GEOGRAPHY
Chad is a land-locked country
in north central Africa measuring 1,284,000 square kilometers
(496,000 sq. mi.), roughly three times the size of Texas. Most
of its ethnically and linguistically diverse population lives
in the south, with densities ranging from 54 persons per square
kilometers in the Logone River basin to 0.1 persons in the northern
B.E.T. desert region, which is larger than France. The capital
city of N'Djaména, situated at the confluence of the Chari and
Logone Rivers, is cosmopolitan in nature, with a current population
in excess of 700,000 persons.
Chad has four bioclimatic
zones. The northernmost Saharan zone averages less than 200 mm
(8") of rainfall annually. The sparse human population is largely
nomadic, with some livestock, mostly small ruminants and camels.
The central Sahelian zone receives between 200 and 600 mm (24")
rainfall and has vegetation ranging from grass/shrub steppe to
thorny, open savanna. The southern zone, often referred to as
the Sudanian zone, receives between 600 and 1,000 mm (39"), with
woodland savanna and deciduous forests for vegetation. Rainfall
in the Guinea zone, located in Chad's southwestern tip, ranges
between 1,000 and 1,200 mm (47").
The country's topography
is generally flat, with the elevation gradually rising as one
moves north and east away from Lake Chad. The highest point in
Chad is Emi Koussi, a mountain that rises 3,100 meters (10,200
ft.) in the northern Tibesti Mountains. The Ennedi Plateau and
the Ouaddaï highlands in the east complete the image of a gradually
sloping basin, which descends towards Lake Chad. There are also
central highlands in the Guera region rising to 1,500 meters (4,900
ft.).
Lake Chad is the second-largest
lake in west Africa and is one of the most important wetlands
on the continent. Home to 120 species of fish and at least that
many species of birds, the lake has shrunk dramatically in the
last four decades due to the increased water use and low rainfall.
Bordered by Chad, Niger, Nigeria, and Cameroon, Lake Chad currently
covers only 1,350 square kilometers, down from 25,000 square kilometers
in 1963. The Chari and Logone Rivers, both of which originate
in the Central African Republic and flow northward, provide most
of the water entering Lake Chad.
Official Name: Republic
of Chad
Area: 1,284,634 sq. km. (496,000 sq. mi.); about twice
the size of Texas. Cities: Capital--N'Djamena (pop. 700,000
est.). Other major cities--Moundou, Abeche, Sarh.
Terrain: Desert, mountainous north, large arid central
plain, fertile lowlands in extreme southern region.
Climate: Northern desert--very dry throughout the year;
central plain--hot and dry, with brief rainy season mid-June to
mid-September; southern lowlands--warm and more humid with seasonal
rains from late May to early October.
