Mineral resources of the country of Chad briefly. Geography of the Republic of Chad: relief, climate, resources, population
The area of the country is 1284 thousand square kilometers, ranking 20th in the world in terms of territory. The distance from the extreme western to the extreme eastern point is 1150 km, and from the northern to the southern - 1700 km. Chad is the most remote state in Africa from the oceans and seas and belongs to the Sahel zone.
The name of this state was given by Lake Chad, located on its territory (“Chad” in the language of one of the local nationalities - Kanuri means “big water”, “space of water”).
Most of the country's territory is a flat plain, which has absolute elevations of 250-300 m in the west (Bodele depression, 180 m; Zhurab, 155 m) and 350-400 m or more in the north, east and south. The water level of Lake Chad has an absolute level of 240 m, thanks to the Erg Kanem dune dam.
The relief of Kanem, Aegean, Toro and Zhurab is mainly composed of dunes up to 7 km long. In Kanem, the dunes are fixed by vegetation, while in the Aegean and Zhurab, large areas are occupied by mobile dunes.
The northern and northeastern boundaries of the depression (Borku and Ennedi) have a stepped relief in eroded sandstones.
In the northwest, the Tibesti mountainous area consists of an alternation of high ridges of volcanic origin (Emi-Kusi, 3415 m; Tuside, 3315 m) and extensive plateaus (Tarso-Ton, 2625 m; Tarso-Voon, 2420 m). Tibesti is a huge uplift of ancient crystalline rocks overlain by sandstones. The highest altitude is Mount Emi-Kousi (3415 m), located in the southern part of the highlands, which is also the highest point of the entire Sahara; its top is a huge crater about 13 km across and 300 m deep. Hot springs and the release of gases on the slopes indicate recent volcanic activity. The Tibesti landscape is called "black" due to the predominant dark color of the volcanoes.
The Lake Chad basin is bordered in the north by the Tibesti Highlands, in the northeast by the Ennedi Plateau, in the east by the Waddai Massif, in the south by the Central African Massif, and in the southeast by the Adamawa and Mandara massifs. Its total area is 2,400 thousand square meters. km. The Lake Chad basin contains the Bodele, Faya, Manga, Kanem, Bongor, Dobba and Doseo depressions.
The eastern slope of the Chad Basin gradually rises and reaches the Waddai massif.
The southeastern part of Chad is occupied by the Waddai massif with numerous island mountains, the average height of which is; 100-500 m, and the highest points are Mount Niere and Maraon. (1320 m).
In the Gera massif, the highest point is the Abu Telfan ridge (Mount Gedi, 1508 m). South part The country consists of low sandy-clay plateaus (Koro) and flood plains. The absolute elevation of these plateaus is 500-600 m. The island mountains in this zone suddenly turn into the Yade massif (Lai ridge).
The flat areas of Shari and Logon have a gentle slope towards Lake Chad.
The Republic of Chad is located north of the equator in the tropical zone. Its climate is continental, in the north it is tropical desert, in the south it is equatorial-monsoon.
In Chad, as in other countries of the Sahara zone, there is one rainy and one dry season. The duration of the rainy season increases as you move south. The seasons change with thunderstorms and storms caused by the collision of hot, dry air masses from the northeast and humid southwest. In the southern regions such thunderstorms are accompanied by heavy downpours, and in the northern regions they are most often accompanied by sandstorms.
The climate of Chad is characterized by periodic changes from tropical trade winds to equatorial air. During the winter months, when the sun moves to the southern hemisphere, the trade wind (harmattan) dominates here. In the southern regions, the direction of air masses often changes from northeast to east. The dryness of the air gradually increases, and precipitation stops. In summer, humid air, called the summer southwest monsoon, penetrates into Chad from the equatorial zone. It brings rainy weather from the Gulf of Guinea and slightly reduces the air temperature before the onset of the monsoon.
In summer, the southwest monsoon pushes the harmattan to the north and a struggle between the harmattan and the monsoon occurs, manifested in changing weather and the dominance of variable winds. The monsoon blows calmly in the morning and gives way to harmattan in the afternoon. Severe storms (tornadoes) with thunderstorms often occur. Typically, a tornado moves in the direction of the harmattan, that is, to the west or northwest. With the onset of the rainy season, thunderstorms become rare. In the north of the country, tornadoes more often bring sandstorms rather than precipitation.
In the Sahara Desert, precipitation is very rare and irregular. Faya (Largeau) receives an average of 16 mm of precipitation and has an average of 3-4 rainy days per year. The average monthly temperature here is 44.4°C, but the daily amplitude is quite large and amounts to 20°C. The desert zone is characterized by strong winds, lasting a total of up to 52 days a year.
To the south of this zone, climatic conditions are less severe. In Abéché, for example, 51 rainy days were recorded, in N'Djamena - 63.6, in Moundou - 93.3. Annual precipitation increases from north to south from 50 mm to 1200 mm per year.
The dry (winter) season here lasts 6-7 months from October-November to April-May, the rainy season lasts from 2 to 4 months. The daily temperature range in this zone is 10°C.
