Chad

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 Mendes

Chad Edward Mendes (born May 1, 1985) is an American mixed martial artist who competes as a Featherweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As of August 17, 2015, he is #3 in the official UFC featherweight rankings and is ranked the #3 featherweight in the world by Sherdog and #4 featherweight in the world by Fight Matrix.

Wrestling career

High school

Wrestling for Hanford High School, Mendes finished 8th in the state of California as a sophomore at 103 lbs in 2001. He placed 5th as a junior at 112 lbs in 2002 and 3rd as a senior at 119 lbs in 2003. Mendes was also a Cadet All-American.

NCAA

Mendes wrestled for Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, CA. He finished his career with an overall record of 64-14 and twice earned NCAA All-American honors. As a senior, Mendes finished the year with a 30-1 record; he placed 2nd in the 2008 NCAA championships at 141 lb., falling to Ohio State's J Jaggers in the title match. That year, Mendes was Pac-10 Wrestler of the Year. Mendes also received All-American honors in 2006, finishing 6th at 125 lb at the NCAA Championships.

Chad Vaughn

Chad Vaughn (born May 11, 1980 in Konawa) is an Olympic Weightlifter from Oklahoma. Currently he is ranked number one in the United States as a part of the 77 kg body weight class.

He was a member of the 2004 Olympic team in Athens Greece, and ranked 18th in the 77 kg category, lifting a total of 320 kg.

He competed in the 85 kg category at the 2005 World Weightlifting Championships, and ranked 14th lifting a total of 335 kg.

At the 2007 World Weightlifting Championships he ranked 24th in the 77 kg category, lifting a total of 326 kg.

He qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Vaughn currently resides in San Antonio, Texas, and is coached by Richard Flemming. He also currently holds the national record in the clean and jerk at 190 kg.

References

External links

Chad Wright

Chad Wright (born 25 March 1991) is a Jamaican athlete specialising in the discus throw. He finished sixth at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and fourth at the 2015 Summer Universiade.

Competition record

Personal bests

Outdoor

Indoor

References