Chad has more than 200 ethnic groups.
The largest group is the Sara, followed
by Arabs. Most of the people live in
rural areas. The official languages are
French and Arabic, but more than 100
different languages are spoken. More
than half of the people are Muslims, and
about one third are Christians.
Agriculture is Chad’s main economic
activity. Farmers grow peanuts, sorghum,
millet, cassava, and yams. They
raise cattle, goats, and sheep. Trade is
also important to the economy. Chad
produces and sells cotton, textiles, and
petroleum (oil).
Various peoples lived around Lake Chad
beginning in prehistoric times. In the
700s people known as Berbers from
North Africa began to arrive. They
founded an empire called Kanem-
Bornu, which controlled the region until
the 1800s. In 1910 France made the
region part of French Equatorial Africa.
In 1946 Chad became an overseas territory
of France.
Chad gained independence in 1960.
Civil war soon broke out between different
political groups. Chad held presidential
elections in the 1990s, but
political fighting continued.
..More to explore
Kanem-Bornu Empire • N’Djamena
• Sahara
Facts About
CHAD
Population
(2008 estimate)
10,111,000
Area
495,755 sq mi
(1,284,000 sq
km)
Capital
N’Djamena
Form of
government
Republic
Major cities
N’Djamena,
Moundou, Bongor,
Sarh,
Abeche, Doba
78 Chad BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Chalk
Chalk is a soft, whitish rock. It is a type of
limestone. Like other forms of limestone,
it is made from animal shells and takes
many years to form. It has many uses.
Chalk is found throughout much of
northwestern Europe. England’s famous
white cliffs of Dover are made from
chalk. In the United States, chalk deposits
are found in Arkansas, Louisiana,
Texas, andWyoming.
Chalk is made from the shells of tiny sea
creatures. When these animals die, their
shells sink to the sea floor. Mud covers
the shells. Layers of shells and mud
slowly build up. A chalk deposit forms
when this material hardens. The whole
process can take millions of years. Sometimes
the water level drops. When this
happens, the chalk can rise above the
water’s surface. This is how chalk cliffs
are formed.
Chalk is white or gray. It is also porous.
This means that rain and other water
can get into it. After many years, lots of
rain can collect in an area of chalk.
Some cities get their drinking water
from these collections of water. Oil and
natural gas also collect in chalk.
Chalk is very useful. Powdered chalk is
used in toothpaste and stomach medicines.
Chalk is also used to make such
products as paint, rubber, and cement.
Artists draw with chalk. Teachers write
on blackboards with chalk. However, the
chalk used by artists and teachers is
sometimes not true chalk. It is often
mixed with other ingredients or it is
made from a mineral called gypsum.
..More to explore
Limestone • Rock
Chameleon
The lizards called chameleons are wellknown
for being able to change the
color of their skin. Chameleons live in
Africa, Asia, and Europe. The lizards
that are commonly sold as chameleons
in North American pet shops are actually
anoles. Anoles also change color but
not as strikingly as true chameleons do.
Most chameleons live in trees. Their toes
are divided into two groups to help
them grasp branches. They do not move
well on the ground. They spend as little
time as possible there.
Chameleons range in length from about
1.5 inches (4 centimeters) to 24 inches
(60 centimeters). Most chameleons are
7–10 inches (17–25 centimeters) long.
Cliffs made of chalk, a type of limestone,
line the southeastern coast of England.
A chameleon
can look in
two directions
at once
because it can
move each eye
separately.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Chameleon 79
Chameleons can change color because
they have special cells under their skin.
Inside these cells color particles move
around. The chameleon takes on the
color of whichever particles are packed
together most closely. Green, yellow, and
brown are common chameleon colors.
Many people think that chameleons
change color to blend in with their surroundings,
but this is not true. Instead,
color changes depend on such factors as
temperature, light, and emotions such as
fear and anger. Chameleons also use
color changes to communicate with each
other.
Like most lizards, chameleons eat
insects. They use their long, sticky
tongues for catching prey. Large
chameleons also eat young birds.
#More to explore
Lizard
Champlain,
Samuel de
The French explorer Samuel de Champlain
traveled along the seacoasts, lakes,
and rivers of North America in the early
1600s. Known as the Father of New
France, he founded the city of Quebec
and encouraged French settlement in
what is now Canada.
Champlain was born in 1567 in
Brouage, a small French port. His father
was a sea captain. Young Samuel learned
navigation from him and led voyages to
theWest Indies and Central America.
In 1603 Champlain made his first visit
to New France, the lands the French
claimed in North America. He returned
in 1604 with a group of settlers who
started a colony in what is now Nova
Scotia. Though the colony failed,
Champlain used his time there to
