N'Djamena
Encyclopedia
N'Djamena is the capital
and largest city (population 993,492 in 2009) of Chad
. A port
on the Chari River
, near the confluence with the Logone River, it directly faces the Cameroon
ian town of Kousséri
, to which the city is connected by a bridge. It is also a special statute region
, divided in 10 arrondissement
s. It is a regional market
for livestock
, salt
, dates, and grain
s. Meat
, fish
and cotton
processing are the chief industries, and the city continues to serve as the centre of economic activity in Chad, despite the violent civil conflicts.
on May 29, 1900, and named after Amédée-François Lamy
, an army officer who had been killed in the Battle of Kousséri
a few days earlier. It was a major trading city and became the capital of the region and nation.
During the Second World War, the French relied heavily upon the airport to move troops and supplies. On 21 January 1942, a lone German
He 111 of the Sonderkommando Blaich
successfully bombed the airfield at Fort Lamy, destroying oil supplies and ten aircraft. Fort Lamy received its first bank branch in 1950, when the Bank of West Africa (BAO) opened a branch there.
On April 6, 1973, the President
François Tombalbaye
changed its name to N'Djamena (taken from the Arab
name of a nearby village, Niǧāmīnā, meaning "place of rest") as part of his authenticité
program of Africanization
. The city was occupied by Libya
during the 1980-1 Libyian intervention as part of the Chadian–Libyan conflict, and the associated Transitional Government of National Unity.
The city was partly destroyed during the Chadian Civil War
, in 1979 and again in 1980. In these years almost all of the population fled the town, searching for refuge on the opposite bank of the Chari River, in Cameroon next to the city of Kousseri
. The residents did not return until 1981-82 after the end of the clashes. Up until 1984, facilities and services were subject to strict rationing, and the schools remained closed.
The period of turmoil in the city was started by the abortive coup attempted by the northerner Prime Minister Hissène Habré
against the southerner President General Félix Malloum
: while Malloum and the national army loyal to him were defeated, the intervention in the battle of other northern factions rival to that of Habré complicated the situation. A temporary truce was reached in 1979 through international mediation, establishing the warlord Goukouni Oueddei
as head of a government of national unity with his rival Habré as Defense Minister. The intense rivality between Goukouni and Habré caused the eruption of new clashes in the city in 1980; N'Djamena found itself divided in sectors controlled by the various warlords. The tug-of-war reached a conclusion after many monthes only when Goukouni asked for the intervention of the Libyans, whose tanks overwhelmed Habré's defenses in the capital.
Following differences between Goukouni and Qaddafi
and international disapproval of Libyan intervention, the Libyan troops left the capital and Chad in 1981. This opened the door to Habré, who marched on N'Djamena occupying with little resistance the city in 1982 and placing himself as new President. He was eventually dislodged in a similar fashion in 1990 by a former general of his, Idriss Déby
, the current head of state of Chad.
The city had only 9,976 inhabitants in 1937, but a decade later, in 1947, the population had almost doubled at 18,435. After independence in 1968 the population reached 126,483. In 1993 it surpassed half a million with 529,555. A good deal of this growth has been due to refugees fleeing into N'Djamena for security, although many people fled N'Djamena also, depending on the political situation.
On April 13, 2006, a rebel United Front for Democratic Change
attack on the city was defeated in the Battle of N'Djamena.
The city was once again attacked on February 2, 2008, by UFDD and RFC
rebels. (See Battle of N'Djamena (2008)
)
A variety of religions are practised in the city, but with a clear Islamic predominance. The main ethnic groups are Ngambaye (16.41%), Chadian Arabs
(11.08%), Hadjerai (9.15%), Daza
(6.97%), Bilala
(5.83%), Kanembu
(5.80%), Maba
(4.84%), Kanuri (4.39%), Gor (3.32%), Kuka (3.20%), Sara
(2.24%), and Barma
(2.10%).
N'Djamena is located at 12°6'47" N, 15°2'57" E, on the confluence
of the Chari
and Logone rivers.
