The Republic of Chad. State in Central Africa

In this state so little life! Most of it is occupied by sands. And the people who inhabit it are very poor. But even in this country of Africa tourists come. What do they want to see here?

Chad is the poorest country in Africa

The country of Chad is one of the poorest countries on the African continent, it is located in Central Africa, in its northern part. The main part of the country is occupied by the Sahara desert. The capital of Chad is the city of N'Djamena. The state has no access to the sea, borders with other countries: in the north - with Libya, in the south - with the Central African Republic, in the west - with Cameroon and Nigeria, in the east - with Sudan.

The flag of the Republic of Chad represents three vertical bands of the same width - blue, yellow and red. The blue color symbolizes the sky, hope and water. The yellow color represents the sun and the desert in the northern part of the country. The red color symbolizes progress, unity, and also the blood shed for the independence of Chad. In the south-western part of the state the border runs straight along the famous Chad Lake.

Population

The population of the country is about 10 million people, and the number of the republic of Chad is on the 75th place in the world. This African state has two official languages - French and Arabic. Still the population of the south speaks the Sarah language, there are about 120 adverbs. The Ministry of Education of the Republic of Chad notes that at the age of 15 only 35% of the Chadians can speak and write in French or Arabic. The average age of the inhabitants of the country is 16.9 years. The fertility rate is high, but too much is dying. According to the death rates, the Republic of Chad is on the 5th place in the world. Needless to say, not the most prosperous country. The number of maternal deaths is the highest in the world.

Drinking water is practically a luxury, it is available only to 27% of the inhabitants. More than 80% of the population are considered unemployed. In Chad, a huge number of people who have AIDS - more than 200 thousand people. At the same time, medicine is practically non-existent. Hospitals exist only in large cities, and doctors are employees of the Red Cross, all foreigners. In the republic there are frequent civil wars, droughts and famine. All this makes Chad one of the poorest states in Africa.

Climatic conditions

The Republic of Chad has a very contrasting climate. In the northern and southern parts of it, it is very different. Accordingly, and the plant world of the African state is heterogeneous. In the north, the country of Chad is a sandy and stony desert, where oases with a fairly scarce flora and fauna are very rare. The average temperature in January is +15 degrees, and in summer, in July - +30 degrees. Maximum temperatures rise to +56 degrees. In this part, in a dry period, a dry glowing wind often radiates - the Harmatan, bringing drought and locusts. In the north, rain may not be years, but it may rain, which will lead to flooding. In the south, the republic of Chad is represented by semi-deserts and savannahs. In winter, the average air temperature here is +22 degrees, in summer - + 30-35 degrees. Small rains sharply turn into the strongest downpours, during the monsoon period their number becomes even greater. But in the south the precipitation is more evenly distributed.

Lake Chad

An amazing pond located among the sands of Africa is called the "Sahara Sea". This is Lake Chad. It is interesting because the water there is almost fresh, although usually in deserts, in lakes without runoff, the water is salty. It is also noteworthy that the water level in the lake changes very much every 20-30 years and depends on the amount of precipitation. In rainy years, the depth reaches 3-5 meters, and the area grows 2.5 times. This amount of fresh water in the center of the sand, of course, attracts a huge number of birds and animals. Here you can meet hippopotamus, crocodiles and manatees, which are not known at all, how they got here. Usually they live in the sea.

Traditions and features

About half of all residents of the country profess Islam, about 40% are Christians. 28% of Chad's population live in cities, the rest live in villages or even lead a nomadic way of life. Mostly people move from place to place in the northern part of the country. These nomadic tribes are warlike groups, they live apart, they do not go into contact with others. Within the tribes are strict laws of patriarchy. They live in tents made of dense fabric or in clay houses. Each family has its own property, which is not available to other families. It is an oasis, a palm grove, a spring. Particular attention is paid to the education of children, especially boys. Deeply respect the traditions of ancestors and the worship of pagan gods.

Interesting Facts

1. The fresh water of Lake Chad is not suitable for use. Although its reserves in the pond are huge and thanks to it they get good harvests, but all of it is polluted. For drinking purposes, water can not be used. For tourists it is especially unusual that in everyday life it can not be used either. You should always have bottled water.
2. To start photographing anything in the country, you must obtain permission in advance from the Ministry of Information or the police department. It will indicate that it is allowed to sneak to the camera. To take a picture of a local resident, you need to ask permission from him.
3. The women of this African republic are still artificially changing the shapes of their bodies with the help of metal objects. For example, put them on the lips.
4. On the banknotes of the state, in addition to political figures, the most beautiful girl of Chad, Bitta Kell, is depicted. There are no more such countries in the world.
5. There was a conflict between Chad and Libya. This is the only war that received the name of the car brand Toyota. Chad won it, thanks to SUVs of this brand.
6. It is considered indecent to look directly into the eyes of the interlocutor.
7. The local population says that the weather is bad, if the sun is shining, and the weather is good when it rains.

Tips for tourists

Chad can not be considered a tourist country. Many factors hamper the development of tourism. First of all, this is a huge number of infectious diseases due to acute shortage of drinking water. Only the capital of the Republic of Chad and some other major cities have medical facilities, but they are few. To visit this African country, you need to issue a visa. You can get it in neighboring countries, for example, in Cameroon or Sudan. It is noteworthy that to obtain a visa in the list of mandatory documents includes a certificate of vaccination against yellow fever. And yet, Chad is visited by tourists. They are attracted by the unique landscapes of Africa, interesting original indigenous tribes, flora and fauna. For the sake of all this they are ready to overcome thousands of kilometers.