Chadian Arabic ( Arabic : لهجة تشادية ), also known as Shuwa Arabic , Western Sudanic Arabic , or West Sudanic Arabic (WSA), is a variety of Arabic and the first language of 1.6 million people, both town dwellers and nomadic cattle herders . Most of its speakers live in central and southern Chad. Its range is an east-to-west oval in the Sahel . Nearly all of this territory is within Chad and Sudan . It is also spoken elsewhere in the vicinity of Lake Chad in the countries of Cameroon , Nigeria and Niger . Finally, it is spoken in slivers of the Central African Republic . In addition, this language serves as a lingua franca in much of the region. In most of its range, it is one of several local languages and often not among the major ones.
70-516: This language does not have a native name shared by all its speakers, beyond "Arabic". It arose as the native language of nomadic cattle herders ( baggāra , Standard Arabic baqqāra بَقَّارَة , means 'cattlemen', from baqar ). In 1913, a French colonial administrator in Chad, Henri Carbou, wrote a grammar of the local dialect of the Ouaddaï highlands , a region of eastern Chad on the border with Sudan. In 1920,
140-642: A Transitional Council of military officers . That transitional council has replaced the Constitution with a new charter, granting Mahamat Déby the powers of the presidency and naming him head of the armed forces. On 23 May 2024, Mahamat Idriss Déby was sworn in as President of Chad . He had won the disputed 6 May election outright, with 61 per cent of the vote. Chad is a large landlocked country spanning north-central Africa . It covers an area of 1,284,000 square kilometres (496,000 sq mi), lying between latitudes 7° and 24°N , and 13° and 24°E , and
210-405: A competitive presidential election . He won a second term five years later. Oil exploitation began in Chad in 2003, bringing with it hopes that Chad would, at last, have some chances of peace and prosperity. Instead, internal dissent worsened, and a new civil war broke out. Déby unilaterally modified the constitution to remove the two-term limit on the presidency; this caused an uproar among
280-450: A 2012 Pew Research survey, 48% of Muslim Chadians professed to be Sunni , 21% Shia , 4% Ahmadi and 23% non-denominational Muslim . Islam is expressed in diverse ways; for example, 55% of Muslim Chadians belong to Sufi orders . Its most common expression is the Tijaniyah , an order followed by the 35% of Chadian Muslims which incorporates some local African religious elements. In 2020,
350-616: A British colonial administrator in Nigeria, Gordon James Lethem , wrote a grammar of the Borno dialect, in which he noted that the same language was spoken in Kanem (in western Chad) and Ouaddaï (in eastern Chad). Since its publication, this language has become widely cited academically as "Shuwa Arabic"; however, the term "Shuwa" was in use only among non-Arab people in Borno State , Nigeria . Around 2000,
420-689: A French military intervention ( Operation Épervier ). Hissène Habré was overthrown in turn in 1990 by his general Idriss Déby . With French support, a modernization of the Chad National Army was initiated in 1991. From 2003, the Darfur crisis in Sudan spilt over the border and destabilised the nation . Already poor, the nation and people struggled to accommodate the hundreds of thousands of Sudanese refugees who live in and around camps in eastern Chad. While many political parties participated in Chad's legislature,
490-626: A lingua franca. There are still Arabic pidgins in Chad today, such as Bongor Arabic , however most of them have not been described, so it is not known if they descend from Turku. Notes: It is characterized by the loss of the pharyngeals [ħ] and [ʕ] , the interdental fricatives [ð] , [θ] and [ðˤ] , and diphthongs. But it also has /lˤ/ , /rˤ/ and /mˤ/ as extra phonemic emphatics. Some examples of minimal pairs for such emphatics are /ɡallab/ "he galloped", /ɡalˤlˤab/ "he got angry"; /karra/ "he tore", /karˤrˤa/ "he dragged"; /amm/ "uncle", /amˤmˤ/ "mother". In addition, Nigerian Arabic has
560-436: A major agricultural activity that employed underage children. Chad's constitution provides for a strong executive branch headed by a president who dominates the political system. The president has the power to appoint the prime minister and the cabinet, and exercises considerable influence over appointments of judges, generals, provincial officials and heads of Chad's para-statal firms. In cases of grave and immediate threat,
