Geography

Chad is a landlocked country in north central Africa, lying south of Libya. The country shares 5,968 kilometres (3,708 mi) of border with Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Libya, Niger, Nigeria and Sudan. At 1,284,000 km sq (495,722 mi sq), Chad is the world's 21st-largest country (after Peru). It is nearly ten times the size of England.

Terrain

Chad's terrain is dominated by the low-lying Chad Basin (elevation about 250 m/820 ft), which rises gradually to mountains and plateaus on the north, east, and south. In the east heights of more than 900 metres (3,000 ft) are attained in the Ennedi and Ouaddaï plateaus. The greatest elevations are reached in the Tibesti massif in the north, with a maximum height of 3,415 metres (11,204 ft) at Emi Koussi. The northern half of the republic lies in the Sahara.

The only important rivers, the Logone and Chari (Shari), are located in the southwest and flow into Lake Chad, which was once the second-largest lake in Africa. Although the lake doubles in size during the rainy season, it has shrunk dramatically during the last few decades and is now down to less than 10% of its former size.