Area comparison map:

almost nine times the size of New York state; slightly more than three times the size of California

Land boundaries:
total: 6,406 km
[see also: Land boundaries - total country ranks ]
border countries (6): Cameroon 1116 km, Central African Republic 1556 km, Libya 1050 km, Niger 1196 km, Nigeria 85 km, Sudan 1403 km

Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]

Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)

Climate:
tropical in south, desert in north
More Climate Details

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

Elevation:
mean elevation: 543 m
[see also: Elevation - mean elevation country ranks ]
lowest point: Djourab 160 m
highest point: Emi Koussi 3,445 m

Natural resources:
petroleum, uranium, natron, kaolin, fish (Lake Chad), gold, limestone, sand and gravel, salt

Land use:
agricultural land: 39.6% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - agricultural land country ranks ]
arable land: 3.9% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - arable land country ranks ]
permanent crops: 0% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - permanent crops country ranks ]
permanent pasture: 35.7% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - permanent pasture country ranks ]
forest: 9.1% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - forest country ranks ]
other: 51.3% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use country ranks ]

Irrigated land:
300 sq km (2012)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]

Population distribution:
the population is unevenly distributed due to contrasts in climate and physical geography; the highest density is found in the southwest, particularly around Lake Chad and points south; the dry Saharan zone to the north is the least densely populated

Natural hazards:
hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds occur in north; periodic droughts; locust plagues

Environment - current issues:
inadequate supplies of potable water; improper waste disposal in rural areas and poor farming practices contribute to soil and water pollution; desertification

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping

Geography - note:

note 1: Chad is the largest of Africa's 16 landlocked countries

note 2: not long ago - geologically speaking - what is today the Sahara was green savannah teeming with wildlife; during the African Humid Period, roughly 11,000 to 5,000 years ago, a vibrant animal community, including elephants, giraffes, hippos, and antelope lived there; the last remnant of the "Green Sahara" exists in the Lakes of Ounianga (oo-nee-ahn-ga) in northern Chad, a series of 18 interconnected freshwater, saline, and hypersaline lakes now protected as a World Heritage site

note 3: Lake Chad, the most significant water body in the Sahel, is a remnant of a former inland sea, paleolake Mega-Chad; at its greatest extent, sometime before 5000 B.C., Lake Mega-Chad was the largest of four Saharan paleolakes that existed during the African Humid Period; it covered an area of about 400,000 sq km (150,000 sq mi), roughly the size of today's Caspian Sea