630-549: A national society, but for most Chadians the local or regional society remains the most important influence outside the immediate family. Nevertheless, Chad's people may be classified according to the geographical region in which they live. In the south live sedentary people such as the Sara , the nation's main ethnic group, whose essential social unit is the lineage. In the Sahel, sedentary peoples live side by side with nomadic ones, such as
700-479: A one-party system. Tombalbaye's autocratic rule and insensitive mismanagement exacerbated inter-ethnic tensions. In 1965, Muslims in the north, led by the National Liberation Front of Chad ( French : Front de libération nationale du Tchad , FRONILAT), began a civil war . Tombalbaye was overthrown and killed in 1975, but the insurgency continued. In 1979 the rebel factions led by Hissène Habré took
770-430: A poor human rights record , with frequent abuses such as arbitrary imprisonment, extrajudicial killings, and limits on civil liberties by both security forces and armed militias. In the 7th millennium BC , ecological conditions in the northern half of Chadian territory favored human settlement, and its population increased considerably. Some of the most important African archaeological sites are found in Chad, mainly in
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#1733085123320840-520: A third of the population were slaves. French colonial expansion led to the creation of the Territoire Militaire des Pays et Protectorats du Tchad in 1900. By 1920, France had secured full control of the colony and incorporated it as part of French Equatorial Africa . French rule in Chad was characterised by an absence of policies to unify the territory and sluggish modernisation compared to other French colonies. The French primarily viewed
910-696: A united response from Chadians of a kind never seen before and forced the Libyan army off Chadian soil. Habré consolidated his dictatorship through a power system that relied on corruption and violence with thousands of people estimated to have been killed under his rule. The president favoured his own Toubou ethnic group and discriminated against his former allies, the Zaghawa . His general, Idriss Déby , overthrew him in 1990. Attempts to prosecute Habré led to his placement under house arrest in Senegal in 2005; in 2013, Habré
980-480: A variety of ancestor and place-oriented religions whose expression is highly specific. Christianity arrived in Chad with the French and American missionaries; as with Chadian Islam, it syncretises aspects of pre-Christian religious beliefs. Muslims are largely concentrated in northern and eastern Chad, and animists and Christians live primarily in southern Chad and Guéra . Many Muslims also reside in southern Chad but
1050-453: A year, starting in March and October, and can hold special sessions when called by the prime minister. Deputies elect a National Assembly president every two years. The president must sign or reject newly passed laws within 15 days. The National Assembly must approve the prime minister's plan of government and may force the prime minister to resign through a majority vote of no confidence. However, if
1120-485: Is katáb , with stress on the second syllable of the word, whereas the third-person singular is kátab , with stress on the first syllable. The following is a sample vocabulary: Ouadda%C3%AF highlands Ouaddaï Highlands is an area in east of Chad along the border with Sudan . The Ennedi Plateau and the Ouaddaï highlands in the east of Chad complete the image of a gradually sloping basin, which descends towards Lake Chad . There are also central highlands in
1190-683: Is a former tributary that connected the Ouaddaï highlands of eastern Chad to the Nile River Valley ca. 8000 to ca. 1000 BCE. Its remains are known as the Wadi Howar . The wadi passes through West Darfur near the northern border with Chad and meets up with the Nile near the southern point of the Great Bend. The Ouaddai Empire (1635–1912) (Also Wadai Empire ) was originally a non- Muslim kingdom, located to
1260-521: Is also prohibited, but the practice is widespread and deeply rooted in tradition; 45% of Chadian women undergo the procedure, with the highest rates among Arabs , Hadjarai , and Ouaddaians (90% or more). Lower percentages were reported among the Sara (38%) and the Toubou (2%). Women lack equal opportunities in education and training, making it difficult for them to compete for the relatively few formal-sector jobs. Although property and inheritance laws based on
