Chad: A Nation Largely Covered by Desert

Chad, a landlocked country in north-central Africa, is predominantly desert. Its geography is defined by the Sahara's advance:

• Northern half (Borkou, Ennedi, Tibesti regions): Core Sahara—hyper-arid, vast ergs (sand seas), volcanic massifs (Emi Koussi, 3,415 m), and extreme temperatures. Barely inhabited.
• Central belt (Sahel): Semi-arid transition zone (300–600 mm rain). Seasonal grasslands support pastoralism (cattle, camels, goats). Prone to drought and desertification.
• Southern zone (Sudanian savanna): Wetter (800–1,200 mm), fertile, agricultural (cotton, sorghum, millet). Most population and capital N'Djamena located here.

Lake Chad, once Africa's fourth-largest lake, has shrunk >90% since the 1960s due to climate change and irrigation withdrawal—an ecological catastrophe for the region.

Thus, "like a desert" understates it: Chad is largely desert, with a narrow habitable fringe.