So you think you know Chad? Online Quiz | Africa

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. As we land in the capital city of N'Djamena, we realize that we have timed our trip perfectly! We are arriving on Chad's Independence Day and we'll be able to partake in all the festivities. So, do you know just when Chad became an independent nation?

Answer: August 11, 1960

Since 1897, Chad had been under partial control by France (becoming a French colony in 1900). The path towards independence began for Chad in 1956 when Chad gained internal autonomy. On August 11, 1960, Chad was granted its independence from France in a non-violent transfer of power.

2. While wandering around the city of N'Djamena, we find that the city sits at the confluence of the Chari and Logone rivers, just southeast of Lake Chad. We also discover that the city is right on the border of one of Chad's neighbors. Which country would that be?

Answer: Cameroon

The border with the Republic of Cameroon follows the Logone River, and then the Chari River where the two converge. Just on the east side of the rivers is the city of N'Djamena.

3. Traveling around Chad, we encounter several different languages and dialects as we meet the people living there. With all those different languages that are spoken there, do you know the two official languages of Chad?

Answer: French and Arabic

There are more than 100 different languages spoken in the country of Chad, but only French and Arabic are recognized as the official languages, with French being the dominant language used in education and in the government. Even with all those different languages spoken, most of them come from either the Nilo-Saharan or Afro-Asiatic families of languages.

4. The country of Chad got its name from the large lake just north of the capital, which is by no surprise called Lake Chad. The size of the lake has varied immensely during its history. At one time it is believed to have been part of a large inland sea, but now it is just a fraction of that size. One thing that hasn't changed, however, is that Lake Chad has always been extremely shallow. At its deepest, how deep is Lake Chad?

Answer: Between 30 and 40 feet deep

In 2010, Lake Chad covered 521 square miles, compared to 9,652 square miles in 1963. Even with the fluctuations in size, Lake Chad has always remained a very shallow lake. The maximum depth of the lake has hovered between 30 and 40 feet deep.

5. Looking at our map of Chad, we can easily see that it is bordered by six different countries. Which of the following nations does NOT border Chad?

Answer: Egypt

Egypt may be relatively close (approximately 150 miles away), but it doesn't border Chad at all. The six nations to share a border with Chad are Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Sudan, and Libya. All of these nations completely surround the entire country of Chad, making it a landlocked nation.

6. While we are still studying our map of Chad, we can see that the vast Sahara Desert covers part of the country to the north. Approximately how much of Chad is covered by the Sahara?

Answer: 33%

Roughly the northern 1/3 of Chad is covered by the Sahara Desert, making it a very inhospitable place to be. Even in the coldest part of the year (January), the average high temperature in the Saharan area of Chad is 90� (32C), while in the heat of the summer the temperatures soar to an average high of 113� (45C).

7. On our visit we learn that Chad's history hasn't always been peaceful. From civil war to military coups, there has been a history of violence in Chad. In fact, the first president of Chad allowed the country to spiral into a civil war. President Fran�ois Tombalbaye outlawed all other political parties except his own and then gathered all the power for himself, while arresting countless thousands as political enemies. Can you tell me the time frame of the first civil war that Chad endured?

Answer: 1965-1979

For fourteen years Chad was embroiled in a civil war. Even the French got involved by sending troops to President Tombalbaye to help battle the rebels. However, things didn't end well for Tombalbaye as on April 13, 1975 he was killed in a military coup.

Unfortunately, that didn't bring an end to the civil war as Tombalbaye was replaced by a military government from 1975 to 1978. By 1979 the Transitional Government of National Unity took over, which despite the name, wasn't much better than the prior governments. Even after the first civil war had drawn to a close, it unfortunately wasn't the end of the violence in Chad.

8. While still focusing on the less than peaceful past of Chad, we find that the violence wasn't just isolated to internal conflicts as it has also had violent confrontations with some of its neighbors as well. From 1978 to 1987, with which neighboring country was Chad fighting?

Answer: Libya

The Chadian-Libyan conflict was not a non-stop conflict between the two countries, but rather a series of different armed skirmishes that took place between 1978 and 1987. At first it appeared the conflict was over the Aouzou Strip at the extreme northern part of Chad which Libya claimed as part of an unratified treaty that dated back to colonial times. But, according to historian Mario Azevedo, it evolved into Libya wanting to expand its influence into Chad and then deeper into central Africa.

9. Well, enough talk of all this violence! Instead, let's go out and have some fun, but first let's make sure we have enough money. At the bank to exchange our currency we find out that Chad doesn't have its own currency and instead is part of a group of nations that use the CFA franc. The CFA franc is divided into two types, the Central African CFA franc and the West African CFA franc. Which one will we need to exchange our money into while we are in Chad: Central or West?

Answer: Central

The CFA franc traces its beginning all the way back to 1945 when the region was still under colonial rule at the end of World War II. The weakness of the French franc (which was used prior in the colonies) was the main reason for its creation. In 2010 there were 14 countries using the CFA franc: Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Togo using the West African CFA franc; and Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon using the Central African CFA franc.

10. I see that it's now time for us to leave Chad and to head to other destinations. As we sit and decide where to go next, in which of the following ways can we NOT leave the city of N'Djamena?

Answer: Train

Unfortunately, even though a nice train ride would be a relaxing way to travel, we cannot use this mode of transportation to leave the city as there are no railway lines in N'Djamena.

Source: Author thelancinator

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Pagiedamon before going online.
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So you think you know Chad? Trivia Quiz

Ready for a trip through Chad and her history? Well I am too, so let's go and have some fun!

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