Total area: 1,284,000 km2
land area: 1,259,200 km2

Comparative area: slightly more than three times the size of California

Land boundaries: 5,968 km total; Cameroon 1,094 km, Central African Republic 1,197 km, Libya 1,055 km, Niger 1,175 km, Nigeria 87 km, Sudan 1,360 km

Coastline: none--landlocked

Maritime claims: none--landlocked

Disputes: Libya claims and occupies the 100,000 km2 Aozou Strip in the far north; demarcation of international boundaries in Lake Chad, the lack of which has led to border incidents in the past, is completed and awaiting ratification by Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria

Climate: tropical in south, desert in north

Terrain: broad, arid plains in center, desert in north, mountains in northwest, lowlands in south

Natural resources: crude oil (unexploited but exploration beginning), uranium, natron, kaolin, fish (Lake Chad)

Land use: arable land 2%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 36%; forest and woodland 11%; other 51%; includes irrigated NEGL%

Environment: hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds occur in north; drought and desertification adversely affecting south; subject to plagues of locusts

Note: landlocked; Lake Chad is the most significant water body in the Sahel

NOTE: The information regarding Chad on this page is re-published from the 1991 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Chad Geography 1991 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Chad Geography 1991 should be addressed to the CIA.