The main areas of the country are used as follows: 3% of the land is allocated for arable land, 36% is occupied by pastures, and 26% is occupied by forests; the area of rivers and lakes occupies 1.9% of the total area of the country.
Republic of Chad, a state in Central Africa. Capital N'Djamena (700 thousand people 2002). Territory 1.284 million sq. km. Administrative division 14 prefectures. Population 9.54 million people (2004). Official language French and Arabic. Religion Islam, Christianity and traditional African beliefs. Currency unit CFA franc. National holiday August 11 Independence Day (1960). Chad has been a member of the UN since 1960, the Organization of African Unity (OAU) since 1963, and since 2002 its successor the African Union (AU), the Non-Aligned Movement, International organization Francophonie (OEF), Economic Community of Central African States (ECEAC) since 1983, Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) since 1999, Community of Sahel and Saharan States since 1997.
Pre-colonial period. Archaeological finds indicate that the territory of modern Chad was inhabited ca. 6 thousand years ago
In the 5th century BC. south of the island of Chad in the basin of the Logon and Shari rivers the so-called. Sao culture. The Sao people were engaged in fishing, hunting and farming; metalworking and ceramics production developed. In the 7th-8th centuries. n. e. Zaghawa nomadic pastoralists came to the northeastern regions of Chad. Having subjugated the indigenous peoples, in the 9th century. they created the early state formation of Kanem, which became one of the most powerful and stable in Western Sudan. In the 11th century The rulers of Kanem converted to Islam. The state reached its heyday in the 13th century, largely due to the active slave trade that it conducted with the countries of North Africa. Infighting between numerous claimants to the throne weakened Kanem and led to its collapse in the end. 14th century
In con. 15th century in one of the former provinces of Kanem, his ruling dynasty created the state of Bornu with its capital Ngazargama. In the 16th century On the territory of Chad, the states of Bagirmi and Wadai also formed, which constantly waged wars among themselves and with Bornu. In the 1890s, weakened by internal strife, Bagirmi, Bornu and Wadai were captured by the troops of the ruler Rabbah Khubair.
Colonial period. The first Europeans were English explorers D. Denham and H. Clapperton. The penetration of the French began in the 1890s. After the defeat of the Rabbaha state by French troops (1900), Bagirmi and Vadai became colonial possessions of France. In 1914, the territory of Chad was declared a separate colony of France with administrative center at Fort Lamy. A system of governance based on the use of traditional rulers was introduced. In the 1920s, Christianity began to penetrate the colony. The southern regions of Chad developed at a faster pace than the northern ones. The support of the French administration was the local nobility, primarily the Sara people, who converted to Catholicism. After the forced introduction of cotton into the economy (1925), Chad turned into a raw material appendage of the metropolis. On plantations and community service forced labor was widely used.
In 1946, Chad received the status of an “overseas territory” of France, which gave it the right to representation in the French parliament and the creation of its own territorial assembly. The first political organizations arose in 1947 “Democratic Union of Chad” and “Progressive Party of Chad” (PPCH) local section of the Democratic Rally of Africa (DOA). The HRCP expressed the interests of the Christian minority in the southern regions of the country. One of its leaders was trade union leader François Tombalbaye. In November 1958, Chad was declared an autonomous republic within the French Community. Elections to the Legislative Assembly (May 31, 1959) brought a landslide victory for the HRCP. On August 11, 1960, the independent Republic of Chad was proclaimed.
Period of independence. The head of the first government was F. Tombalbai, who was elected chairman of the Human Rights Council in September 1960. The constitution adopted on November 28, 1960 established a multi-party system in the country; in the field of economics, a course was taken to develop entrepreneurship and attract foreign investment. The government enjoyed the support of the former metropolis.
In 1962, mass unrest began in the north of the country among Muslims dissatisfied with government policies. The representative of their interests was the underground military-political organization “Front for the National Liberation of Chad” (FROLINA), created in 1965. Anti-government protests of Muslims were suppressed with the help of French troops in 1969. A new wave of protest was caused by a campaign of forced Africanization of the country’s population (replacing Christian names with African ones). , the introduction of a ritual initiation rite, etc.), started by the government in 1973. In April 1975, as a result of a military coup, President F. Tombalbaye was killed, and power passed to General Felix Mallum. His attempts to achieve national reconciliation, including the creation of a coalition government with the participation of FROLINA leader Hissène Habré, were unsuccessful. In November 1979, a transitional government was formed headed by the head of the FROLINA armed forces, Goukouni Oueddey.
In March 1980, armed clashes between the forces of H. Habré and G. Weddey began. Sharpness and long lasting character civil war was aggravated not only by ethnic and religious contradictions, but also by active interference in internal affairs on the part of France and Libya (the latter’s troops were brought into the country at the request of the government of G. Weddey). The economic situation in Chad also worsened as a result of severe droughts in the 1970s and 1980s. Thanks to the intervention of the OAU, Libyan troops left Chad on November 16, 1981. However, clashes between government troops and rebels did not stop. In 1982, H. Habré occupied the city of N'Djamena (the name of the capital since 1973), and G. Oueddei created his own government in the north of the country.
