Chad ( French : Tchad ; Arabic : تشاد , officially called the Republic of Chad ), is a landlocked country in Central Africa . The capital is N'Djamena . It was a French colony until 1960. [ 2 ] It suffers from poverty, illness, drought, and armed conflicts. In 2011, the population of Chad was 11,535,000. [ 4 ] Arabic and French are the official languages. Islam and Christianity are the most widely practiced religions. Chad has one of the highest levels of hunger in the world. Food insecurity is common in the country. 80% live in total poverty on less than a dollar a day, and 90% are unemployed in Chad. Chad has a low life expectancy . Life expectancy is 54 years old in Chad. Chad is home to 134 kinds of mammals, 141 bird species, 52 kinds of reptiles, 30 amphibians and 130 kinds of fish. Many animals such as elephants , hippopotamuses , rhinoceroses , warthogs , giraffes , antelopes , lions , leopards , and cheetahs live in Chad. Chad is the world's 21st-largest country. It is slightly smaller than Peru and slightly larger than South Africa . [ 5 ] [ 6 ] To the north is Libya , to the south is the Central African Republic , to the east is Sudan , and to the west are Cameroon , Nigeria , and Niger . The country's capital is 1,060 kilometres (660 mi) from the nearest seaport Douala , Cameroon. [ 7 ] [ 8 ] Due to this distance from the sea and the country's largely desert climate, Chad is sometimes called the "Dead Heart of Africa". [ 9 ] Lake Chad is the largest wetland in Chad and the second largest in Africa. Lake Chad was 330,000 square kilometres (130,000 sq mi) 7000 years ago. Now it is 17,806 square kilometres (6,875 sq mi) . Chad's highest peak is the Emi Koussi in the Sahara . The region's tall grasses and large amount of marshes make it good for birds, reptiles, and large mammals. Chad's major rivers are the Chari and Logone . Since 2002, the Republic of Chad has been divided into regions. It was previously divided into prefectures , and then departments . Below is a list of the 23 regions as of 2012. The largest cities in Chad are: N'Djamena - 704,200 Moundou - 136,900 Abéché - 72,500 Koumra - 35,400 Am Timan - 28,200 Bongor - 27,100 Chad's official languages are Arabic and French , but over 100 languages and dialects are spoken. Due to the important role of Arab traders and merchants, Chadian Arabic has become a lingua franca , a language for all to use. Attending primary school is required in Chad, though only about 50% of children attend school. [ 10 ] Adult literacy is only 35%. [ 10 ] The University of N'Djamena gives higher education. ↑ "President Idriss Déby of Chad, in Power Since 1990, Wins 5th Term" . New York Times . 21 April 2016 . Retrieved 10 December 2016 . 1 2 Central Intelligence Agency (2009). "Chad" . The World Factbook . Archived from the original on May 18, 2020 . Retrieved January 28, 2010 . 1 2 3 4 "Chad" . International Monetary Fund . Retrieved 2011-04-21 . ↑ Collins School World Atlas (Third ed.). Collins. 2013. p. 90 . ISBN 978-0-00-748441-6 . ↑ "Chad", The World Factbook . ↑ "Rank Order – Area" ↑ "Chad", Encyclopædia Britannica . ↑ "Chad". United Nations Commission on Human Rights.

↑ D. Botha, "S.H. Frankel" 1 2 "Statistics Chad" . UNICEF. 24 December 2013. Archived from the original on 15 October 2016 . Retrieved 10 December 2016 . Media related to Chad at Wikimedia Commons Chad travel guide from Wikivoyage Central African Republic Democratic Republic of the Congo Republic of the Congo Equatorial Guinea São Tomé and Príncipe France Mayotte Réunion Italy Pantelleria Pelagie Islands Pelagie Islands Portugal Madeira Spain Canary Islands Ceuta Melilla Plazas de soberanía Plazas de soberanía Îles Éparses France Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha UK Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic French-speaking countries Least developed countries Members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation 1960 establishments in Africa Current dictatorships Articles containing French-language text Articles containing Arabic-language text Pages using gadget WikiMiniAtlas Pages using infobox country or infobox former country with the symbol caption or type parameters Pages using Lang-xx templates Commons category link from Wikidata