Middle Africa · Africa

Chad

Discover Chad - home to the dramatic Ennedi Plateau, Lake Chad's shrinking waters, and Saharan rock art thousands of years old in a rugged crossroads nation.

Where Is Chad?

Chad is a country in Middle Africa. Its capital is N'Djamena.

Where Chad isMiddle Africa · Capital N'Djamena

Capital N'Djamena
Population 21M
Area 1,284,000 km²

Chad is a country of extremes, split between the scorching Sahara Desert in the north and the tropical wetlands of the south. The Tibesti Mountains in the far north reach over 3,400 meters and contain volcanic hot springs in one of the most remote places on Earth. The Ennedi Plateau, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a sandstone labyrinth of arches, pillars, and canyons decorated with thousands of rock paintings and engravings that date back 7,000 years, evidence that the Sahara was once green and lush.

Lake Chad, which gives the country its name, was once one of the largest lakes in Africa. It has shrunk by roughly 90% since the 1960s, one of the most dramatic environmental catastrophes of our time. Millions of people across four countries depend on its dwindling waters. Chad itself is a crossroads between the Arab north and the African south, between Islam and Christianity, between nomadic herders and settled farmers. It is also one of the most conflict-affected countries in the world, hosting hundreds of thousands of refugees from neighboring Sudan and Nigeria. But the landscapes, particularly in the Saharan north, are among the most hauntingly beautiful on the continent.

At a glance

Language

French, Arabic (+ Sara, others)

Currency

Central African CFA Franc (XAF)

Calling Code

+235

Drives On

Right

Internet

.td

Timezone

WAT (UTC+1)

Script

Latin, Arabic

Government

Presidential Republic

Independence

1960

By population

Largest cities in Chad

N'Djamena

Capital city at the confluence of the Chari and Logone rivers, a dusty crossroads between the Arab north and the African south

1,500,000

Moundou

Second-largest city in the lush south, center of the cotton industry and home to the Gala brewery

180,000

Sarh

Southern city on the Chari River surrounded by savanna, a gateway to the wildlife reserves of the south

120,000

Abeche

Ancient Sahel city in the east, former capital of the Ouaddai Sultanate and a center of Chadian Islamic culture

110,000

People

Famous people from Chad

Mahamat-Saleh Haroun
Film
Internationally acclaimed filmmaker whose A Screaming Man won the Jury Prize at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival
Hissene Habre
Politics
Former president convicted of crimes against humanity in 2016, the first African head of state tried by an African court
Kaltouma Nadjina
Sport
Sprinter who became a national hero by representing Chad at multiple Olympics, including the 2004 Athens Games
Koulsy Lamko
Literature
Poet and playwright whose works explore identity, exile, and the human cost of conflict in the Sahel

Food

Traditional cuisine of Chad

Boule: Thick millet or sorghum porridge that is the staple food, eaten with gombo sauce and forming the base of every Chadian meal
Daraba: Stew of okra, tomatoes, and greens thickened with peanut paste, served over boule as a hearty everyday meal
Kisra: Thin fermented sorghum flatbread common in eastern Chad, a Sudanese influence reflecting cross-border cultural ties
La Bouillie: Sweet millet porridge flavored with lemon, ginger, or peanut, served as a breakfast staple or afternoon snack
Jarret de Boeuf: Slow-braised beef shank cooked until falling off the bone, a celebratory dish for special occasions

Nature

Nature and landmarks in Chad

Ennedi PlateauLandmark: UNESCO World Heritage sandstone massif with natural arches, rock towers, and 7,000-year-old cave paintings in the Sahara
Tibesti MountainsMountain: Remote volcanic mountain range in the Sahara reaching 3,445 meters at Emi Koussi, the highest point in the Sahara Desert
Lake ChadLake: Once one of Africa's largest lakes, now shrunk by 90% due to climate change and irrigation, still sustaining millions of people
Zakouma National ParkNational Park: Chad's premier wildlife reserve in the southeast, with one of Central Africa's last large elephant herds and abundant birdlife

Sport

Sports in Chad

Football: The Sao national team competes in African Cup of Nations qualifiers, with football being the most passionately followed sport
Wrestling: Traditional wrestling is deeply embedded in Chadian culture, with village tournaments drawing large crowds across the south
Athletics: Growing athletics participation with sprinters and middle-distance runners representing Chad at the Olympic Games

Facts

Did you know?

The Ennedi Plateau contains some of the world's most spectacular natural rock arches, rivaling those in the American Southwest
Lake Chad has shrunk by about 90% since the 1960s, from 25,000 square kilometers to roughly 1,500 square kilometers today
Emi Koussi in the Tibesti Mountains at 3,445 meters is the highest point in the entire Sahara Desert
Chad's rock art in the Ennedi and Tibesti regions dates back 7,000 years, depicting hippos, crocodiles, and cattle in a once-green Sahara
N'Djamena, the capital, was founded in 1900 by the French as Fort-Lamy and only renamed in 1973
Chad hosts over one million refugees from neighboring countries, one of the largest refugee populations in Africa relative to its size

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