Information on Chad

Chad, landlocked country in north-central Africa. The terrain is that of a shallow basin that rises gradually from the Lake Chad area in the west and is rimmed by mountains to the north, east, and south. Natural irrigation is limited to the Chari and Logone rivers and their tributaries, which flow from the southeast into Lake Chad. The capital, N’Djamena (formerly Fort-Lamy), is almost 1,000 miles (1,600 km) by road from the western African coastal ports.

Although it is the fifth largest country on the continent, Chad—much of the northern part of which lies in the Sahara—has a population density of only about 20 persons per square mile (8 persons per square km). Most of the population lives by agriculture; cotton is grown in the south, and cattle are raised in the central region. Chad joined the ranks of oil-producing countries in 2003, raising hopes that the revenues generated would improve the country’s economic situation.

N’DJamena

N’Djamena, formerly Fort-Lamy, city, capital of Chad, located on the country’s southwestern border, adjacent to Cameroon. It lies on the east bank of the Chari River at its confluence with the Logone River, in an alluvial plain that is flooded during the rainy season (July–September). The city was founded in 1900 across the Chari River from Fort-Fureau (Kousseri), where French colonial troops defeated and killed the Sudanese adventurer Rābiḥ al-Zubayr, who had established a military hegemony in districts east of Lake Chad. It was named Fort-Lamy after a French major who also died in the battle, and it remained a small Kotoko settlement until after Chad’s independence in 1960. Its name was changed to N’Djamena in 1973, and the city was occupied by Libyan forces in 1980–81 during the civil war that had begun in the mid-1960s.

Currency  

The national currency is the XAF (Central African CFA) Franc. The Central African Franc CFA is available in banknotes of 500 FCFA; 1,000 FCFA; 2,000 FCFA; 5,000 FCFA and 10,000 FCFA, but also in coins of (5, 10, 25 francs of golden colour or 50,100 and 500 francs in silver colour). Credit cards (Visa and MasterCard are also accepted by hotels and in many restaurants. Operational ATM machines are available in the city for Visa and Mastercard holders.  

Time 

N’Djamena is on the West and Central African time, which corresponds to Universal Time GMT+1 

Weather  

Temperatures in July ranges between 26°c and 37°c. Please kindly take all necessary measures to dress accordingly.

Official Government Language 

Chad is a bilingual country with both French and Arabic as official languages.  

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