On December 1, 1990, power was seized by General Idriss Deby, a native of the Zaghawa nationality (leader of the Patriotic Salvation Front, formed in March of the same year in Sudan). In April 1991, on the basis of this organization, the Patriotic Salvation Movement (PAS) party was created. On December 4, 1990, I. Deby was proclaimed president. The armed confrontation lasted until 1993, when, as a result of a national conference (January-April), a charter was adopted that regulated the political development of Chad during the transition period. According to this document, until multi-party elections were held, I. Deby remained the head of state and supreme commander in chief. The multi-party system was introduced in April 1993.
In 1994, due to the deterioration of the internal political situation in the country, the transition period was extended for another year. In January 1996, in Gabon, a declaration on the principles of internal settlement was signed between representatives of the Chadian authorities and the opposition. After a referendum, in which 3.5 million Chadian citizens participated, a new constitution was adopted on March 31, 1996.
The 1996 presidential elections were held on a multi-party basis and took place in two rounds. I. Deby was elected president with 69% of the votes. Elections to the National Assembly (November 1996) brought victory to the PDS. In economic policy, the government relied on the further development of oil fields, which began in the end. 1970s Oil production at the Doba field (south of the country) began in 1993. Its development was carried out by an international consortium, which included the American companies Exxon-Mobil (40% of shares) and Chevron (25% of shares), as well as the Malaysian company Petronas." To the beginning 1998 34 state enterprises were privatized (the privatization program was adopted in 1992). In order to control the management of oil revenues, the Chadian parliament in 1999 adopted a law creating a special board consisting of 9 members. Chad's economy benefited from the 50% devaluation of the CFA franc in 1994; economic growth in 1997 exceeded 4.1%.
In the presidential elections on May 20, 2001, I. Debi (PDS candidate) won, receiving 63.17% of the votes. According to the new electoral law of 2001, the number of deputy seats in the National Assembly was increased from 125 to 155. Elections to the National Assembly were held on April 21, 2002 and brought a landslide victory for the PDS (110 seats), the UDP received 12 seats, the Federation “Action for the Republic” 9.
After the 1,050-km Chad-Cameroon oil pipeline was put into operation in October 2003, the country became an oil exporter (including to the United States).
The situation in the border areas of Chad is being destabilized by the armed conflict in the Sudanese region of Darfur. In May 2005, in some camps for Darfur refugees, bloody clashes between refugees and UN personnel occurred (their reason was an attempt to stop profiteering organized by some refugees humanitarian aid). According to the UN, as a result of the conflict, approx. 1.8 million people became refugees, many of them took refuge in neighboring Chad.
The Chadian government's additional costs associated with the continued influx of refugees from Sudan's Darfur resulted in non-payment of wages. They caused a strike of civil servants, which lasted from the end. 2004 to early 2005. In January, mass strikes also took place in educational institutions in Chad for the same reason. In February 2005, Prime Minister Moussa Faki Mahamat resigned and Agriculture Minister Pascal Yoadimnadji was appointed head of government. The new government named the fight against poverty and improving the governance system in the country as its main priorities of domestic policy. It was also announced the intention to allocate in 2005 from oil revenues an additional 400 million CFA francs for the social sector and 600 million for the development of the education sector.
On May 16, 2004, a group of military personnel attempted a coup in the country. The reason for the uprising of the rebels, who came from the Zaghawa people, was their dissatisfaction with the policies of I. Debi in the Darfur conflict. As a result of 48-hour negotiations, the crisis was resolved without bloodshed.
On May 26, 2004, the National Assembly adopted an amendment to the constitution, according to which the president can be elected to this post an unlimited number of times. However, in January 2005, President I. Deby announced that, despite the constitutional reform, he did not intend to run in the 2006 presidential elections. He also denied allegations that he intended to make his 26-year-old son Brahim his successor.
The problem of crime is acute, especially in the capital. After a long civil war, the population still has a significant amount of weapons, which also come from neighboring Sudanese Darfur. Government initiatives to combat crime have not produced lasting results. The new government, formed in July 2004, established the Ministry of Public Security.
The main financial donor is France. Assistance is also provided by the European Union, Japan, Arab states,
Davidson B. New discovery of ancient Africa. M., "Publishing House of Oriental Literature", 1962
Mirimanov V.B. Africa. Art. M., “Art”, 1967
Sagoyan L.Yu. Republic of Chad. Directory. M., “Oriental Literature”, 1993
Decalo S. Historical Dictionary of Chad. 3rd Edn. Metuchen, NJ, Scarecrow Press, 1997
Encyclopedia of African Peoples. L., 2000
The World of Learning 2003, 53rd Edition. L.-N.Y.: Europa Publications, 2002
Africa South of the Sahara. 2004. L.-N.Y.: Europa Publications, 2003
Find " CHAD" on
Republic of Chad, a state in Central Africa. Capital N'Djamena (700 thousand people 2002). Territory 1.284 million sq. km. Administrative division 14 prefectures. Population 9.54 million people (2004). Official language French and Arabic. Religion Islam, Christianity and traditional African beliefs. Currency unit CFA franc. National holiday August 11 Independence Day (1960). Chad has been a member of the UN since 1960, the Organization of African Unity (OAU) since 1963, and since 2002 its successor the African Union (AU), the Non-Aligned Movement, the International Organization of Francophonie (OIF), the Economic Community of Central African States (ECEAC) since 1983, the Economic and the Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) since 1999, the Community of Sahel and Saharan States since 1997.
