Land area

1,284,000 sq km

Population

11.27m (mid-2009 census result)

Main towns

Population in 2010 (World Gazetteer estimates; '000)

N'Djamena (capital): 792

Moundou: 149

Sarh: 113

Abéché: 82

Climate

Tropical in the south, semi-arid in the Sahelian belt, and desert and semi-desert in the north

Weather in N'Djamena (altitude 295 metres)

Hottest month, April 23-42°C; coolest month, December, 14-33°C; driest months, November-March, 0 mm average rainfall; wettest month, August, 320 mm average rainfall

Languages

French and Chadian Arabic (Tourkou) are the official languages; over 100 local languages, including Sara derivatives, are also widely spoken

Measures

Metric system

Currency

CFA franc

Time

1 hour ahead of GMT

Public holidays

Fixed holidays: January 1st (New Year's Day), May 1st (Labour Day), August 11th (Independence Day), November 1st (All Saints' Day), November 28th (Republic Day), December 1st (Freedom and Democracy Day), December 25th (Christmas)

Moveable holidays (according to Christian and Muslim calendars): Eid al-Adha, El am Hejir (New Year), Mawlid al-Nabi (birth of the Prophet), Eid al-Fitr (end of Ramadan), Easter