Chad

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.