Chad is a landlocked country in central Africa. It is listed by Foreign Policy as one of the world's top 10 failed states. It borders Libya, Sudan, the Central African Republic , Cameroon, Nigeria and Niger.

Due to its distance from the sea and its largely desert climate, the country is sometimes referred to as the "dead heart of Africa". In the north are the Tibesti Mountains, the largest mountain chain in the Sahara desert. Chad was formerly part of the Federation of French Equatorial Africa.