ISD CODE: +235
Time Zone: GMT + 1
Area: 1 284 000 sq. kms. (495 624 sq. mi.)
Capital: N'Djamena
Main towns: Sarh, Moundou, Abeche
Population: 6.2 million
Languages: French, Arabic (both official), and about 100 African languages
General information: A landlocked country in Central Africa, surrounded by Cameroon, Central African Republic, Sudan, Libya, Niger, and Nigeria.
Lake Chad (11th largest lake in the world) shares borders with Cameroon and Nigeria. Chad has mountains and part of the Sahara desert in the North, and savanna in the South which experiences high rainfall. There are three distinct climatic zones; The tropical South, the central semi arid zone, and the Sahelian belt and desert in the North.
Much of the commerce from Chad is shipped through Cameroon. Although one of the poorest of nations, new wealth will soon flow from huge oil reserves which will soon come online. A four billion dollar oil pipeline, 1,100 kilometers long, will carry oil 800 kilometres through Cameroon to a shipping point at Kribi. During 1998 massive convoys of earthmoving equipment could be seen heading up through Cameroon to Chad.
Currently cotton is one of the main exports.
Government Contacts:
Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Co-operation
Fax+235 51 56 08
Ministry of Mines, Energy & Petroleum
Fax:+235 51 25 65
