ADAMAWA PLATEAU

also spelled Adamaoua Plateau, volcanic upland in west-central Africa. Though chiefly in north-central Cameroon, part of the plateau, known as the Gotel Mountains, is in southeastern Nigeria. The plateau is the source of the Benue River. Its highest elevations are more than 8,700 feet (2,650 m) above sea level. Many craters and small lakes attest to the region's volcanic origin. Vegetation is chiefly savanna, with some tropical woodlands; the economy is based on pastoralism, with subsistence agriculture, and there are also some cattle ranches. Some tin deposits are exploited, and exploitation of bauxite deposits began in 1976-77. The region is named for Modibbo Adama (d. 1847/48), the founder of a Fulani emirate.