Chad Is Part of the Sahara Desert

Chad is a country located in the north, central Africa. N'Djamena is the country’s capital and largest city. At one time in history, Chad used to be under France’s control. However, the country has been independent from France for nearly sixty years. Although it is now an independent country, it does not mean that its economy is doing well. Chad is a very poor country, and its people have suffered because of it. Also, Chad has a wide range of physical geography, including land features, climate, biogeography, hazards, and human-environment interaction.

The northern part of Chad consists of the Sahara Desert and the Tibesti Mountains in the northwest. These mountains take up a major portion of the Sahara Desert, which also contain the country’s highest peak, Emi Koussi. The country also has a transition zone known as the Sahel, which begins at the southern part of the Sahara Desert. The center of Chad consists of broad and arid plains.

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However, the southern part of the region is more tropical with forested land. Two major rivers of the south include the Chari and Logone River. Lake Chad is another major body of water, which tends to flood from the monsoon rains. The elevation decreases in the south, resulting in lowlands. Therefore, the more east and west you travel away from Lake Chad, the more the elevation will increase.

Because the northern part of Chad consists of a desert, the climate is naturally hot and dry, and very little rain occurs.

During the winter, the north is sunny and warm throughout the day. However, the Tibesti Mountains can bring cooler temperatures at night even in the summer months. Also, sand storms can arise in the desert areas of Chad due to the wind. Moving south towards the center of Chad, the climate begins to change. For example, the temperature drops to a point where cloudiness and humidity makes more of an appearance. Continuing south even more, this region of Chad is known as the savanna. The climate is tropical and it rains frequently, resulting in many floods.

The north and south also have different plants and vegetation. The north contains little to no vegetation, and there may be some palm oases here and there. In the area of the Sahel, thorn bushes can be found as well as an open steppe country. The south of Chad, there is tall grasses, shrubs, and broad-leaved trees. These characteristics of plants in the south correlate to the animals that live there. Chad is home to many different mammals such as elephants, hippopotamuses, rhinoceroses, warthogs, giraffes, antelope, lions, leopards, and cheetahs. The country also has birds and reptiles, as well as an abundance of fish.

The potential hazards that Chad can face are a huge characteristic of this country. In the northern part of Chad, harsh winds can create huge sand storms. Also, flooding is a common occurrence in the sudanian savanna zone in the south due to the enormous amount of rain. However, drought and irrigation could be a potential hazard to the country of Chad as well. The drought with occurred between the late 1960s to the early 1980s reduced water flow into Lake Chad. The lake is now very shallow, and may one day completely evaporate.

The Sahel region of Chad is undergoing what is called desertification. This is occurring naturally, but it appears that humans are helping out to speed up the process. For example, overgrazing of vegetation by livestock exposes the soil, and the soil becomes more vulnerable to erosion when animals trample it. In addition, the soil is at risk to erosion due to the wind it is exposed to when farmers clear the land to plant crops. Not to mention when farmers drill for water to irrigate crops. Chad almost has no other choice than to keep desertification underway because of the growing population. There is more people to feed, meaning more land to clear. Desertification has also affected a rain forest around Lake Chad, which, as I mentioned before, contributes to the lake’s slow disappearance.