Chad - Tourism and Travel

The Republic of Chad is a country in north central Africa.

It is a landlocked country, with an area of 495,755 square miles (1,284,000 square kilometers).

There is desert in the north and tropical forest in the southwest.

The Tibesti Mountains, in northern Chad, are the highest mountains in the Sahara Desert. A volcanic range, the Tibesti Mountains were created when the African plate moved over a hot spot.

Part of the Lake Chad Basin is in western Chad.

Lake Chad was once a much larger inland sea. A change in climate patterns caused it to shrink, so that it is now a shallow lake surrounded by desert sand flats.

In the 1970s, there were a series of droughts that reduced the area of Lake Chad to around 1,000 square miles (2,599 square kilometers).

The capital of Chad is Ndjamena.

11,2606,000 people live in Chad.

28% are Sara, 12% are Mayo-Kebbi, 12% are Arab, 9% are Ouaddia and 9% are Kanem-Bornou

French and Arabic are official languages. Sara and Maba are also spoken.

55% of the people are Muslim, 35% practice traditional religions and 10% are Christian.

Chad does not have many natural resources.

Much of the workforce is involved in subsistence farming.

Raw cotton is exported.

The country depends on foreign aid.

Chad has a presidential system of government.

The official currency is the CFA franc, which equals 100 centimes.