Pre-colonial period. Archaeological finds indicate that the territory of modern Chad was inhabited ca. 6 thousand years ago
In the 5th century BC. south of the island of Chad in the basin of the Logon and Shari rivers the so-called. Sao culture. The Sao people were engaged in fishing, hunting and farming; metalworking and ceramics production developed. In the 7th-8th centuries. n. e. Zaghawa nomadic pastoralists came to the northeastern regions of Chad. Having subjugated the indigenous peoples, in the 9th century. they created the early state formation of Kanem, which became one of the most powerful and stable in Western Sudan. In the 11th century The rulers of Kanem converted to Islam. The state reached its heyday in the 13th century, largely due to the active slave trade that it conducted with the countries of North Africa. Infighting between numerous claimants to the throne weakened Kanem and led to its collapse in the end. 14th century
In con. 15th century in one of the former provinces of Kanem, his ruling dynasty created the state of Bornu with its capital Ngazargama. In the 16th century On the territory of Chad, the states of Bagirmi and Wadai also formed, which constantly waged wars among themselves and with Bornu. In the 1890s, weakened by internal strife, Bagirmi, Bornu and Wadai were captured by the troops of the ruler Rabbah Khubair.
Colonial period. The first Europeans were English explorers D. Denham and H. Clapperton. The penetration of the French began in the 1890s. After the defeat of the Rabbaha state by French troops (1900), Bagirmi and Vadai became colonial possessions of France. In 1914, the territory of Chad was declared a separate colony of France with the administrative center in Fort Lamy. A system of governance based on the use of traditional rulers was introduced. In the 1920s, Christianity began to penetrate the colony. The southern regions of Chad developed at a faster pace than the northern ones. The support of the French administration was the local nobility, primarily the Sara people, who converted to Catholicism. After the forced introduction of cotton into the economy (1925), Chad turned into a raw material appendage of the metropolis. Forced labor was widely used on plantations and public works.
In 1946, Chad received the status of an “overseas territory” of France, which gave it the right to representation in the French parliament and the creation of its own territorial assembly. The first political organizations arose in 1947 “Democratic Union of Chad” and “Progressive Party of Chad” (PPCH) local section of the Democratic Rally of Africa (DOA). The HRCP expressed the interests of the Christian minority in the southern regions of the country. One of its leaders was trade union leader François Tombalbaye. In November 1958, Chad was declared an autonomous republic within the French Community. Elections to the Legislative Assembly (May 31, 1959) brought a landslide victory for the HRCP. On August 11, 1960, the independent Republic of Chad was proclaimed.
Period of independence. The head of the first government was F. Tombalbai, who was elected chairman of the Human Rights Council in September 1960. The constitution adopted on November 28, 1960 established a multi-party system in the country; in the field of economics, a course was taken to develop entrepreneurship and attract foreign investment. The government enjoyed the support of the former metropolis.
In 1962, mass unrest began in the north of the country among Muslims dissatisfied with government policies. The representative of their interests was the underground military-political organization “Front for the National Liberation of Chad” (FROLINA), created in 1965. Anti-government protests of Muslims were suppressed with the help of French troops in 1969. A new wave of protest was caused by a campaign of forced Africanization of the country’s population (replacing Christian names with African ones). , the introduction of a ritual initiation rite, etc.), started by the government in 1973. In April 1975, as a result of a military coup, President F. Tombalbaye was killed, and power passed to General Felix Mallum. His attempts to achieve national reconciliation, including the creation of a coalition government with the participation of FROLINA leader Hissène Habré, were unsuccessful. In November 1979, a transitional government was formed headed by the head of the FROLINA armed forces, Goukouni Oueddey.
In March 1980, armed clashes between the forces of H. Habré and G. Weddey began. The severity and lengthy nature of the civil war was aggravated not only by ethnic and religious contradictions, but also by active interference in internal affairs on the part of France and Libya (the latter’s troops were brought into the country at the request of the government of G. Weddey). The economic situation in Chad also worsened as a result of severe droughts in the 1970s and 1980s. Thanks to the intervention of the OAU, Libyan troops left Chad on November 16, 1981. However, clashes between government troops and rebels did not stop. In 1982, H. Habré occupied the city of N'Djamena (the name of the capital since 1973), and G. Oueddei created his own government in the north of the country.
On December 1, 1990, power was seized by General Idriss Deby, a native of the Zaghawa nationality (leader of the Patriotic Salvation Front, formed in March of the same year in Sudan). In April 1991, on the basis of this organization, the Patriotic Salvation Movement (PAS) party was created. On December 4, 1990, I. Deby was proclaimed president. The armed confrontation lasted until 1993, when, as a result of a national conference (January-April), a charter was adopted that regulated the political development of Chad during the transition period. According to this document, until multi-party elections were held, I. Deby remained the head of state and supreme commander in chief. The multi-party system was introduced in April 1993.