While primarily an administrative center, the city includes the Nassara Strip commercial centre
and residential areas such as Mbololo
, Chagoua, Paris Congo and Moursal. The main commercial avenue of the city is the Avenue Charles de Gaulle
.
and a lengthy dry season
. Despite the fact that the city receives on average approximately 750 mm of rain annually, due to the area’s very high evapotranspiration
, N'Djamena still falls under the semi-arid climate category. The wet season covers from June to September, with the heaviest precipitation occurring in August. The dry season essentially covers the remaining eight months. Based on annual temperatures, N'Djamena is one of the hottest major cities on the planet. Only one month of the year (August) do average monthly high temperatures fail to cross the 32°C (90°F) mark. The city's highest temperatures are usually seen between March and June, just before the onset of the heavier rains. However outside of the warmest months of the year, nights in N'Djamena are generally tolerable.
, a cathedral
and several mosques. Views of sunset
across the Chari River can also be spectacular. N'Djamena was named Capital of Islamic Culture for 2009.
in French as a studying language built 1971 and King Faisal University - Chad in Arabic as a studying language built 1991, a number of secondary schools (including the long established Lycée Félix Éboué
and Lycée technique commercial), and the American International School of N'Djamena
.
, along with many political organisations and parties, and every national ministry. The Supreme Court and Court of Appeal are also in N'Djamena, along with every major embassy in Chad, including the French and US. It is sometimes considered within the region
of Chari-Bagrimi, although separate.
, and is linked to East Africa
by the Ndjamena-Djibouti Highway
. The Tripoli-Cape Town Highway
also passes through N'Djamena, making it a key Central Africa
n location in the Trans-African Highway network
. Ndjamena is linked by road bridge to Kousseri
in Cameroon
.
N'Djamena International Airport
(IATA code
NDJ) is located on the outskirts of the city.
Historically, N'Djamena's main link to the exterior was by river boat up the Chari
and Logone rivers but these now carry little trade.
The city has no railway links, however railways are proposed in the AfricaRail
project.
Capital City
Capital City was a television show produced by Euston Films which focused on the lives of investment bankers in London living and working on the corporate trading floor for the fictional international bank Shane-Longman....
and largest city (population 993,492 in 2009) of Chad
Chad
Chad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west...
. A port
Port
A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....
on the Chari River
Chari River
The Chari or Shari River is a 949-kilometer-long river of central Africa. It flows from the Central African Republic through Chad into Lake Chad, following the Cameroon border from N'Djamena, where it joins the Logone River waters....
, near the confluence with the Logone River, it directly faces the Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
ian town of Kousséri
Kousséri
Kousséri is a city in Far North Province, Cameroon, lying on the border with Chad, across the Chari River from N'Djamena. It is the capital of the Logone-et-Chari department. It is a market town, and its population has recently been swollen by refugees from Chad. It had a population of 89,123 at...
, to which the city is connected by a bridge. It is also a special statute region
Regions of Chad
||The country of Chad is currently divided into 22 régions. From independence in 1960 until 1999 it was divided into 14 préfectures. These were replaced in 1999 by 28 départements. The country was reorganized again in 2002 to produce 18 régions...
, divided in 10 arrondissement
Arrondissement
Arrondissement is any of various administrative divisions of France, certain other Francophone countries, and the Netherlands.-France:The 101 French departments are divided into 342 arrondissements, which may be translated into English as districts. The capital of an arrondissement is called a...
s. It is a regional market
Market
A market is one of many varieties of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering their goods or services in exchange for money from buyers...
for livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
, salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
, dates, and grain
Cereal
Cereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...
s. Meat
Meat
Meat is animal flesh that is used as food. Most often, this means the skeletal muscle and associated fat and other tissues, but it may also describe other edible tissues such as organs and offal...
, fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
and cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
processing are the chief industries, and the city continues to serve as the centre of economic activity in Chad, despite the violent civil conflicts.
History
N'Djamena was founded as Fort-Lamy by French commander Émile GentilÉmile Gentil
Émile Gentil was a French colonial administrator, naval officer, and colonial military leader.Born at Volmunster in the department of Moselle, he later attended the École Navale, the school that formed French naval officers. As an ensign, he was assigned to conduct hydrographic soundings along the...
on May 29, 1900, and named after Amédée-François Lamy
Amédée-François Lamy
Amédée-François Lamy was born at Mougins, in the French département of Alpes-Maritimes on February 7, 1858 and died in the battle of Kousséri on April 22, 1900....
