- published: 19 Jun 2014
- views: 164
Coordinates: 15°N 19°E / 15°N 19°E / 15; 19
Chad (i/tʃæd/; Arabic: تشاد Tshād; French: Tchad), officially the Republic of Chad (Arabic: جمهورية تشاد Jumhūrīyat Tshād; French: République du Tchad), is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest and Niger to the west. It is the fifth largest country in Africa in terms of area.
Chad has several regions: a desert zone in the north, an arid Sahelian belt in the centre and a more fertile Sudanian Savanna zone in the south. Lake Chad, after which the country is named, is the largest wetland in Chad and the second-largest in Africa. N'Djamena, the capital, is the largest city. Chad is home to over 200 different ethnic and linguistic groups. Arabic and French are the official languages. Islam and Christianity are the most widely practiced religions.
Beginning in the 7th millennium BC, human populations moved into the Chadian basin in great numbers. By the end of the 1st millennium BC, a series of states and empires rose and fell in Chad's Sahelian strip, each focused on controlling the trans-Saharan trade routes that passed through the region. France conquered the territory by 1920 and incorporated it as part of French Equatorial Africa. In 1960, Chad obtained independence under the leadership of François Tombalbaye. Resentment towards his policies in the Muslim north culminated in the eruption of a long-lasting civil war in 1965. In 1979, the rebels conquered the capital and put an end to the south's hegemony. However, the rebel commanders fought amongst themselves until Hissène Habré defeated his rivals. He was overthrown in 1990 by his general Idriss Déby. Since 2003, the Darfur crisis in Sudan has spilt over the border and destabilised the nation, with hundreds of thousands of Sudanese refugees living in and around camps in eastern Chad.
Chad Randall (born 30 December 1980) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played for Manly Sea Eagles in the NRL and London Broncos of Europe's Super League. Randall's usual position was hooker. He was born in Manly, New South Wales.
Randall joined the London Club from Manly Sea Eagles following the completion of the 2005 NRL season.
His father, Terry Randall, was part of the successful Sea Eagles teams of the 1970s.
In 2002, Randall played for the now defunct Northern Eagles joint-venture club, before playing for the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles from 2003 to 2005 following Manly's re-entry into the NRL as a single-entity club. He was considered to be one of Manly's best players in 2003, however injury and a general lack of form plagued the next two seasons for him.
Randall's good looks saw him model on the catwalk during Australian Fashion Week in 2004, and following this appearance he was asked to model for Adidas sportswear. Randall was also a finalist in the Sexiest Man in League competition in 2004 (placed third) and 2005.