Chad

Overview

Chad is a landlocked country in the Northern part of Africa. It is bordered by Sudan , Libya , Niger and Cameroon and the Central African Republic . The northern part of Chad is in the Sahara, the southern part is in the Sahel. Most of Chad is dry and arid.

After its independance from France, Chad has had its fair share of turmoil. The capital Ndjamena, known as fort Lamy under the French, had once been one of the best places in the Sahel for nightlife, turned into a grim sort of place. Chad has managed to put that behind it.

Still, not many travelers make it to Chad. And with some reason: Chad is not an easy country to visit. People that are not afraid of some harsh travelling conditions, long distances and exessive heat, it does offer rewarding traveling.

The best sight is probably the Tibesti mountains in Northern Chad. They are of extreme natural beauty and a must see. The capital Ndjamena is the travel hub of the country and located on the banks of Lake chad .

Chad can be part of a crossing the Sahara experience, but is is a bit off the beaten track. It is accesible from Libya. Onward travel could take you to Niger or to Cameroon. See the section about crossing the sahara for more details about the possibilities. In any case check about the present situation before you set out.

History

The Contemporary Attitudes institutions and problems of Chad are the outgrowth of historical traditions and tendencies that have evolved over more than 1 000 years. The country is populated by diverse yet in many cases interrelated peoples whose evolution was characterized by intersecting migrations splinterings and regroupings. Most of the country's population groups originated in areas generally north and east of Chad's present-day boundaries.

Chad's geographic position along major trans-Saharan trade routes has also affected its historical development. In early times trade consisted of goods and slaves seized in raids on groups in the south. Consolidations of small chiefdoms led to the evolution of a series of kingdoms and empires in the central region of which the most important were Kanem-Borno Bagirmi and Wadai. The kingdoms and empires based their power on and were ultimately subjected to raids or the payment of tribute. Although there were early communities in both northern and southern Chad most of the country's known history is focused on the Muslim peoples of the central region.

The political fortunes of the various kingdoms and empires were constantly affected by internal factionalism and external invasion- -factors that still influenced political affairs in the 1970s and 1980s. Political disintegration was evident in both Borno and Bagirmi when the French arrived in the late nineteenth century. The rulers of Wadai resisted the French advance. The leaders of Borno and Bagirmi however regarded the French less as conquerors than as a counterbalance to the ascendant Wadai.

The French declared the central portion of...more