Geography

Chad is a very large country with a land area of 1,284,000 km2 and an estimated population of over 9 million. It borders Cameroon, Nigeria, Niger, Libya, Sudan and the Central African Republic. The climate is tropical in the south and desert in the north and the land elevation varies from 160 to 3,415 m with arid plains in the centre, mountains in the north-west and lowlands in the south. Lake Chad is the most significant body of water in the Sahel. It has ranged from a surface area of almost 26,000 km2 in June 1962 to 1,653 km2 in April 1985. The official languages are French and Arabic and there are many local languages and dialects. More details can be found at CIA Factbook.