Maroua is the capital of the Far North Region of Cameroon, stretching along the banks of the Ferngo and Kaliao Rivers, "in the foothills of the Mandara Mountains."The city had 201,371 inhabitants at the 2005 Census, and is a centre of cotton industry. The city also has an airport located near the town of Salak, an agricultural school, and ethnographic museum. To the North of the city is the famous Waza National Park.