, an army officer who had been killed in the Battle of Kousséri
Battle of Kousséri
The battle of Kousséri originated in French plans to occupy the Chari-Baguirmi region. In 1899–1900, the French organized three armed columns, one proceeding north from Congo, one east from Niger and another south from Algeria...
a few days earlier. It was a major trading city and became the capital of the region and nation.
During the Second World War, the French relied heavily upon the airport to move troops and supplies. On 21 January 1942, a lone German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
He 111 of the Sonderkommando Blaich
Sonderkommando Blaich
The Sonderkommando Blaich was a German air raid carried out by a lone Heinkel He 111 medium bomber against Free French–controlled Fort Lamy in the Chad region of French Equatorial Africa....
successfully bombed the airfield at Fort Lamy, destroying oil supplies and ten aircraft. Fort Lamy received its first bank branch in 1950, when the Bank of West Africa (BAO) opened a branch there.
On April 6, 1973, the President
Heads of state of Chad
-List of Heads of State of Chad:-Affiliations:-External links:**...
François Tombalbaye
François Tombalbaye
François Tombalbaye, also called Ngarta Tombalbaye , was a teacher and a trade union activist who served as the first president of Chad. He was born in the southern region of the country in the Moyen-Chari Prefecture near the city of Koumara and was of the Sara ethnic group, the prominent ethnicity...
changed its name to N'Djamena (taken from the Arab
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
name of a nearby village, Niǧāmīnā, meaning "place of rest") as part of his authenticité
Authenticité
Authenticité was the name given to the Chadian president François Tombalbaye's attempt to remove foreign influence and promote southern Chadian culture throughout Chad during the 1970s...
program of Africanization
Africanization
Africanization or Africanisation has been applied in various contexts, notably in naming and in the composition of staff.-Africanization of names:...
. The city was occupied by Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
during the 1980-1 Libyian intervention as part of the Chadian–Libyan conflict, and the associated Transitional Government of National Unity.
The city was partly destroyed during the Chadian Civil War
Chadian Civil War
The Transitional Government of National Unity was the coalition government of armed groups that nominally ruled Chad from 1979 to 1982, during the most chaotic phase of the long-running civil war that began in 1965. The GUNT replaced the fragile alliance led by Félix Malloum and Hissène Habré,...
, in 1979 and again in 1980. In these years almost all of the population fled the town, searching for refuge on the opposite bank of the Chari River, in Cameroon next to the city of Kousseri
Kousséri
Kousséri is a city in Far North Province, Cameroon, lying on the border with Chad, across the Chari River from N'Djamena. It is the capital of the Logone-et-Chari department. It is a market town, and its population has recently been swollen by refugees from Chad. It had a population of 89,123 at...
. The residents did not return until 1981-82 after the end of the clashes. Up until 1984, facilities and services were subject to strict rationing, and the schools remained closed.
The period of turmoil in the city was started by the abortive coup attempted by the northerner Prime Minister Hissène Habré
Hissène Habré
Hissène Habré , also spelled Hissen Habré, was the leader of Chad from 1982 until he was deposed in 1990.-Early life:...
against the southerner President General Félix Malloum
Félix Malloum
General Félix Malloum or Félix Malloum Ngakoutou Bey-Ndi was a Chadian politician from the south. He served as an officer in the Chadian Military and as a member of the ruling Chadian Progressive Party . He later became the Chief of Staff with the rank of colonel...
: while Malloum and the national army loyal to him were defeated, the intervention in the battle of other northern factions rival to that of Habré complicated the situation. A temporary truce was reached in 1979 through international mediation, establishing the warlord Goukouni Oueddei
Goukouni Oueddei
Goukouni Oueddei is a Chadian political figure. He was Head of State of Chad from 1979 to 1982. He is currently in exile.-Biography:...
as head of a government of national unity with his rival Habré as Defense Minister. The intense rivality between Goukouni and Habré caused the eruption of new clashes in the city in 1980; N'Djamena found itself divided in sectors controlled by the various warlords. The tug-of-war reached a conclusion after many monthes only when Goukouni asked for the intervention of the Libyans, whose tanks overwhelmed Habré's defenses in the capital.