1330-539: Is based on French civil law and Chadian customary law where the latter does not interfere with public order or constitutional guarantees of equality. Despite the constitution's guarantee of judicial independence, the president names most key judicial officials. The legal system's highest jurisdictions, the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Council , have become fully operational since 2000. The Supreme Court
1400-462: Is currently one of the leading partners in a West African coalition in the fight against Boko Haram and other Islamist militants. Chad's army announced the death of Déby on 20 April 2021, following an incursion in the northern region by the FACT group, during which the president was killed amid fighting on the front lines. Déby's son, General Mahamat Idriss Déby , has been named interim president by
1470-557: Is made up of a chief justice, named by the president, and 15 councillors, appointed for life by the president and the National Assembly. The Constitutional Court is headed by nine judges elected to nine-year terms. It has the power to review legislation, treaties and international agreements prior to their adoption. The National Assembly makes legislation. The body consists of 155 members elected for four-year terms who meet three times per year. The Assembly holds regular sessions twice
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#17330851233201540-530: Is spoken in the southwest, in southern Kordofan and southern Darfur , but excluding the cities of al-Ubayyid and al-Fashir . In Nigeria, it spoken by 10% of the population of Maiduguri , the capital of Borno State , and by at least 500,000 residents elsewhere in Borno State. Locally known as Bagirmi Arabic. Its range in other African countries includes a sliver of the Central African Republic,
1610-505: Is the twentieth-largest country in the world. Chad is, by size, slightly smaller than Peru and slightly larger than South Africa. Chad is bounded to the north by Libya , to the east by Sudan , to the west by Niger , Nigeria and Cameroon , and to the south by the Central African Republic . The country's capital is 1,060 kilometres (660 mi) from the nearest seaport, Douala , Cameroon. Because of this distance from
1680-451: Is the local language of the national capital, N'Djamena , and its range encompasses such other major cities as Abéché , Am Timan , and Mao . It is the native language of 12% of Chadians. Chadian Arabic's associated lingua franca is widely spoken in Chad, so that Chadian Arabic and its lingua franca combined are spoken by somewhere between 40% and 60% of the Chadian population. In Sudan, it
1750-499: Is unknown. In 1994, Braukämper proposed that it arose in Chad starting in 1635 by the fusion of a population of Arabic speakers with a population of Fulani nomads. (The Fulani are a people, or group of peoples, who originate at or near the Atlantic coast but have expanded into most of the Sahel over centuries.) During the colonial era, a form of pidgin Arabic known as Turku was used as
1820-411: Is worsened by the fact that the parks are understaffed and that a number of wardens have been murdered by poachers. Chad's national statistical agency projected the country's 2015 population between 13,630,252 and 13,679,203, with 13,670,084 as its medium projection; based on the medium projection, 3,212,470 people lived in urban areas and 10,457,614 people lived in rural areas. The country's population
1890-522: Is young: an estimated 47% is under 15. The birth rate is estimated at 42.35 births per 1,000 people, and the mortality rate at 16.69. The life expectancy is 52 years. The agency assessed the population as at mid 2017 at 15,775,400, of whom just over 1.5 million were in N'Djaména. Chad's population is unevenly distributed. Density is 0.1/km (0.26/sq mi) in the Saharan Borkou-Ennedi-Tibesti Region but 52.4/km (136/sq mi) in
1960-569: The ARDA estimated the vast majority of Muslims Chadians to be Sunni belonging to the Sufi brotherhood Tijaniyah. A small minority of the country's Muslims (5–10%) hold more fundamentalist practices, which, in some cases, may be associated with Saudi-oriented Salafi movements . Religion in Chad Roman Catholics represent the largest Christian denomination in the country. Most Protestants, including
2030-623: The Borkou-Ennedi-Tibesti Region ; some date to earlier than 2000 BC. For more than 2,000 years, the Chadian Basin has been inhabited by agricultural and sedentary people. The region became a crossroads of civilizations. The earliest of these was the legendary Sao , known from artifacts and oral histories. The Sao fell to the Kanem Empire , the first and longest-lasting of the empires that developed in Chad's Sahelian strip by
