Chad (Fr. Tchad, Ar. Tshād) is a republic in central Africa. Its 1,280,000 square kilometres comprise: the Saharan north, including the Borku (Ar. Borqū), Ennedi (Ar. Annīdī), and Tibesti (Ar. Tībistī) highlands; a middle Sudanic region, that included the historical kingdoms of Kanem (Ar. Kānim), Baghirmi (Ar. Bāghirmī), and Wadai (Ouaddaï, Ar. Wāday); and the fertile south, part of the tropical East Sudanian savanna. The population, estimated at 10.5 million in 1993, consists of Muslims (53 percent), mostly in the north and centre, and Christians and adherents