In 1994, due to the deterioration of the internal political situation in the country, the transition period was extended for another year. In January 1996, in Gabon, a declaration on the principles of internal settlement was signed between representatives of the Chadian authorities and the opposition. After a referendum, in which 3.5 million Chadian citizens participated, a new constitution was adopted on March 31, 1996.
The 1996 presidential elections were held on a multi-party basis and took place in two rounds. I. Deby was elected president with 69% of the votes. Elections to the National Assembly (November 1996) brought victory to the PDS. In economic policy, the government relied on the further development of oil fields, which began in the end. 1970s Oil production at the Doba field (south of the country) began in 1993. Its development was carried out by an international consortium, which included the American companies Exxon-Mobil (40% of shares) and Chevron (25% of shares), as well as the Malaysian company Petronas." To the beginning 1998 34 state enterprises were privatized (the privatization program was adopted in 1992). In order to control the management of oil revenues, the Chadian parliament in 1999 adopted a law creating a special board consisting of 9 members. Chad's economy benefited from the 50% devaluation of the CFA franc in 1994; economic growth in 1997 exceeded 4.1%.
In the presidential elections on May 20, 2001, I. Debi (PDS candidate) won, receiving 63.17% of the votes. According to the new electoral law of 2001, the number of deputy seats in the National Assembly was increased from 125 to 155. Elections to the National Assembly were held on April 21, 2002 and brought a landslide victory for the PDS (110 seats), the UDP received 12 seats, the Federation “Action for the Republic” 9.
After the 1,050-km Chad-Cameroon oil pipeline was put into operation in October 2003, the country became an oil exporter (including to the United States).
The situation in the border areas of Chad is being destabilized by the armed conflict in the Sudanese region of Darfur. In May 2005, in some camps for Darfur refugees, bloody clashes between refugees and UN personnel occurred (their reason was an attempt to stop the profiteering of humanitarian aid established by some refugees). According to the UN, as a result of the conflict, approx. 1.8 million people became refugees, many of them took refuge in neighboring Chad.
The Chadian government's additional costs associated with the continued influx of refugees from Sudan's Darfur resulted in non-payment of wages. They caused a strike of civil servants, which lasted from the end. 2004 to early 2005. In January, mass strikes also took place in educational institutions in Chad for the same reason. In February 2005, Prime Minister Moussa Faki Mahamat resigned and Agriculture Minister Pascal Yoadimnadji was appointed head of government. The new government named the fight against poverty and improving the governance system in the country as its main priorities of domestic policy. It was also announced the intention to allocate in 2005 from oil revenues an additional 400 million CFA francs for the social sector and 600 million for the development of the education sector.
On May 16, 2004, a group of military personnel attempted a coup in the country. The reason for the uprising of the rebels, who came from the Zaghawa people, was their dissatisfaction with the policies of I. Debi in the Darfur conflict. As a result of 48-hour negotiations, the crisis was resolved without bloodshed.
On May 26, 2004, the National Assembly adopted an amendment to the constitution, according to which the president can be elected to this post an unlimited number of times. However, in January 2005, President I. Deby announced that, despite the constitutional reform, he did not intend to run in the 2006 presidential elections. He also denied allegations that he intended to make his 26-year-old son Brahim his successor.
The problem of crime is acute, especially in the capital. After a long civil war, the population still has a significant amount of weapons, which also come from neighboring Sudanese Darfur. Government initiatives to combat crime have not produced lasting results. The new government, formed in July 2004, established the Ministry of Public Security.
The main financial donor is France. Assistance is also provided by the European Union, Japan, Arab states,
Davidson B. New discovery of ancient Africa. M., "Publishing House of Oriental Literature", 1962
Mirimanov V.B. Africa. Art. M., “Art”, 1967
Sagoyan L.Yu. Republic of Chad. Directory. M., “Oriental Literature”, 1993
Decalo S. Historical Dictionary of Chad. 3rd Edn. Metuchen, NJ, Scarecrow Press, 1997
Encyclopedia of African Peoples. L., 2000
The World of Learning 2003, 53rd Edition. L.-N.Y.: Europa Publications, 2002
Africa South of the Sahara. 2004. L.-N.Y.: Europa Publications, 2003
Find " CHAD" on
, Nigeria and Niger; capital N'Djamena (formerly Port Lamy).
political system - presidential republic;
population 5064 thousand (1990), Bagirmi, Zaghawa, Tubu, Hausa, Arabs, etc.; languages: French, Arabic (both official), more than 100 African dialects, 50% of the population recognizes local traditional beliefs, 40% Islam, most of the rest are Christians.
1. Recent history
Until the nineteenth century, the states of Kanem-Bornu, Wadai and others existed on the territory of Chad. At the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries. became a colony of France. Independence from France was gained in the city, a military coup took place in the city, the government went into exile through the brutal opposition of the Chadian National Liberation Front, which was supported by Libya. Opposition continued between units supported by Libya, on the one hand, and France, on the other, in Diplomatic relations with Libya were fully restored in . The new Constitution was adopted in 1990.