2100-514: The Ennedi Plateau represents one of the last colonies known in the Sahara today. In Chad forest cover is around 3% of the total land area, equivalent to 4,313,000 hectares (ha) of forest in 2020, down from 6,730,000 hectares (ha) in 1990. In 2020, naturally regenerating forest covered 4,293,000 hectares (ha) and planted forest covered 19,800 hectares (ha). For the year 2015, 100% of the forest area
2170-516: The Food and Agriculture Organization to improve relations between farmers, agro-pastoralists and pastoralists in the Zakouma National Park (ZNP), Siniaka-Minia, and Aouk reserve in southeastern Chad to promote sustainable development. As part of the national conservation effort, more than 1.2 million trees have been replanted to check the advancement of the desert, which incidentally also helps
Chadian Arabic - Misplaced Pages Continue
2240-964: The Kanuri word for "lake" ), is the remains of an immense lake that occupied 330,000 square kilometres (130,000 sq mi) of the Chad Basin 7,000 years ago. Although in the 21st century it covers only 17,806 square kilometres (6,875 sq mi), and its surface area is subject to heavy seasonal fluctuations, the lake is Africa's second largest wetland. Chad is home to six terrestrial ecoregions: East Sudanian savanna , Sahelian Acacia savanna , Lake Chad flooded savanna , East Saharan montane xeric woodlands , South Saharan steppe and woodlands , and Tibesti-Jebel Uweinat montane xeric woodlands . The region's tall grasses and extensive marshes make it favourable for birds, reptiles, and large mammals. Chad's major rivers—the Chari , Logone and their tributaries—flow through
2310-608: The Logone Occidental Region . In the capital, it is even higher. About half of the nation's population lives in the southern fifth of its territory, making this the most densely populated region. Urban life is concentrated in the capital, whose population is mostly engaged in commerce. The other major towns are Sarh , Moundou , Abéché and Doba , which are considerably smaller but growing rapidly in population and economic activity. Since 2003, 230,000 Sudanese refugees have fled to eastern Chad from war-ridden Darfur. With
2380-769: The National Assembly , power laid firmly in the hands of the Patriotic Salvation Movement during the presidency of Idriss Déby, whose rule was described as authoritarian . After President Déby was killed by FACT rebels in April 2021, the Transitional Military Council led by his son Mahamat Déby assumed control of the government and dissolved the Assembly. Chad remains plagued by political violence and recurrent attempted coups d'état . Chad ranks
2450-475: The Tropic of Cancer . The Sahara gives way to a Sahelian belt in Chad's centre; precipitation there varies from 300 to 600 mm (11.8 to 23.6 in) per year. In the Sahel, a steppe of thorny bushes (mostly acacias ) gradually gives way to the south to East Sudanian savanna in Chad's Sudanese zone. Yearly rainfall in this belt is over 900 mm (35.4 in). Chad's animal and plant life correspond to
2520-459: The U.S. Department of Labor 's Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor in Chad reported that school attendance of children aged 5 to 14 was as low as 39%. This can also be related to the issue of child labor as the report also stated that 53% of children aged 5 to 14 were working, and that 30% of children aged 7 to 14 combined work and school. A more recent DOL report listed cattle herding as
2590-429: The 172,600 Chadians displaced by the civil war in the east, this has generated increased tensions among the region's communities. Polygamy is common, with 39% of women living in such unions. This is sanctioned by law, which automatically permits polygamy unless spouses specify that this is unacceptable upon marriage. Although violence against women is prohibited, domestic violence is common. Female genital mutilation
2660-483: The 2nd lowest in the Human Development Index , with 0.394 in 2021 placed 190th, and a least developed country facing the effects of being one of the poorest and most corrupt countries in the world. Most of its inhabitants live in poverty as subsistence herders and farmers . Since 2003 crude oil has become the country's primary source of export earnings, superseding the traditional cotton industry. Chad has
2730-540: The Arabs, the country's second major ethnic group. The north is inhabited by nomads, mostly Toubous . Chad's official languages are Arabic and French , but over 100 languages are spoken. The Chadic branch of the Afroasiatic language family gets its name from Chad, and is represented by dozens of languages native to the country. Chad is also home to Central Sudanic , Maban , and several Niger-Congo languages. Due to
