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- Geography
-
- Total area: 1,284,000 km2
-
- Land area: 1,259,200 km2
-
- Comparative area: slightly more than three times the size of
- California
-
- Land boundaries: 5,968 km; Cameroon 1,094 km, Central African
- Republic 1,197 km, Libya 1,055 km, Niger 1,175 km, Nigeria 87
- km, Sudan 1,360 km
-
- Coastline: none - landlocked
-
- Maritime claims: none - landlocked
-
- Disputes: Libya claims and occupies the 100,000 km2 Aozou Strip
- in the far north; demarcation of international boundaries in
- Lake Chad, the lack of which has led to border incidents in the
- past, is completed and awaiting ratification by Cameroon, Chad,
- Niger, and Nigeria
-
- Climate: tropical in south, desert in north
-
- Terrain: broad, arid plains in center, desert in north,
- mountains in northwest, lowlands in south
-
- Natural resources: crude oil (unexploited but exploration under
- way), uranium, natron, kaolin, fish (Lake Chad)
-
- Land use: arable land 2%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and
- pastures 36%; forest and woodland 11%; other 51%; includes
- irrigated NEGL%
-
- Environment: hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds occur in north;
- drought and desertification adversely affecting south; subject
- to plagues of locusts
-
- Note: landlocked; Lake Chad is the most significant water body
- in the Sahel
-
-