Adamawa

Traditional emirate centered in what is now Adamawa state, eastern Nigeria.

It was founded by Modibbo Adama in the early 19th century. He moved the capital several times before finally settling it in 1841 in Yola. The British Royal Niger Company established trading posts there; when the emir tried to force them out in 1901, they captured the town. Adamawa was partitioned in 1901 between British Northern Nigeria and German Kamerun (Cameroon). In 1919 the Cameroon portion was divided between the French and the British. The emirate's territories eventually came to form almost all of northern Cameroon and part of eastern Nigeria.

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▪ state, Nigeria

      state, northeastern Nigeria. It was administratively created in 1991 from the northeastern half of former Gongola state. Adamawa is bordered on the north and northwest by Borno and Gombe states, on the west and southwest by Taraba state, and on the southeast and east by Cameroon.

      The Mandara Mountains lie in the northeastern part of the state along the Cameroon border, and the Shebshi Mountains rise to Mount Dimlang (6,699 feet [2,042 m]) in the state's southeastern portion. Adamawa state is largely covered by short-grass savanna and is drained westward by the Benue River and its tributaries, including the Gongola, Taraba, and Pai rivers.

      Besides the dominant Fulani, Adamawa is also inhabited by the Mumuye, Higi, Kapsiki, Chamba, Margi (Marghi), Hausa, Kilba, Gude, Wurkum, Jukun, and Bata peoples. All these groups except the trader Hausa population are primarily engaged in farming and herding (cattle, goats, sheep), but fishing is also important along the riverbanks. Peanuts (groundnuts), cotton, sorghum, millet, rice, and corn (maize) are the main crops. Peanuts and cotton are exported, as are cattle, dyed skins, and gum arabic.

      Cottage industries include leatherwork, calabash decoration, mat weaving, pottery making, metalwork, canoe carving, and cloth dyeing. Industries are mostly agriculturally based and include a sugar-processing plant near Numan, a timber industry at Yola (the state capital), and a cotton ginnery at Lamurde. The Sukur Cultural Landscape, which consists of a palace, villages, and the remains of an iron industry, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1999. The state's road system is limited. Yola, the site of a federal university of technology, is served by an airport, and the Benue River allows for river transport. Pop. (2006) 3,168,101.

▪ traditional emirate, Africa

      traditional emirate centred in what is now Adamawa state, eastern Nigeria. The emirate was founded by Modibbo Adama, who was one of Sheikh Usman dan Fodio's commanders and who began a Fulani jihad (holy war) in 1809 against the non-Muslim peoples of the region. Adama moved the capital of his kingdom, which was then known as Fumbina, several times before settling it finally in 1841 in Yola, which has since remained the seat of the emirate. At his death, in 1848, Fumbina extended over parts of present-day eastern Nigeria and most of northern Cameroon; even as the easternmost emirate of the Fulani empire, however, it was required to pay annual tribute (mostly in slaves) to the sultans at Sokoto, the Fulani capital, 555 miles (890 km) west-northwest.

      Adama was succeeded by four of his sons. Lamido (Lord) Hamman (usually known as Lawal [Lauwal, or Lowal]) consolidated Fulani control during his reign (1848–72). During the weak rule of Sanda (Saanda; 1872–90), the Royal Niger Company established trading posts along the Benue River in Adamawa; when Emir Zubeiru (1890–1901) tried to force the British (British Empire) to leave Yola in 1901, British troops captured the town and compelled him to flee. After Adamawa was partitioned in 1901 between British Northern Nigeria and German Kamerun (Cameroon), Bobbo Ahmadu (Bobo Amadu; 1901–09), Adama's fourth son, became emir of Yola in the British section of the state. After World War I, part of the Cameroon portion of the emirate came under French administration and part remained under British rule. The emirate's territories eventually came to form almost all of northern Cameroon and part of eastern Nigeria.

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