Chad Country Profile
Discovering Chad, “The Dead Heart of Africa”
Chad Flag
The Republic of Chad is a landlocked country located in north central Africa. It is bounded by 6 countries; Libya to the north, the Central African Republic to the south, Niger to the west, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest; and Sudan to the east. It covers a total land area of 1,284,000 sq km and N’Djamena which lies1060 km from the nearest seaport of Douala is its capital and largest city. Arabic and French are the official languages. Islam and Christianity are the dominant religions.
Geographically, Chad is divided into three major distinct regions namely; the desert zone in the north, an arid Sahelian belt in the centre and a productive southern savanna zone.
Lake Chad (330,000 sq km) (named after the country) is the largest water body and also Africa’s second largest wetland.
Sometimes referred to as the “Dead Heart of Africa”, dusty Chad is an exceptionally friendly country whose capital is a laid-back city featuring amazing attractions such as the Central Market-a lively daily market, with memorable shopping experiences and naturally crafted African products such as Chadian rugs and African jewellery. The country is also home of Toubou, the fiercest tribe in Africa.
Chad Safaris also enable you catch a glimpse of some of the most fascinating camel racing in the world.
One attractive feature for holiday travellers to Chad is the Emi Koussi, an inactive volcano in the Tibesti Mountains that goes up to 3,414 m above sea level; and doubles as the highest point both in Chad and the Sahara. Tibesti Mountains is another feature with a striking backdrop of sub-Saharan. These mountain ranges offer exciting experiences for adventure excursions and hiking tours in Chad.
Getting There
There are several access routes from Cameroon, Central African Republic, Niger and Nigeria to Chad. To Cameroon, boats ply across the Logone River border, which flows into Lake Chad. Access from Nigeria is via a sliver of northern Cameroon. There is a road from N’Djaména via Sarh to the Central African Republic. There is an access road from N’Djaména to Maidguri in Niger. International Flights with airlines such as Air France, Cameroon Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines etc, touch down at N’Djaména Airport (NDJ)- the main airport which lies 4km northwest of the city centre.