Africa: All about Chad Trivia Quiz

Answer: Sudan

The Chad-Sudan border is approximately 870 miles (1,400 km) long, and was established during the European colonization of Africa.

Chad does border Niger, but Niger lies to the west. Cameroon does border Chad, but it lies to the south-west, as well as Nigeria. Chad does border Central African Republic, but it lies south. Chad also has Libya lying to the north.

Answer: Tibesti Mountains

Mount Koussi, or "Emi Koussi," is a large shield volcano located at the south-east end of the Tibesti Mountains. It is around 11,205 feet (3,415 m) high, and stands in the north of Chad, in the Borkou Region. There are no historical records of it erupting, and the volcano is somewhat presumed extinct; however, there is an active thermal area in the form of fumaroles, on the southern flank of the volcano.

The Tibesti Mountains run through northern Chad, to the south of neighbouring Libya, in the centre of the Sahara Desert. Bikku Bitti, the highest mountain of Libya, is also located within this range. The southern part of the Tibesti Mountains lie within the the watershed of Lake Chad, and five rivers course through the northern part of the range towards Libya. However, all rivers originating from this range do not run far, vanishing underground or evaporating in the intense desert heat. The Sahara covers a lot of northern Chad, covering around a third of the country's territory.

The Toubou tribe live in the Tibesti Mountains, and are known as some of the best camel racers in the world.

Answer: Mele

On April 18, 2021, Idriss Déby (1952-2021) was visiting troops who were engaged in combat with rebel forces around the village of Mele. The exact circumstances of his death are not clear, however it is known he was shot, and died two days later in a hospital in N'Djamena. Déby had had many occasions of rebellion and conflict during his presidency of Chad.

His regime was well known for its corruption, and abuse of human rights. It was announced that he had been re-elected as president the day after he died, then the military broke the news of his death to the Chadian public.

Answer: Aloba Arch

Large natural arches are somewhat uncommon to find outside of the Colorado Plateau in the U.S, and China's south and west regions. The Aloba Arch has a span of around 250 feet (75 m) and a height of around 400 feet (120 m), with similar geology to the Colorado Plateau.

The Ennedi Plateau is located in the north-east of Chad, and Aloba Arch is one of the highest natural arches in the world.

Answer: Chari

The Chari River flows through both Chad and the Central African Republic. It is around 870 miles (1,400 km) and a lot of Chad's population, including the capital city, N'Djamena, and Sarh, capital of the Moyen-Chari region are based around it. Around 90% of Lake Chad's water comes from the Chari.

Lake Chad has estimated to have shrunk almost 90% since the 1960s. This is due to climate change and over-irrigation.

Answer: Lakes of Ounianga

The Lakes of Ounianga are a series of interconnected lakes in the north east of Chad, spanning from Ounianga Kebir (meaning "large) in the west, to Ounianga Serir (small) in the east, in the Sahara. The area was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012.

These lakes have not evaporated in the intensity of the Sahara, and have proved to be a liveable habitat for humans and animals alike, for a long time.

Answer: Fort-Lamy

In 1900, the French had defeated Muslim fighter and slave trader, Rabih Al-Zubayr, during the Battle of Kousseri. After the battle the French named the area "Fort-Lamy" after French army officer, Amédée-François Lamy. Fort Lamy was a small town during colonial times, however after Chad gained independence from France in 1960, the population boomed. In 1958 around 53,000 people resided in Fort Lamy, expanding to around 130,000 by 1972.

François Tombalbaye, the first President of Chad, changed the city's name from Fort Lamy to N'Djamena. He wished to Africanize the French names of cities, towns and villages of Chad which had French names.

Answer: Sorghum

Sorghum is the most prevalent crop in Chad, with 987 thousand tons of it produced in 2018. Sorghum is not only used as a staple food for the people in Chad, but it is also used for brewing beer and to food animals. Millet and berebere are also regularly grown in Chad, as well as peanuts, yam, sugarcane, maize, cassava, sweet potato, rice, sesame seed and cotton.

Answer: Zakouma National Park

Zakouma National Park was once under attack by poachers, but this has since been made illegal in 2010. The park now has an expanding population of elephants, giraffes and buffalo. 50% of the world's population of kordofan giraffe lives in this park. In 1986 the park's buffalo population was 220, but since 2010 has surpassed 12,000.

Zakouma National Park lies between Chad's Guéra Region and Salamat Region. It is Chad's oldest national park. On the park's 50th anniversary, President Idriss Déby had a destruction of ivory ceremony, burning a pyre filled with elephant tusks. This kind of ceremony is widely used to discourage poaching.

Answer: Massenya

The Kingdom of Bagirmi is usually agreed to have been established in 1522. It was around 1600 during the reign of the kingdom's fourth ruler, Abdullah, that Islam began to spread in the area. The Chari River formed the kingdom's western border. In 1894, African Muslim military leader, Rābiḥ az-Zubayr had his army ransack Massenya. Treaties in the early 20th century put the area under French control.

Massenya is now a small town, and is the capital of Chad's Chari-Baguirmi region.

Answer: Borkou

The Borkou region has existed since 2008, and encompasses an area of 93,050 square miles (241,000 sq km). Its capital city is Faya-Largeau, (also known as simply "Faya") which is the largest city in northern Chad. The Tibesti Mountains are located in the north of Borkou.

As well as the highest point in Chad, Borkou also has the lowest point in Chad, the Bodélé Depression, within its territory.

Answer: Am Timan

Am Timan is the capital of Salamat Region. The reason for this name is not known for certain, although it is said to be named after a female buffalo giving birth to twins in the area. Am Timan is also known as "Dabengat" in Chad, which means "resources of the products."

Answer: Mbere River

The Mbéré River runs through Chad and neighbouring Cameroon. It also makes part of the Central African Republic's border. It is a tributary of the Logone River, which is a major tributary of the Chari River.

Moundou is around 300 miles (475 km) N'Djamena, and is the principal city of the Sara people, who are native to southern Chad, the extreme south of North Sudan and the north-west of the Central African Republic. The Sara are the largest ethnic group in Chad, accounting for about 30% of the population.

Answer: Sarh

Known as "Fort Archambault" while Chad was occupied by the French, Sarh is the capital of the Moyen-Chari Region, lying on the Chari River. It is the third largest city in Chad, after N'Djamena and Moundou. Because of Sarh's warm and wet climate, this makes ideal conditions for cotton production here. Sarh is named after the Sara people.

Answer: Goat and lion

The goat and the lion are both national symbols of Chad, the goat representing the north and the lion representing the south. They stand opposite each other on the coat of arms, separated by a blue and yellow shield, with a sun above. "Unity, Work, Progress." or "Unité, Travail, Progrès" is Chad's national motto.