N'DjamenaCapital
Chad · Country profile
Ndjamena is the crowded, dust-blown capital of Chad, the sprawling river city that spreads across the junction of the two great rivers, the Chari and the Logone, on the very edge of the Sahel, where the savannahs of the south meet the advance of the desert. Founded by the French as a fort in 1900, the city grew into the largest centre of the central Sahel, its crowded quarters, its markets and its government district spreading across the flat plain beside the waters of the rivers, broken by the occasional towers and the great mosque of the town. It is a frontier capital of the enormous contrasts, with the busy commerce and the teeming life of the market quarters, the calm of the river banks and the dust of the long dry months framing the daily world of the country. Hot, tough and endlessly energetic, Ndjamena is the beating, thirsty heart of the Sahelian nation.
About N'Djamena
N'Djamena is the capital of Chad. The city's documented population is around 1,663,000 people. For visitors from abroad, the local currency is the Central African CFA franc (XAF) and French and Arabic are spoken; the dialling code is +235.
The Great Mosque and the Cathedral of the River
Ndjamena is a hot, vibrant capital where the essential circuit moves between the great central market, the museum of the country and the government quarter of the city, with the banks of the rivers and the sands of the islands providing the relief of the water. The market streets of the town run the enormous daily commerce of the Sahel, the parades and the ceremonies of the national days fill the wide avenues, and the museum gathers the treasures of the archaeological and the cultural history of the region. The river trips and the fishing of the sands of the Chari, and the grand mosque and the cathedral of the capital, complete the dense, dusty, decisively African face of the city whose life pulses at the very limit of the desert.
The Museum of the Nation and the Market of the Capital
The climate of the capital is fiercely continental, with the long, scorching dry season, the blinding blaze of the pre-monsoon months and the short, sharp rains of the summer season, when the rivers rise and the city turns green. The franc of the region is the currency and the Sara and the Arabic the languages of the streets, with the French the language of the official city. The market, the museum and the river circuit make the core visits, and the movement of the capital demands patience with the dust and the heat. Light cotton clothing, a hat, and generous hydration throughout the day are the practical essentials of the dry-season city.
The River of the Chari and the Cars of the Weekend
The great mosque of the capital, the enormous open-fronted mosque of the riverbank that the sultans of the region raised for the brotherhoods of the interior, is the most striking monument of the modern city, its white arcades visible across the whole east of the town. The national museum of the capital, with its collection of the Sahelian treasures, the terracottas of the Sao and the masks of the peoples of the country, preserves the deep archaeology of the region, while the grand boulevard of the government quarter, with the presidential palace and the ministries behind their walls, forms the ceremonial spine of the city. The weekly camel market of the town, where the herds and the livestock of the desert change hands under the sun, and the riverside of the Chari with its pirogues of the fishing villages, complete the essential sights of the capital of the Sahel.
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- Country
- Chad
- Population
- 1,663,000
- Capital
- N'Djamena
- Region
- Africa
- Currency
- Central African CFA franc (XAF)
- Languages
- French, Arabic
- Calling code
- +235
- Country code
- TD
Frequently asked questions
Is N'Djamena the capital of Chad?
Yes — N'Djamena is the capital of Chad.
What currency do I need in N'Djamena?
The local currency is the Central African CFA franc (XAF). Languages spoken in Chad include French and Arabic.
What is the dialling code for Chad?
The international dialling code for Chad is +235.
Flying out of N'Djamena? Check the entry requirements for your destination in our entry requirements tool before you fly.