2. Religion
The main religions in Chad are Islam, Christianity and traditional African beliefs. 51% of the population are Muslims who profess Sunni Islam, 35% are Christians (the majority are Catholics), 10% adhere to traditional African beliefs (animalism, fetishism, cult of ancestors, forces of nature, etc., fetishism is especially developed).
3. National flag
Adopted November 6, 1959. This is a rectangular panel consisting of three vertical stripes of the same size in blue, yellow and red (from left to right). It is similar to the flag of Romania, although the blue of the Chadian flag is darker. Aspect ratio 2:3.
4. Relief
Most of the territory is occupied by plains and plateaus, which alternate with flat depressions. The northern part of the country is covered with rocky and sandy deserts with a few oases. In the northwest is the Tibesti Highlands with the highest point of the country - the Emi-Kusi volcano (3415 m). In the south there are semi-deserts and savannas. In the southern and southeastern regions, large areas are covered by swamps. Almost lifeless, sun-scorched slopes of the highlands are composed of metamorphic rocks of the Precambrian basement, highly dissected volcanic cones, gorges and temporary watercourses. Highest point country - the dormant volcano Emi-Kusi (3415 m), which is located in the northern part of the highlands. At its top there is a crater with a diameter of 15 km and a depth of about 700 m, with dry lake at the bottom. In the western part of the highlands rises several active volcanoes, the highest of which is Tuside (3265 m), eruptions occur quite regularly. Intermountain regions abound with salt marshes and rocky deserts, among which you can find many tectonic depressions (Shiede, Ain Galakka, Tekro, Egri, Brulku, etc.), covered with the same salt marshes. The lowest point of the country, the Jurab depression (160 m), is also located here. In the north-eastern part of Chad, the Erdi (1115 m) and Ennedi (1450 m) plateaus rise, in the center is the Vadai massif with Mount Gera (1790 m), and in the east is the Ouaddan mountainous area (up to 1340 m). Rare human settlements here are usually represented by nomadic sites, and plant and animal world s mostly poor.
5. Minerals
Aluminum, beryl, bauxite, tungsten, clay, iron, gold, limestone, kaolin (clay), caustic soda, copper, petroleum, tin, table salt, natural gas and uranium.
6. Water
A year in the country is not enough. Almost all of them, except the Shar and Logon rivers, are dry riverbeds - problems that fill with water only during the rainy season. A dense network of rivers (Batha, Logon, Mayo-Kebi, Mber, Shar, etc.) is typical for the southern regions; there are no rivers in the northern regions. There are navigable rivers Shar (the main waterway of the country) and Logon. Large lakes- Ira, Fitr and freshwater island. Chad (4th largest in Africa). During the dry period of the year (October-July), the harmattan blows in the northern regions - a hot northeast wind, bringing a lot of dust and sharply impairing visibility. Lake Chad is the largest body of water in Central Africa and the only permanent source fresh water for the whole country. At one time, the area of the water surface was about 25,000 square meters. km, however, due to droughts, they regularly strike this region, as well as due to the colossal water intake for the needs of the population, its area has decreased by almost 5 times over the past 10 years (although regular rises in water levels and its almost complete disappearance were noted by scientists less than 8 times in the last millennium). A series of dense forests stretches around the lake, and to the south and southeast there is a strip of marshy riverine areas that serve as a refuge for 120 species of fish and 200 species of birds.
7. Agriculture
The main sector of the economy, providing up to 70% of foreign exchange earnings. The share of the agricultural sector in GDP is 32.4%, 80% of the population works in it (2004). 2.86% of land is cultivated (2001). The main export crops are cotton and peanuts. Pulses, sesame (sesame), corn, mango, cassava, vegetables, millet, wheat, rice, sugarcane, sorghum, taro, dates and yams are also grown. Gum arabic (acacia resin) is produced - a raw material for the food, textile and pharmaceutical industries. Animal husbandry (breeding camels, goats, cattle, horses, sheep, donkeys and pigs) is the traditional occupation of 40% of the population. Natural pastures cover an area of about 49 million hectares. Chad ranks first in Central Africa in terms of livestock population. Frequent droughts, locust infestations and tsetse flies cause damage to agriculture. Fisheries are developing, with annual catches of fish (carp, perch, catfish, etc.). It is about 90 thousand tons.
8. Industry
Share in GDP - 18.8% (2004). The mining industry is developing: the extraction of oil, caustic salt (tron), gold, limestone and clay. Since 1993, the Doba oil field has been developed, producing about 225 thousand barrels of oil per day (it is estimated that oil reserves will last for 25-30 years). The manufacturing industry is represented mainly by enterprises processing agricultural products (cotton gins, sugar refineries, oil mills, flour mills, meat processing plants, breweries, tobacco factories). The textile and chemical industries (2 perfume factories and an enterprise for the production of plastic shoes), metalworking, production of building materials, and a bicycle assembly plant are developing. Handicraft production, including agricultural implements, has been developed.
