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At just over three times the size of California, Chad is
sometimes referred to as the 'Dead Heart of Africa', being
landlocked with a largely desert climate. The landscape falls
into three main areas; the savannah zone of the south, the arid Sahelian
belt in the middle and the desert north where Chad
reaches its highest point of 11,204ft at Emi Koussi, an extinct
volcanic peak in the Tibesti Mountains. Located south of Libya, Chad stretches south to its
southernmost point by 1118 miles. The country shares borders
with the Central African Republic, Sudan, Niger, Nigeria and
Cameroon
with the last three countries also bordering Lake Chad,
though the bulk of the lake is in Chad itself. Whilst suffering
from many man made dangers with conflict ridden areas
particularly in the Islamic leaning north, Chad also suffers
from natural hazards including hot, dry, dusty harmattan
winds, again in the north, and regular droughts along with
locust invasions.
Although
semi-arid, Chad has a number of rivers (below), the longest of which is
the Chari River which flows for 589 miles from
the Central Africa Republic through Chad into Lake Chad for
which it provides 90% of its water supply. The Chari is joined
by the Logone River near N'Djamena. Chad
is well known for its music that reflects the different regions and ethnicity of its peoples
with instruments including the 'hu hu', kakaki, maracus and kinde
however probably the most frequently used musical instruments are
the single-reeded flute associated with the Falani and the lutes
and fiddles of the Tibesti region. Other string
instruments such as the 'keleli' are used to speak for male
performers as it is not considered appropriate in some parts of
Chad for men to be singing in front of adult women. This
instrument is mostly used around the Tibetsi mountains where Teda
music is played. Regardless of the
instruments used, most if not all Chad music is set against a
background of Tam Tam drumming. You can hear Chad music played spontaneously in churches, millet
bars and at village dance nights. The national Anthem of Chad was written in 1960 following
independence from France and is called "La Tchadienne" an
English translation is as follows:
"People of Chad, arise and get busy! You have won the fight
for your land and your rights. Your liberty will be born from
your courage. Lift up your eyes, the future belongs to you. Oh, my country,
may God choose to guard you. May your neighbours admire your
children. Full of joy and peacefully move forward as you sing, Faithful to
your ancestors who are watching you. "
Places of interest to visit in Chad include the city of
Abeche with its old markets, cobbled streets and mosques. For
the more adventurous the Tibesti Mountains, home of the Toubou
tribe, are well worth a visit for their spectacular chasms and
crags as is the recently refurbished Zakouma National Park where
a wide range of wildlife can be seen from elephants to lions. Those interested in history should pay a visit to the
National Museum in N'Djamena itself with its antique collections
including one from the 9th Century Sarh culture. More modern
history is also be witnessed with many bullet holes still evident
in many of the capital's buildings!
Chad Images: Volunteer in Chad
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Chad Images: Chad Map
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Chad Images: Child Sponsor Chad
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Chad Images: Chad Country Profile
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