GAROUA, APOSTOLIC PREFECTURE of - Situated in French Cameroon, it borders Lake Chad to the north. It was erected on 9 Jan. 1947 from the northern territory of the apostolic vicariate of Foumban and entrusted to the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. In that vast region missionary work was only beginning, all the more so because at its centre lies the sultanate of Adamua, completely Islamized.
The rest of the territory is inhabited by pagans, mostly animists. The seat of the Ordinary can communicate with the various districts. The climate is very hot and dry. The population is approximately 1,100,000 inhabitants, of whom 503,357 are Muslims and 500,000 pagans. In the northern regions it has a density of approximately 15 per sq. km., and only 4 per sq. km. in the more Islamized region of Ngaoundéré. The languages spoken are foublé, a kind of Arabic dialect, sara, and banana. The Protestants too have begun some foundations north of Ngaoundéré and number approximately 2,745 adherents. The area is 140,000 sq. km., with 609 native Catholics, 403 foreign Catholics, and 408 catechumens. There are 20 missionaries, 8 brothers, and 8 sisters, distributed among 7 quasi-parishes, 8 principal stations, and 8 secondary stations.