Chad vs. Central African Republic
Geography
| Chad | Central African Republic | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Central Africa, south of Libya | Central Africa, north of Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Geographic coordinates | 15 00 N, 19 00 E | 7 00 N, 21 00 E |
| Map references | Africa | Africa |
| Area | total: 1.284 million sq km land: 1,259,200 sq km water: 24,800 sq km | total: 622,984 sq km land: 622,984 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Area - comparative | almost nine times the size of New York state; slightly more than three times the size of California | slightly smaller than Texas; about four times the size of Georgia |
| Land boundaries | total: 6,406 km border countries (6): Cameroon 1116 km, Central African Republic 1556 km, Libya 1050 km, Niger 1196 km, Nigeria 85 km, Sudan 1403 km | total: 5,920 km border countries (6): Cameroon 901 km, Chad 1556 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 1747 km, Republic of the Congo 487 km, South Sudan 1055 km, Sudan 174 km |
| Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) | 0 km (landlocked) |
| Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | none (landlocked) |
| Climate | tropical in south, desert in north | tropical; hot, dry winters; mild to hot, wet summers |
| Terrain | broad, arid plains in center, desert in north, mountains in northwest, lowlands in south | vast, flat to rolling plateau; scattered hills in northeast and southwest |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Emi Koussi 3,445 m lowest point: Djourab 160 m mean elevation: 543 m | highest point: Mont Ngaoui 1,410 m lowest point: Oubangui River 335 m mean elevation: 635 m |
| Natural resources | petroleum, uranium, natron, kaolin, fish (Lake Chad), gold, limestone, sand and gravel, salt | diamonds, uranium, timber, gold, oil, hydropower |
| Land use | agricultural land: 39.6% (2018 est.) arable land: 3.9% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 35.7% (2018 est.) forest: 9.1% (2018 est.) other: 51.3% (2018 est.) | agricultural land: 8.1% (2018 est.) arable land: 2.9% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0.1% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 5.1% (2018 est.) forest: 36.2% (2018 est.) other: 55.7% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 300 sq km (2012) | 10 sq km (2012) |
| Natural hazards | hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds occur in north; periodic droughts; locust plagues | hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds affect northern areas; floods are common |
| Environment - current issues | inadequate supplies of potable water; improper waste disposal in rural areas and poor farming practices contribute to soil and water pollution; desertification | water pollution; tap water is not potable; poaching and mismanagement have diminished the country's reputation as one of the last great wildlife refuges; desertification; deforestation; soil erosion |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Dumping-London Convention | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea |
| Geography - note | note 1: Chad is the largest of Africa's 16 landlocked countries note 2: not long ago - geologically speaking - what is today the Sahara was green savannah teeming with wildlife; during the African Humid Period, roughly 11,000 to 5,000 years ago, a vibrant animal community, including elephants, giraffes, hippos, and antelope lived there; the last remnant of the "Green Sahara" exists in the Lakes of Ounianga (oo-nee-ahn-ga) in northern Chad, a series of 18 interconnected freshwater, saline, and hypersaline lakes now protected as a World Heritage site note 3: Lake Chad, the most significant water body in the Sahel, is a remnant of a former inland sea, paleolake Mega-Chad; at its greatest extent, sometime before 5000 B.C., Lake Mega-Chad was the largest of four Saharan paleolakes that existed during the African Humid Period; it covered an area of about 400,000 sq km (150,000 sq mi), roughly the size of today's Caspian Sea | landlocked; almost the precise center of Africa |
| Total renewable water resources | 45.7 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) | 141 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Population distribution | the population is unevenly distributed due to contrasts in climate and physical geography; the highest density is found in the southwest, particularly around Lake Chad and points south; the dry Saharan zone to the north is the least densely populated as shown in this population distribution map | majority of residents live in the western and central areas of the country, especially in and around the capital of Bangui as shown in this population distribution map |
Source: CIA Factbook
