Lake Chad
Lake Chad (Arabic: بحيرة تشاد, Kanuri: Sádǝ, French: Lac Tchad) is an endorheic freshwater lake located at the junction of four countries: Nigeria, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon in western and central Africa respectively. It is also an important wetland ecosystem in West-Central Africa. The catchment area of Lake Chad is 1 million square kilometres (390,000 sq mi). In the 19th century, Lake Chad was substantially larger with an area of 28,000 square kilometres (11,000 sq mi). However, due to climate change and human water diversion, Lake Chad has been greatly reduced since the mid-1970s, and its area has fluctuated between 2,000 and 5,000 square kilometres (770 and 1,930 sq mi).
| Lake Chad | |
|---|---|
| Location | Sahelian zone at the conjunction of Chad, Cameroon, Nigeria, and Niger |
| Primary inflows | Chari River, Yobe River, Ngadda River |
| Primary outflows | Bahr el-Ghazal |
| Basin countries | Chad, Cameroon, Nigeria, Niger |
| Surface area | 2,000 km2 (770 sq mi) |
| Max. depth | 2 m (6.6 ft) |
| Islands | Bogomerom Archipelago |
| Settlements | |
| Official name | Lac Tchad |
| Designated | 17 June 2001 |
| Reference no. | 1072 |
| Official name | Partie tchadienne du lac Tchad |
| Designated | 14 August 2001 |
| Reference no. | 1134 |
| Official name | Lake Chad Wetlands in Nigeria |
| Designated | 30 April 2008 |
| Reference no. | 1749 |
| Official name | Partie Camerounaise du Lac Tchad |
| Designated | 2 February 2010 |
| Reference no. | 1903 |
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