2800-597: The Christian presence in the north is minimal. The constitution provides for a secular state and guarantees religious freedom; different religious communities generally co-exist without problems. Chad is home to foreign missionaries representing both Christian and Islamic groups. Itinerant Muslim preachers, primarily from Sudan , Saudi Arabia , and Pakistan , also visit. Saudi Arabian funding generally supports social and educational projects and extensive mosque construction. Educators face considerable challenges due to
2870-434: The French code do not discriminate against women, local leaders adjudicate most inheritance cases in favour of men, according to traditional practice. The peoples of Chad carry significant ancestry from Eastern , Central , Western , and Northern Africa . Chad has more than 200 distinct ethnic groups, which create diverse social structures. The colonial administration and independent governments have attempted to impose
Chadian Arabic - Misplaced Pages Continue
2940-509: The Guera region rising to 1,500 m (4,921 ft). Batha River is an important ephemeral river that carries water west from these highlands during rainy seasons, usually during flash flooding . Ouaddaï highlands mark Chad's eastern border and also divide the Chad and Nile watersheds. These highland areas are part of the East Saharan montane xeric woodlands ecoregion . The Yellow Nile
3010-406: The National Assembly rejects the executive branch's programme twice in one year, the president may disband the Assembly and call for new legislative elections. In practice, the president exercises considerable influence over the National Assembly through his party, the Patriotic Salvation Movement (MPS), which holds a large majority. Until the legalisation of opposition parties in 1992, Déby's MPS
3080-526: The Nigeria-based "Winners' Chapel", are affiliated with various evangelical Christian groups. Members of the Baháʼí and Jehovah's Witnesses religious communities also are present in the country. Both faiths were introduced after independence in 1960 and therefore are considered to be "new" religions in the country. A small proportion of the population continues to practice indigenous religions. Animism includes
3150-467: The capital, and all central authority in the country collapsed. Armed factions, many from the north's rebellion, contended for power. The disintegration of Chad caused the collapse of France's position in the country. Libya moved to fill the power vacuum and became involved in Chad's civil war . Libya's adventure ended in disaster in 1987; the French-supported president, Hissène Habré , evoked
3220-496: The civil society and opposition parties. In 2006 Déby won a third mandate in elections that the opposition boycotted. Ethnic violence in eastern Chad has increased; the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has warned that a genocide like that in Darfur may yet occur in Chad. In 2006 and in 2008 rebel forces attempted to take the capital by force, but failed on both occasions. An agreement for
3290-513: The colony as an unimportant source of untrained labour and raw cotton; France introduced large-scale cotton production in 1929. The colonial administration in Chad was critically understaffed and had to rely on the dregs of the French civil service. Only the Sara of the south was governed effectively; French presence in the Islamic north and east was nominal. The educational system was affected by this neglect. After World War II , France granted Chad
3360-474: The country. Elephants , lions , buffalo , hippopotamuses , rhinoceroses , giraffes , antelopes , leopards , cheetahs , hyenas , and many species of snakes are found here, although most large carnivore populations have been drastically reduced since the early 20th century. Elephant poaching , particularly in the south of the country in areas such as Zakouma National Park , is a severe problem. The small group of surviving West African crocodiles in
3430-489: The east , the Central African Republic to the south , Cameroon to the southwest , Nigeria to the southwest (at Lake Chad ), and Niger to the west . Chad has a population of 16 million, of which 1.6 million live in the capital and largest city of N'Djamena . With a total area of around 1,300,000 km (500,000 sq mi), Chad is the fifth-largest country in Africa and the twentieth largest nation by area in
3500-550: The east of Lake Chad in present-day Chad . It emerged in the sixteenth century as an offshoot of the Sultanate of Darfur (in present-day Sudan ) to the northeast of the Kingdom of Baguirmi . Chad Chad , officially the Republic of Chad , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of North and Central Africa . It is bordered by Libya to the north , Sudan to