9. Transport
The problem of developing the transport network and cargo transportation is acute. Railways no, the main mode of transport is automobile. Most of the roads are suitable for use only during the dry season (October-July) and require major repairs. Length highways is about 40 thousand km (412 km of paved roads) as of 1999. The European Union provides assistance in the construction of highways. In rural areas, camels and donkeys are used for transportation. Length waterways- 2 thousand km (2003). There are 50 airports and runways (7 of them have hard surfaces) (2004). Located in the capital international Airport, which serves flights to neighboring African countries and France. Since 2003, the Chad-Cameroon oil pipeline (1050 km) has been operating.
10. Membership in international organizations
Member of the UN since 1960, the Organization of African Unity (OAU) since 1963, and since 2002 its successor - the African Union (AU), the Non-Aligned Movement, the International Organization of Francophonie (OIF), the Economic Community of Central African States (ECEAC) since 1983 year, the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) since 1999, the Community of Sahel and Saharan States since 1997.
See also
Sources
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On the territory of the republic there are National parks Zakuma and Manza. Most of the country's territory is occupied by plains and plateaus, alternating with flat depressions, one of which contains Lake Chad of the same name. In the north lies the massive ancient Tibesti highlands with the Emi-Kousi volcano (3415 m) - the highest point in the country. To the east are the plateaus of Erdi, Ennedi and Vadai. In the north, which is part of the Sahara Desert, they are common sand dunes and outlier hills (kagas). The south is occupied by semi-deserts and savannas, and there are swamps that occupy quite large areas. Area: total - 1,284,000 km2, land - 1,289,200 km, water bodies - 24,800 km2.
The length of the borders with Cameroon is 1,094 km, the Central African Republic - 1,197 km, Libya - 1,055 km, Niger - 1,175 km, Nigeria - 87 km, Sudan - 1,360 km. The Gweni Fada meteorite crater is located in Chad. It owes its name to Lake Chad (in the language of the Kanuri people - “big water”). Area 1284 thousand sq. km.
Most of the territory is occupied by plains and plateaus, alternating with flat depressions. At the bottom of the largest of them lies the shallow Lake Chad. In the far north rises the ancient Tibesti highlands, stretching from northwest to southeast for almost 1000 km, with the Emi-Kousi volcano (3415 m) - the highest point of the country and the entire Sahara. It is a huge crater with a diameter of 13 km and a depth of 300 m. Hot springs and the release of gases on the slopes indicate recent volcanic activity. In the east are the Erdi plateau, Ennedi, cut by dry ancient valleys, and Vadai with island mountains 500-1000 m high.
Located on the very edge of the Sahara Desert, the volcanic Tibesti Highlands (altitude up to 3415 m) forms a fairly vast mountainous region, whose spurs literally drown in the sands of the Great Desert. The lifeless, sun-scorched slopes of the highlands are composed of metamorphic rocks of the Precambrian basement, highly dissected volcanic cones, gorges and temporary watercourses. The highest point of the country, the dormant volcano Emi-Kusi (3415 m), lies in the northern part of the highlands. At its top there is a crater with a diameter of 15 km and a depth of about 700 m, with a dry lake at the bottom. In the western part of the highlands there are several active volcanoes, the highest of which, Tuside (3265 m), erupts quite regularly. Intermountain regions are replete with salt marshes and rocky deserts, among which one can find many tectonic depressions (Shiede, Ain Galakka, Tekro, Egri, Brulku, etc.) occupied by the same salt marshes. The lowest point of the country is also located here - the Jurab depression (160 m).
In the north-eastern part of Chad, the Erdi (1115 m) and Ennedi (1450 m) plateaus rise, in the center is the Vadai massif with Mount Gera (1790 m), and in the east is the Ouaddan mountainous area (up to 1340 m). The sparse human populations here are usually represented by nomadic camps, and the living world is mostly sparse.
The flat territory causes a change in landscapes from north to south. The northern half of the country is part of the sandy and partly rocky deserts of the Sahara, the southern half is the semi-deserts and desert savannahs of the Sahel (Sahel in Arabic means edge, i.e. edge of the desert) with thorny bushes. There are already baobabs and a doum palm with a forked trunk at the top, and in the extreme south typical tall-grass savanna and park forests dominate. But even after rains, sun-scorched grass does not acquire a rich green color, remaining yellowish-brown. Vast areas in the south and southeast are occupied by swamps. Closed forests cover less than 0.5% of the country's area. 2.5% of its territory is plowed, 36% is occupied by pastures.
Water resources of Chad
Chad's water resources are scarce: there are few rivers, but there are many temporary watercourses - oueds that appear after rain. The only real river is the navigable Shari (Chari) with its tributary Logone, which flows into Lake Chad, located on the western borders of the country.
Lake Chad is the fourth largest and one of the most interesting lakes in Africa. Its area changes annually from 10 to 26 thousand square meters. km, and the average depth is from 4 to 7 m, depending on fluctuations in the flow of the rivers feeding it.