Following differences between Goukouni and Qaddafi
Muammar al-Gaddafi
Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar Gaddafi or "September 1942" 20 October 2011), commonly known as Muammar Gaddafi or Colonel Gaddafi, was the official ruler of the Libyan Arab Republic from 1969 to 1977 and then the "Brother Leader" of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya from 1977 to 2011.He seized power in a...
and international disapproval of Libyan intervention, the Libyan troops left the capital and Chad in 1981. This opened the door to Habré, who marched on N'Djamena occupying with little resistance the city in 1982 and placing himself as new President. He was eventually dislodged in a similar fashion in 1990 by a former general of his, Idriss Déby
Idriss Déby
General Idriss Déby Itno is the President of Chad and the head of the Patriotic Salvation Movement. Déby is of the Bidyat clan of the Zaghawa ethnic group. He added "Itno" to his surname in January 2006.-Rise to power:...
, the current head of state of Chad.
The city had only 9,976 inhabitants in 1937, but a decade later, in 1947, the population had almost doubled at 18,435. After independence in 1968 the population reached 126,483. In 1993 it surpassed half a million with 529,555. A good deal of this growth has been due to refugees fleeing into N'Djamena for security, although many people fled N'Djamena also, depending on the political situation.
On April 13, 2006, a rebel United Front for Democratic Change
United Front for Democratic Change
The United Front for Democratic Change or Front uni pour le changement is a Chadian rebel alliance, made up of eight individual rebel groups, all with the goals of overthrowing the government of current Chadian President. It is now part of the Union of Forces for Democracy and Development. UFDC...
attack on the city was defeated in the Battle of N'Djamena.
The city was once again attacked on February 2, 2008, by UFDD and RFC
Rally of Democratic Forces (rebel group)
The Rally of Democratic Forces is a Chadian rebel group led by Timane Erdimi. It is currently allied to the United Front for Democratic Change rebel group and both are dedicated to overthrowing Erdimi's uncle, the current Chadian President Idriss Déby and his administration...
rebels. (See Battle of N'Djamena (2008)
Battle of N'Djamena (2008)
The Battle of N'Djamena began on February 2, 2008 when Chadian rebel forces opposed to Chadian President Idriss Déby entered N'Djamena, the capital of Chad, after a three-day advance through the country. The rebels were initially successful, taking a large part of the city and attacking the heavily...
)
Demographics
The population growth is shown below:-- 1937: 9,976
- 1940: 12,552
- 1947: 18,375
- 1958: 53,000
- 1960: 60,000
- 1970: 130,000
- 1993: 529,555
- 2000: 728,000
- 2005: 721,000
- 2008: 860,000 (est)
- 2009: 993,492
A variety of religions are practised in the city, but with a clear Islamic predominance. The main ethnic groups are Ngambaye (16.41%), Chadian Arabs
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
(11.08%), Hadjerai (9.15%), Daza
Daza
The Daza people are a semi-nomadic ethnicity living primarily in the Sahara regions of south-eastern Niger and north and central Chad. They consider themselves a warrior people, and are almost entirely Muslim. The Daza speak the Dazaga language. The increasing desertification of Africa has resulted...
(6.97%), Bilala
Bilala
The Bilala, or Bulala, are a Muslim people that live around Lake Fitri, in the Batha Prefecture, in central Chad. The last Chadian census in 1993 stated that they numbered 136.629 persons. Their language, Naba, is divided in four dialects and is in the Nilo-Saharan group; it is shared by two of...
(5.83%), Kanembu
Kanembu people
The Kanembu are an ethnic group of Chad, generally considered the modern descendants of the Kanem-Borno Empire. The Kanembu number an estimated 655,000 people, located primarily in Chad's Lac Prefecture but also in Chari-Baguirmi and Kanem prefectures. They speak the Kanembu language, a variant...
