Chad

Did you know?

• 🏞A landlocked country at the intersection of North and Central Africa, named after Lake Chad.
• 🏳️What does its flag mean? The blue stripe symbolizes the sky, hope, and the waters of southern Chad. The yellow stripe represents the sun and the vast sands of the northern Sahara Desert. The red stripe symbolizes progress, unity, and the blood shed for independence. (Note: Chad's flag is virtually identical to the flag of Romania, differing only slightly in shade.)
• 🏜️The Saharan Lakes of Ounianga: The Lakes of Ounianga consist of 18 interconnected lakes in the middle of the hyper-arid Sahara Desert, preserved as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
• 💀Toumaï fossil discovery: In 2001, researchers in northern Chad discovered the fossilized skull of Sahelanthropus tchadensis ('Toumaï'), dated to around 7 million years ago—one of the oldest known human ancestors.
• 🌊Lake Chad's extent changed dramatically after Sahel droughts in the late 20th century and varies substantially with rainfall, river inflow, and season.