Article Outline
Chad, republic in north central Africa. Chad is bounded on the north by Libya; on the east by Sudan; on the south by the Central African Republic; and on the west by Cameroon, Nigeria, and Niger. The landlocked country has an area of 1,284,000 sq km (495,755 sq mi). N’Djamena is the capital and largest city.
Chad’s terrain is dominated by the low-lying Chad Basin (elevation about 250 m/820 ft), which rises gradually to mountains and plateaus on the north, east, and south. In the east heights of more than 900 m (more than 3,000 ft) are attained in the Ennedi and Ouaddaï plateaus. The greatest elevations are reached in the Tibesti massif in the north, with a maximum height of 3,415 m (11,204 ft) at Emi Koussi. The northern half of the republic lies in the Sahara. The only important rivers, the Logone and Chari (Shari), are located in the southwest and flow into Lake Chad. The lake doubles in size during the rainy season.
The northern portion of Chad is hot and arid. The central section has three seasons: hot from March to July; rainy from July to October, with rainfall averaging from about 250 to 750 mm (about 10 to 30 in); and cool during the remaining months. The southern section has similar seasons but receives about 1,145 mm (about 45 in) of rain in the same four months.
Although only 3 percent of Chad’s land is cultivated, the country’s agricultural resources have long held primary importance in food production. Extensive fish resources in Lake Chad and the Chari River are also of vital importance. Southern Chad contains significant deposits of petroleum and gold that have begun to be exploited since 2000. Natron (a sodium carbonate that occurs naturally in lake beds) has been extracted from the shores of Lake Chad for centuries for use as salt and for the production of soap and glass. The country also contains largely untapped deposits of uranium, tungsten, tin, bauxite, iron ore, and titanium.
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