(5.80%), Maba
Maba people
Maba is an ethnic minority in Chad and Sudan. Their population is estimated at several hundred thousand. All of them belong to Islam. By some accounts, they are the most educated people in Chad, and were the first people in Chad to convert to Islam. They founded the Ouaddai Empire in the 15th...
(4.84%), Kanuri (4.39%), Gor (3.32%), Kuka (3.20%), Sara
Sara people
The Sara are an ethnic group in Central Africa, who reside mostly in Chad, making up approximatively 30% of its southern population.-In Chad:...
(2.24%), and Barma
Barma
Barma may refer to:*Panchanan Barma, Indian reformer*Haider Barma, former Hong Kong Secretary for Transport*The autonym of the Baguirmi people of Chad*The nickname of Postnik Yakovlev, Russian architect...
(2.10%).
Geography
Confluence
Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.Confluence may also refer to:* Confluence , a property of term rewriting systems...
of the Chari
Chari River
The Chari or Shari River is a 949-kilometer-long river of central Africa. It flows from the Central African Republic through Chad into Lake Chad, following the Cameroon border from N'Djamena, where it joins the Logone River waters....
and Logone rivers.
While primarily an administrative center, the city includes the Nassara Strip commercial centre
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
and residential areas such as Mbololo
Mbololo
Mbolo is a residential district of the city of N'Djamena, the capital of Chad....
, Chagoua, Paris Congo and Moursal. The main commercial avenue of the city is the Avenue Charles de Gaulle
Avenue Charles de Gaulle
Avenue Charles de Gaulle is one of the main streets and principal commercial avenue of N'Djamena, the capital of Chad, which is named after former French president Charles de Gaulle. It runs in a roughly west-east direction through the city...
.
Climate
N'Djamena features a semi-arid climate with a short wet seasonWet season
The the wet season, or rainy season, is the time of year, covering one or more months, when most of the average annual rainfall in a region occurs. The term green season is also sometimes used as a euphemism by tourist authorities. Areas with wet seasons are dispersed across portions of the...
and a lengthy dry season
Dry season
The dry season is a term commonly used when describing the weather in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which oscillates from the northern to the southern tropics over the course of the year...
. Despite the fact that the city receives on average approximately 750 mm of rain annually, due to the area’s very high evapotranspiration
Evapotranspiration
Evapotranspiration is a term used to describe the sum of evaporation and plant transpiration from the Earth's land surface to atmosphere. Evaporation accounts for the movement of water to the air from sources such as the soil, canopy interception, and waterbodies...
, N'Djamena still falls under the semi-arid climate category. The wet season covers from June to September, with the heaviest precipitation occurring in August. The dry season essentially covers the remaining eight months. Based on annual temperatures, N'Djamena is one of the hottest major cities on the planet. Only one month of the year (August) do average monthly high temperatures fail to cross the 32°C (90°F) mark. The city's highest temperatures are usually seen between March and June, just before the onset of the heavier rains. However outside of the warmest months of the year, nights in N'Djamena are generally tolerable.
Tourism and culture
Attractions in the city include the Chad National MuseumChad National Museum
The Chad National Museum is the national museum of Chad. It is located in the capital city of N'Djamena at near Avenue Felix Eboue, with a mailing address of BP 638, Fort Archambault. The museum was established on October 6, 1962 in temporary quarters under the name of Chad National Museum,...
, a cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
and several mosques. Views of sunset
Sunset
Sunset or sundown is the daily disappearance of the Sun below the horizon in the west as a result of Earth's rotation.The time of sunset is defined in astronomy as the moment the trailing edge of the Sun's disk disappears below the horizon in the west...
across the Chari River can also be spectacular. N'Djamena was named Capital of Islamic Culture for 2009.
Education
N'Djamena has two universities: University of N'DjamenaUniversity of N'Djamena
The University of N'Djamena is the leading institution of higher education in Chad. It was created in 1971 as the University of Chad, and was renamed to "University of N'Djamena" in 1994....
in French as a studying language built 1971 and King Faisal University - Chad in Arabic as a studying language built 1991, a number of secondary schools (including the long established Lycée Félix Éboué
Félix Éboué
Félix Adolphe Éboué was a Black French colonial administrator and Free French leader. He was the first black French man appointed to high post in the French colonies, when appointed as Governor of Guadeloupe in 1936...
and Lycée technique commercial), and the American International School of N'Djamena
American International School of N'Djamena
The American International School of N’Djamena is a small international school in the Chadian capital, N'Djamena. It is an independent, coeducational day school which offers an American-style educational program from prekindergarten through grade 8...
