North

According to UNESCO, the Fulani scholar Modibo Adama, given a standard by Usman dan Fodio, leader of the Sokoto jihad, led a series of campaigns from the early nineteenth century in the region of Fombina, subjugating populations that did not adhere to Islam. The resulting Adamawa emirate became one of the largest in the Sokoto empire, its capital settling at Yola, in present-day Nigeria, around 1841.

Official sourceUNESCO – General History of AfricaPublished 1 Jan 1989Verified 6 Sept 2026

Events tied to this region

Events tied to this region
Date	Event	Era	Source
c. 1809–1847	Fulani jihad and the founding of the Adamawa emirate	Precolonial Cameroon	Official sourceUNESCO – General History of Africa
1922	Indirect rule of the British Cameroons from Nigeria	Mandates and trusteeships	Official sourceUNESCO – General History of Africa
11 February 1961 – 12 February 1961	1961 plebiscite in the British-administered Cameroons · Contested	Independence and reunification	Official sourceUNESCO – General History of Africa