Lake Chad is Central Africa's largest body of water and the only permanent source of fresh water for the entire country. Once the area of the water surface was about 25,000 square meters. km, however, due to droughts that regularly strike this region, as well as due to the colossal water intake for the needs of the population, its area has decreased almost 5 times over the past 10 years (however, regular rises in water levels and its almost complete disappearance are noted by scientists at least 8 times over the last millennium). Around the lake there is a series of dense forests, and to the south and southeast there is a strip of marshy riverine areas that are home to 120 species of fish and 200 species of birds. Along the valleys of the Chari and Logon (Logone) rivers, which flow into Chad from the south, there is a strip of forests and agricultural areas that are the only major supplier of food in the country. It is also the only region of the country with more or less significant fauna (mainly birds, rodents and various antelopes).
Meanwhile, over the past 50 years, the area of Lake Chad - one of Africa's largest bodies of water, whose waters play a key role in the lives of more than 30 million people in Cameroon, Nigeria, Niger and Chad - has shrunk by 90%. According to scientists, at this rate the lake will dry up completely in 20 years.
In 1963, the area of the lake was 25 thousand square kilometers. To date, it occupies only 2.5 thousand square kilometers, ITAR-TASS reports. One of the main reasons is climate change, which has led to the shallowing of the main waterways feeding the reservoir - the Central African rivers Chari and Logon. The uncontrolled use of water resources for agricultural needs also contributes.
Previously, to prevent a catastrophe, a number of hydraulic engineering projects were put forward, the essence of which was to “turn the rivers,” and specialists from the USSR were among the first to propose such an idea in the 1970s. However, until now scientists have not come to a consensus on this issue.
Now an interstate commission, which includes representatives of Cameroon, Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Central African Republic and Libya, has prepared a new project aimed at saving the reservoir. It involves transferring water using a giant canal from the Ubangi River, the largest tributary of the Congo, the deepest waterway in Africa, towards the Shari River, which flows into Chad.
Climate Chad
In Chad there are three climatic regions. In the north of the country the climate is tropical desert, average monthly temperatures here they range from +15 C in January to +35 C in July. At the same time, maximum temperatures in the period from April to September sometimes reach +56 C, and at night, especially from December to February, it can be quite cool (+4-6 C). Precipitation usually falls from 100 to 250 mm, often in the form of heavy short-term downpours, sometimes even leading to floods. And at the same time, there are years when not a drop of rain falls here. There are frequent sandstorms consisting of a continuous flow of dust and sand, obscuring the sun.
In the center of the country, climatic conditions are more consistent with the subequatorial type - temperature all year round around +22-28 C, precipitation falls up to 700 mm per year, and their distribution depends entirely on the nature of the passage of air masses - in the period from May to October, southern winds are common, bringing rainy weather, and in winter, northerly winds predominate, which practically never occur. carry moisture.
The climate of the extreme southern part is equatorial monsoon with temperatures from +21 C to +24 C in winter and from +30 C to +35 C in summer. The annual precipitation here is about 800-1200 mm, and it falls mainly during the monsoon period (from May to October).
In N'Djamena, summer temperatures fluctuate around +35 C, while daytime temperatures of +46 C are not uncommon even in the shade. Air masses coming from the oceans and the equatorial zone often bring with them cloudy weather, which, however, has little effect on the thermometer. In winter here it is usually from +18 C to +28 C with a clear sky. Precipitation falls from 350 to 600 mm per year, but its nature is very uneven (in some years the capital region receives no more than 250 mm of rain). Dust storms coming from the north are frequent.
Flora and fauna of Chad
The flora is typical of desert areas; rare acacia and camel thorn grow; in a few oases - date palms and grapes. In the savannas there are baobab and doum palms.
Lives in savannas a large number of large mammals - elephants, rhinoceroses, buffaloes, antelopes, giraffes, lions, leopards, jackals, hyenas. Hippos and crocodiles live in the lakes. Snakes, lizards, and insects are found in large quantities. Typical birds are ostriches, various swamp and water birds found along the banks of rivers and lakes. The river banks abound with ibises, flamingos, pelicans, storks, in the rivers and lakes there are hippos and crocodiles, and in the upper reaches of the Shari there are monkeys.
Population of Chad
Population - 9.3 million people (2003). Chad has long been a place of contact between the peoples of North Africa, the Sahara and Sudan - carriers of different cultures and religions, therefore ethnic composition The population of this small country is distinguished by its extraordinary diversity. More than 200 peoples live: in the desert regions of the north - the nomadic Bedouin Arabs, Tuaregs and Tuba; in the south - farmers and fishermen Sara (the most numerous), Bagirmi, Hausa, Masa. official languages- French and Arabic, more than 100 local languages are also used. Almost 50% of the population is Muslim, 35% is Christian (Catholic and Protestant) and 7% adheres to local beliefs. The most populated valley is the upper reaches of the river. Shari in the savannah zone and the Lake Chad region. About 20% of the population are nomads and semi-nomads. Sara women's jewelry is unusual - plates with a diameter of up to 30-40 cm inserted into the lips - a custom that arose during the slave trade, when women's faces were disfigured to save them from slavery; or scars applied to the forehead and temples as decoration.