.
Government
N'Djamena is the home of the National Assembly of ChadNational Assembly of Chad
The National Assembly is the parliament of Chad. It has 155 members, elected for a four year term in 25 single-member constituencies and 34 multi-member constituencies.-See also:*List of Presidents of the National Assembly of Chad...
, along with many political organisations and parties, and every national ministry. The Supreme Court and Court of Appeal are also in N'Djamena, along with every major embassy in Chad, including the French and US. It is sometimes considered within the region
Regions of Chad
||The country of Chad is currently divided into 22 régions. From independence in 1960 until 1999 it was divided into 14 préfectures. These were replaced in 1999 by 28 départements. The country was reorganized again in 2002 to produce 18 régions...
of Chari-Bagrimi, although separate.
Transport
The city is the eastern terminus of the Trans-Sahelian HighwayTrans-Sahelian Highway
The Trans-Sahelian Highway or Trans-Sahel Highway is a transnational highway project to pave, improve and ease border formalities on a highway route through the southern fringes of the Sahel region in West Africa between Dakar, Senegal in the west and Ndjamena, Chad, in the east...
, and is linked to East Africa
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
by the Ndjamena-Djibouti Highway
Ndjamena-Djibouti Highway
The Ndjamena-Djibouti Highway is Trans-African Highway 6 in the transcontinental road network being developed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa , the African Development Bank , and the African Union, connecting the Sahelian region to the Indian Ocean port of Djibouti in the...
. The Tripoli-Cape Town Highway
Tripoli-Cape Town Highway
The Tripoli – Cape Town Highway is Trans-African Highway 3 in the transcontinental road network being developed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa , the African Development Bank , and the African Union...
also passes through N'Djamena, making it a key Central Africa
Central Africa
Central Africa is a core region of the African continent which includes Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda....
n location in the Trans-African Highway network
Trans-African Highway network
The Trans-African Highway network comprises transcontinental road projects in Africa being developed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa , the African Development Bank , and the African Union in conjunction with regional international communities...
. Ndjamena is linked by road bridge to Kousseri
Kousséri
Kousséri is a city in Far North Province, Cameroon, lying on the border with Chad, across the Chari River from N'Djamena. It is the capital of the Logone-et-Chari department. It is a market town, and its population has recently been swollen by refugees from Chad. It had a population of 89,123 at...
in Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
.
N'Djamena International Airport
N'Djamena International Airport
N'Djamena International Airport , serves N'Djamena, Chad, and is the main international airport of Chad.The airport is dual use, with civilian and military installations on opposite sides of the single runway.- Military base :...
(IATA code
IATA code
IATA codes are abbreviations that the International Air Transport Association publishes to facilitate air travel. They are typically 1-, 2-, 3-, or 4-character combinations that uniquely identify locations, equipment, companies, and times to standardize international flight operations...
NDJ) is located on the outskirts of the city.
Historically, N'Djamena's main link to the exterior was by river boat up the Chari
Chari River
The Chari or Shari River is a 949-kilometer-long river of central Africa. It flows from the Central African Republic through Chad into Lake Chad, following the Cameroon border from N'Djamena, where it joins the Logone River waters....
and Logone rivers but these now carry little trade.
The city has no railway links, however railways are proposed in the AfricaRail
AfricaRail
AfricaRail is a project to link the railway systems of Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Niger, Benin and Togo. All these systems are .A future stage would link Mali, Senegal, Nigeria and Ghana which are of , , changing all to...
project.
Gallery
The following pictures are undated but were all probably taken in the 1960s, apart from the first, which, based on the cars in the picture, must be from after 1984.External links
- Map of N'Djamena
- Best travel guide
- Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3
- http://earth-info.nga.mil/gns/html/cntry_files.html