Ndjamena - History

N'Djamena is the Republic of Chad's premier city. The nation's capital used to be known as Fort-Lamy, a name given by the French, who founded the city in 1900. N'Djamena is situated on the Chari River in southwestern Chad, and agricultural markets (e.g. livestock, salt, dates, grain) drive the local economy. Before 1973 N'Djamena still had the original French name of Fort-Lamy, even though Chad gained full independence from France on August 11th, 1960

Chad is a landlocked nation in north-central Africa, with land area roughly three times that of California. Its geography includes wooded savanna in the South, brush country in the West, and mountainous desert in the North, where Chad merges with the Sahara. French is spoken in the politically dominant south of Chad, while the north is typified by nomadic Muslims who speak Arabic.

Whatever the language, people have lived in Chad a long time. A humanoid skull discovered in the country was found to be over a million years old.

In more recent times, the French colonized Chad at the start of the 20th century, and the country gained autonomy in 1960. Much civil unrest since then has led to an authoritarian government led by Lt. General Idriss Deby, who siezed power in December of 1990, and has yet to make good on promises of democratization.

Over 80 percent of Chadian work in subsistence farming or fishing. Cotton is Chad's main cash crop, accounting for over half the nation's export volume. Inadequate water supply, governmental problems, and southward progression of the northern desert contribute to Chad's status as one of the world's least developed countries.

Chad is a nation with its foundations built on the precipice of conflict. A harsh climate, geographic remoteness, poor resource endowment and lack of infrastructure have combined to create a weak economy susceptible to political turmoil.