3570-417: The end of the 1st millennium AD. Two other states in the region, Sultanate of Bagirmi and Wadai Empire , emerged in the 16th and 17th centuries. The power of Kanem and its successors was based on control of the trans-Saharan trade routes that passed through the region. These states, at least tacitly Muslim , never extended their control to the southern grasslands except to raid for slaves. In Kanem, about
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#17330851233203640-506: The entire Sahel. Based on population movements and shared genealogical histories, Sudanic and Egyptian varieties of Arabic have traditionally been classified into a larger Egypto-Sudanic grouping. However, alternative analysis of linguistic features supports the general independence of Sudanic Arabic varieties from Egyptian Arabic. Two clear subdialects of Western Sudanic Arabic are discernable: The majority of speakers live in southern Chad between 10 and 14 degrees north latitude. In Chad, it
3710-406: The feature of inserting an /a/ after gutturals (ʔ,h,x,q). A notable feature is the change of Standard Arabic Form V from tafaʕʕal(a) to alfaʕʕal ; for example, the word taʔallam(a) becomes alʔallam . The first person singular perfect tense of verbs is different from its formation in other Arabic dialects in that it does not have a final t . Thus, the first person singular of the verb katab
3780-400: The important role played by itinerant Arab traders and settled merchants in local communities, Chadian Arabic has become a lingua franca . Chad is a religiously diverse country. Various estimates, including from Pew Research Center in 2010, found that 52–58% of the population was Muslim, while 39–44% were Christian, with 22% being Catholic and a further 17% being Protestant. According to
3850-529: The leadership of François Tombalbaye . Resentment towards his policies in the Muslim north culminated in the eruption of a long-lasting civil war in 1965. In 1979 the rebels conquered the capital and put an end to the South's hegemony. The rebel commanders then fought amongst themselves until Hissène Habré defeated his rivals. The Chadian–Libyan conflict erupted in 1978 by the Libyan invasion which stopped in 1987 with
3920-405: The local economy by way of financial return from acacia trees, which produce gum arabic , and also from fruit trees. Poaching is a serious problem in the country, particularly of elephants for the profitable ivory industry and a threat to lives of rangers even in the national parks such as Zakouma. Elephants are often massacred in herds in and around the parks by organized poaching. The problem
3990-492: The main religions practiced in Chad . Beginning in the 7th millennium BC, human populations moved into the Chadian basin in great numbers. By the end of the 1st millennium AD, a series of states and empires had risen and fallen in Chad's Sahelian strip, each focused on controlling the trans-Saharan trade routes that passed through the region. France conquered the territory by 1920 and incorporated it as part of French Equatorial Africa . In 1960, Chad obtained independence under
4060-472: The nation's dispersed population and a certain degree of reluctance on the part of parents to send their children to school. Although attendance is compulsory, only 68 percent of boys attend primary school, and more than half of the population is illiterate. Higher education is provided at the University of N'Djamena . At 33 percent, Chad has one of the lowest literacy rates of Sub-Saharan Africa . In 2013,
4130-532: The northern half of its Vakaga Prefecture, which is adjacent to Chad and Sudan; a sliver of South Sudan at its border with Sudan; and the environs of Lake Chad spanning three other countries, namely part of Nigeria's ( Borno State ), Cameroon's Far North Region , and in the Diffa Department of Niger's Diffa Region . The number of speakers in Niger is estimated to be 150,000 people. How this Arabic language arose
4200-521: The president, in consultation with the National Assembly , may declare a state of emergency . The president is directly elected by popular vote for a five-year term; in 2005, constitutional term limits were removed, allowing a president to remain in power beyond the previous two-term limit. Most of Déby's key advisers are members of the Zaghawa ethnic group, although southern and opposition personalities are represented in government . Chad's legal system
