- Youssoufa Daoua (in French) (1947-2015), politician
- Gautier Bello (born 1983), footballer
- Vincent Aboubakar (born 1992), professional footballer
References
- ^ "Population of Cities in Cameroon (2018)". worldpopulationreview.com. Retrieved 2018-09-06.
- ^ a b c d "Garoua". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
- ^ Mark Dike DeLancey, Rebecca Neh Mbuh, Mark W. Delancey, Historical Dictionary of the Republic of Cameroon, Scarecrow Press, USA, 2010, p. 189
- ^ a b c d Google (29 October 2016). "Garoua" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-74104-821-6.
- ^ "Garoua Climate Normals 1961–1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
- ISBN 978-90-474-3098-8.
- ISBN 978-1-4053-8068-3.
- ISBN 978-0-7397-3267-0.
- ISBN 978-9956-717-66-8.
- ISBN 978-2-7099-1576-2.
- ^ J. Gordon Melton, Martin Baumann, ‘‘Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices’’, ABC-CLIO, USA, 2010, p. 484-486
- ISBN 978-0-7494-4065-7.
- ^ Hammer, Joshua (2016-02-25). "Hunting Boko Haram: The U.S. Extends Its Drone War Deeper Into Africa With Secretive Base". The Intercept.
- OCLC 45647204.
- ISBN 978-0-19-533770-9.
External links
Media related to Garoua at Wikimedia Commons
09°18′N 13°24′E / 9.300°N 13.400°E
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