N'Djamena

N'Djamena
	N'Djamena; نجامينا Nijāmīnā
	Downtown N'Djamena
	; Coat of arms
	; Coat of arms
	; N'Djamena Location in Chad
	Coordinates: 12°6′47″N 15°2′57″E / 12.11306°N 15.04917°E
Country	Chad
Region	Chari-Baguirmi
Department
Sub-Prefecture	N'Djamena
Elevation	978 ft (298 m)
	Population (2005)
- Total	721,000
Time zone	+1 (UTC)

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N'Djamena (pronounced /ɨndʒəˈmeɪnə/, Arabic نجامينا Nijāmīnā), population 721,000 (2005), is the capital city of Chad. It is also the largest city in the country. A port on the Chari River, near the confluence with the Logone River, it directly faces the Cameroonian town of Kousséri, to which the city is connected by a bridge. It is also a special statute region, divided in 10 arrondissements. It is a regional market for livestock, salt, dates, and grains. Meat processing is the chief industry.

[edit] History

N'Djamena was founded as Fort-Lamy by French commander Émile Gentil on May 29, 1900, and named after Amédée-François Lamy, an army officer who had been killed in the Battle of Kousséri a few days earlier. Its name was changed to N'Djamena (taken from the Arab name of a nearby village, Niǧāmīnā, meaning "place of rest") by the President François Tombalbaye on April 6, 1973, as part of his authenticité program of Africanization.

Fort Lamy received its first bank branch only in 1950, when the Bank of West Africa (BAO) finally opened a branch there.

The city was partly destroyed during the Chadian Civil War, in 1979 and again in 1980. Many southern, Chadian inhabitants fled at the time, but the population has since regrown strongly. The city had only 9,976 inhabitants in 1937, but a decade later, in 1947, the population had almost doubled at 18,435. After independence in 1968 the population reached 126,483. In 1993 it surpassed half a million with 529,555.

On April 13, 2006, a rebel United Front for Democratic Change attack on the city was defeated.^[1] (See Battle of N'Djamena (2006))

The city was once again attacked on February 2, 2008, by UFDD and RFC rebels. ^[2] (See Battle of N'Djamena (2008))

[edit] Demographics

The population growth is shown below:-

1937 : 9,976
1940 : 12,552
1947 : 18,375
1968 : 126,483
1993 : 529,555
2005 : 721,000
2008 : 860,000 (est.)

A variety of religions are practiced in the city, but with a clear Islamic predominance. The main ethnic groups are Ngambaye (16.41%), Chadian Arabs (11.08%), Hadjerai (9.15%), Daza (6.97%), Bilala (5.83%), Kanembu (5.80%), Maba (4.84%), Kanuri (4.39%), Gor (3.32%), Kuka (3.20%), Sara (2.24%), and Barma (2.10%).

[edit] Geography

The cathedral in N'Djamena, Chad, as it was before it was severely damaged during the civil war.

N'Djamena is located at 12°6'47" N, 15°2'57" E.

While primarily an administrative center, the city includes the Nassara Strip commercial centre and residential areas such as Mbololo, Chagoua, Paris Congo and Moursal. The main commercial avenue of the city is the Avenue Charles de Gaulle.

[edit] Tourism

Attractions in the city include the Chad National Museum, a cathedral and several mosques. Views of sunset across the Chari River can also be spectacular.

[edit] Education

N'Djamena have two universities: University of N'Djamena in French as a studying language built 1971 and King Faisal University - Chad in Arabic as a studying language^[3] built 1991, a number of secondary schools (including the long established Lycée Félix Éboué and Lycée technique commercial), and the American International School of N'Djamena.