N'Djamena

N'Djamena

The capital and largest city of Chad is N'Djamena. The city is the center of economic activity in Chad. Located at the confluence of the Logone River and the Chari River, it is a port city forming a cross-border agglomeration with the town of Kousséri, capital of the Logone-et-Chari department, Cameroon, which lies on the western bank of the two rivers. Founded by French commander Émile Gentil as Fort-Lamy on 29 May 1900, N'Djamena was named after the soldier officer Amédée-François Lamy, who had been killed in the Battle of Kousséri a month earlier. It was an important trading city and became the capital of the region and the country. The primary economic resource in N'Djamena is agricultural work, with around 80% of the population working in agriculture-based sectors, including crop and livestock production. The city's economy is therefore almost entirely dependent on good weather, making it difficult to grow in years of poor rainfall. Sights in the city include the Chad National Museum, the Al-Mouna Cultural Centre, the Our Lady of Peace Cathedral and numerous mosques. The Chad National Museum displays a partial skull of Sahelanthropus, known locally as "Toumaï", a skull discovered in northern Chad, and believed to be from one of the earliest human ancestors. The places of worship in the city are predominantly Muslim mosques, but there are also Christian churches, such as the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of N'Djamena, the Evangelical Church of Chad and the Christian Assemblies in Chad.