CHAD – Country Information

Population:
Chad has a population of 16,877,357 as of 2020.

Size:
1,284,005 sq km / 495,755 sq mi (almost twice the size of Texas)

Capital City:
The capital city N’Djamena is located close to the border of Cameroon and is nearly 1,000 miles away by road from the western African ports.

Ethnic Groups:
30.5% Sara
9.8% Kanembu/Bornu/Buduma
9.7% Arab
7% Wadai/Maba/Masalit/Mimi
5.8% Gorane

Chad is highly diverse with over 200 different ethnicities within its borders.

Religion:
52.1% Muslim
23.9% Protestant
20% Roman Catholic
4% Other / Nonreligious

Languages:
French
Arabic

There are more that 120 different dialects and languages spoken.

Geography:
Chad is the fifth largest country in Africa, consisting of mountains, plateaus, large basins, and lakes.

Economy:
Chad’s economy is largely made up of oil and agriculture. Oil produces 60% of export revenues with cotton, livestock, and gum arabic making up the other 40%. Chad is one of the poorest nations in the world.

Interesting Fact:
Chad is known as the “The Babel Tower of the World” because of its cultural diversity.

Important Facts:
In 1883, the territory and kingdom of modern day Chad fell to Sudanese Rābih as-Zubayr. With the help of the French, he was overthrown and Kanembu was put in power. Chad became a part of French Equatorial Africa in 1910. Full independence was gained on August 11, 1960.