4270-464: The restoration of harmony between Chad and Sudan, signed 15 January 2010, marked the end of a five-year war. The fix in relations led to the Chadian rebels from Sudan returning home, the opening of the border between the two countries after seven years of closure, and the deployment of a joint force to secure the border. In May 2013, security forces in Chad foiled a coup against President Idriss Déby that had been in preparation for several months. Chad
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#17330851233204340-435: The sea and the country's largely desert climate, Chad is sometimes referred to as the "Dead Heart of Africa". The dominant physical structure is a wide basin bounded to the north and east by the Ennedi Plateau and Tibesti Mountains , which include Emi Koussi , a dormant volcano that reaches 3,414 metres (11,201 ft) above sea level. Lake Chad , after which the country is named (and which in turn takes its name from
4410-548: The southern savannas from the southeast into Lake Chad. Each year a tropical weather system known as the intertropical front crosses Chad from south to north, bringing a wet season that lasts from May to October in the south, and from June to September in the Sahel. Variations in local rainfall create three major geographical zones. The Sahara lies in the country's northern third. Yearly precipitations throughout this belt are under 50 millimetres (2.0 in); only occasional spontaneous palm groves survive, all of them south of
4480-624: The status of overseas territory and its inhabitants the right to elect representatives to the National Assembly and a Chadian assembly . The largest political party was the Chadian Progressive Party ( French : Parti Progressiste Tchadien , PPT), based in the southern half of the colony. Chad was granted independence on 11 August 1960 with the PPT's leader, François Tombalbaye , an ethnic Sara , as its first president . Two years later, Tombalbaye banned opposition parties and established
4550-461: The term "Western Sudanic Arabic" was proposed by a specialist in the language, Jonathan Owens. The geographical sense of "Sudanic" invoked by Owens is not the modern country of Sudan, but the Sahel in general, a region dubbed bilad al-sudan , 'the land of the blacks', by Arabs as far back as the medieval era . In the era of British colonialism in Africa, colonial administrators too used "the Sudan" to mean
4620-517: The three climatic zones. In the Saharan region, the only flora is the date-palm groves of the oasis. Palms and acacia trees grow in the Sahelian region. The southern, or Sudanic, zone consists of broad grasslands or prairies suitable for grazing. As of 2002, there were at least 134 species of mammals, 509 species of birds (354 species of residents and 155 migrants), and over 1,600 species of plants throughout
4690-483: The world. Chad has several regions: the Sahara desert in the north, an arid zone in the centre known as the Sahel and a more fertile Sudanian Savanna zone in the south. Lake Chad , after which the country is named, is the second-largest wetland in Africa. Chad's official languages are Arabic and French . It is home to over 200 different ethnic and linguistic groups . Islam (55.1%) and Christianity (41.1%) are
4760-400: Was formally charged with war crimes committed during his rule. In May 2016, he was found guilty of human-rights abuses, including rape, sexual slavery, and ordering the killing of 40,000 people, and sentenced to life in prison. Déby attempted to reconcile the rebel groups and reintroduced multiparty politics. Chadians approved a new constitution by referendum , and in 1996, Déby easily won
4830-548: Was reported to be under public ownership . Chad had a 2018 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 6.18/10, ranking it 83rd globally out of 172 countries. Extensive deforestation has resulted in loss of trees such as acacias, baobab, dates and palm trees. This has also caused loss of natural habitat for wild animals; one of the main reasons for this is also hunting and livestock farming by increasing human settlements. Populations of animals like lions, leopards and rhino have fallen significantly. Efforts have been made by
4900-402: Was the sole legal party in Chad. Since then, 78 registered political parties have become active. In 2005, opposition parties and human rights organisations supported the boycott of the constitutional referendum that allowed Déby to stand for re-election for a third term amid reports of widespread irregularities in voter registration and government censorship of independent media outlets during
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