The Republic of Chad ( ) is a landlocked country in central Africa bordered by Libya to the north , Sudan to the east , the Central African Republic to the south , Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest , and Niger to the west. The capital and largest city is N'Djamena, with a land area of 1.284 million square kilometers and a population of 16.4 million (2020). There are 256 ethnic groups in the country, which are divided into 23 regions, 95 provinces and 365 municipalities.
Chad covers an area of 1,284,000 square kilometres. The 21st largest country in the world, slightly smaller than Peru and slightly larger than South Africa. Chad is located in north-central Africa, between latitudes 8 and 24 degrees north and longitude 14 and 24 degrees east, bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west. The capital N'Djamena is 1,600 kilometers away from the nearest seaport, and because Chad is far from the sea and most of the country has a desert climate, it is also known as the "heart of Africa's death".
The early inhabitants were Saios, and the "Saio culture" is an important part of the African cultural treasury. From the 9th to the 17th century, Muslim kingdoms such as the Ghanem-Bornu Empire, the Wadayi Kingdom and the Bagirmi Kingdom were established. It became a French colony in 1902 and a territory of French equatorial Africa in 1910. In 1911, part of the territory was ceded to Germany by France in exchange for German recognition of France's "protection" of Morocco. Returned to France after World War I. It became a French overseas territory in 1946. It became a "semi-autonomous republic" in early 1957. On 28 November 1958, it became an "autonomous republic" within the "French Community". Independence was declared on 11 August 1960.
Chad is one of the world's least developed countries and a member of African regional organizations such as the African Union, the Central African Economic and Monetary Community, the Economic Community of Central African States, the Community of Sahelo-Saharan States, the Organization of Niger Basin States and the Lake Chad Basin Commission. Chad's economic indicators for 2021 are estimated at $12,531 million in gross domestic product, $701 per capita GDP, and an economic growth rate of -0.9%.
Chad's main tourist destinations include Lake Chad, Dekia Wildlife Sanctuary and the 300,000-hectare Zakoma National Park. Lake Chad is one of the four largest lakes in Africa and a world-famous inland lake, known as "a pearl shining on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert". The fact that the waters of Lake Chad are sweet, luscious fresh water, except for some of which are slightly salty, is a wonderful phenomenon in nature. On the lakeside, you can see herds of tropical animals such as hippos, elephants, wild buffalo, antelopes, giraffes, ostriches and more.
The Dekia Wildlife Sanctuary is home to a variety of savannah animals, and there are accommodation facilities such as camping huts for visitors to rest.
In addition, there is a dedicated elephant sanctuary in Mandelia, 35 kilometres south of N'Djamena.