Lake Chad
Map of lake and surrounding region
Coordinates	13°0′N 14°0′E
Lake type	Endorheic
Primary inflows	Chari River
Primary outflows	Soro & Bodélé Depressions
Basin countries	Chad, Cameroon, Niger, Nigeria
Surface area	1,350 km²[1]
Average depth	1. A lake (from Latin lacus) is a Terrain feature (or Physical feature) a body of Liquid on the surface of a world that is localized to the An endorheic basin (from Greek endo ‘inside’ + rhein ‘to flow’ also terminal or closed basin) is a closed Drainage basin In Hydrology, the inflow of a Body of water is the source of the Water in the body of water The Chari or Shari River is a 949- Kilometer -long river of Central Africa. In Hydrology, the discharge or outflow of a River is the volume of Water transported by it in a certain amount of time The Bodélé Depression (also Bodele) located at the southern edge of the Sahara Desert in north central Africa, is the lowest point in Chad A drainage basin is an extent of Land where Water from Rain or Snow melt drains downhill into a body of water such as a River, 5 m
Max. depth	11 m
Water volume	10. 8 km³
Shore length1	650 km
Surface elevation	280 m
References	[1]
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Lake Chad (in French Lac Tchad) is a historically large, shallow lake in Africa, whose size has varied greatly over the centuries. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people It is economically very important, providing water to more than 20 million people living in the four countries which surround it — Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria. Chad (Tchad تشاد Tshād) officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a Landlocked country in Central Africa. The Republic of Cameroon is a unitary republic of central and western Africa. Niger ( or /ˈnaɪdʒɚ/) officially the Republic of Niger, is a Landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. Nigeria, officially named the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal Constitutional republic comprising thirty-six states and one Federal It is located mainly in the far west of Chad, bordering on northeastern Nigeria. The Chari River is its largest source of water, providing over 90% of Lake Chad's water. The Chari or Shari River is a 949- Kilometer -long river of Central Africa. The lake possesses many small islands and mudbanks, and its shorelines are largely composed of marshes. Because it is very shallow — only 10. 5 metres (34 ft) at its deepest — its area is particularly sensitive to small changes in average depth, and it consequently also shows seasonal fluctuations in size. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International Lake Chad has no apparent outlet, but its waters percolate into the Soro and Bodélé depressions. The Bodélé Depression (also Bodele) located at the southern edge of the Sahara Desert in north central Africa, is the lowest point in Chad

Lake Chad gave its name to the country of Chad. Chad (Tchad تشاد Tshād) officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a Landlocked country in Central Africa. The name Chad is a local word meaning "large expanse of water," in others words simply "lake. "^[2]

Lake Chad in a 2001 satellite image, with the actual lake in blue, and vegetation on top of the old lake bed in green. Above that, the changes from 1973 to 1997 are shown.

Lake Chad is believed to be a remnant of a former inland sea which has grown and shrunk with changes in climate over the past 13,000 years. An inland sea is a shallow Sea that covers central areas of continents during high stands of Sea level that result in marine transgressions In modern days At its largest, around 4000 BC, this lake is estimated to have covered an area of 400,000 km². Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of Lake sediments appear to indicate dry periods, when the lake nearly dried up, around 8500 BC, 5500 BC, 2000 BC, and 100 BC.

It was one of the largest lakes in the world when first surveyed by Europeans in 1823, but it has shrunk considerably since then. An increased demand on the lake's water from the local population has likely accelerated its shrinkage over the past 40 years. A 2001 study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research blamed the lake's retreat largely on overgrazing in the area surrounding the lake, causing desertification and a decline in vegetation. Journal of Geophysical Research is the premier journal of the American Geophysical Union. Overgrazing occurs when plants are exposed to Livestock Grazing for extended periods of time or without sufficient recovery periods Desertification is the degradation of land in arid and dry sub-humid areas resulting primarily from human activities and influenced by climatic variations ^[3] The report also concluded that "the lake's decline probably has nothing to do with global warming"^[4]

Lake Chad in 1930. Global warming is the increase in the average measured temperature of the Aerial photograph by Walter Mittelholzer. Walter Mittelholzer (born April 2 1894 in St Gallen; died May 9 1937 in Styria) was a Swiss Aviation

Map of the lake in 1973

In the 1960s it had an area of more than 26,000 km², making it the fourth largest lake in Africa. Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of By 2000 its extent had fallen to less than 1,500 km². Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of This is due to reduced rainfall combined with greatly increased amounts of irrigation water being drawn from the lake and the rivers which feed it, the largest being the Chari/ Logone system, which originates in the mountains of the Central African Republic. The Chari or Shari River is a 949- Kilometer -long river of Central Africa. The Logon or Logone River is a major Tributary of the Chari River. Central Africa|Central African FederationThe Central African Republic ( CAR) République Centrafricaine ʀepyblik sɑ̃tʀafʀikɛn or Centrafrique) is a Landlocked It seems likely that the lake will shrink further and perhaps even disappear altogether in the course of the 21st century.

The lake presently has an average depth of only 5 ft (1. 5 meters). It nearly dried out in 1908 and again in 1984. As it retreats every summer, recessional agriculture is practised, while the Buduma people fish from canoes. Fish are aquatic Vertebrate animals that are typically ectothermic (previously Cold-blooded) covered with scales, and equipped with two A canoe is a small narrow Boat, typically human-powered though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors There are many floating islands in the lake. A floating island is a mass of floating aquatic plants mud and peat ranging in thickness from a few inches to several feet It is home to a wide variety of wildlife, including fish, crocodiles, waterfowl, and shore birds, which are important sources of food for the local human population. Fish are aquatic Vertebrate animals that are typically ectothermic (previously Cold-blooded) covered with scales, and equipped with two A crocodile is any Species belonging to the family Crocodylidae (sometimes classified instead as the Subfamily Crocodylinae) See also UK Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust USA Ducks Unlimited Birds ( class Aves) are bipedal endothermic ( Warm-blooded) Vertebrate animals that lay eggs.

The shrinking of the lake has also caused several different conflicts to emerge as to which country that borders Lake Chad has the rights to the remaining water. Along with the conflicts that involve the countries, violence is increasing between the lake's dwellers. Farmers and herders want the water for their crops and livestock and are constantly diverting the water. The fishermen however want the remaining water in the lake to stay so they can continue to fish and not have to worry about the lake shrinking more and decreasing their already strained supply of fish.

In the 1960s, a plan was proposed to divert the Ubangi River into Lake Chad. The Ubangi River, also spelled Oubangi, (juːˈbæŋɡi or /uːˈbæŋɡi/ is a major Tributary of the Congo River in Central Africa. The copious amount of water from the Ubangi would revitalize the dying Lake Chad and provide livelihood in fishing and enhanced agriculture to tens of millions of starving central Africans and Sahelians. See also Sahel Tunisia, a region of eastern Tunisia. The Sahel or Sahel Belt (from Arabic ساحل sāḥil Inter-basin water transfer schemes were proposed in the 1980s and 1990s by Nigerian engineer J. Umolu (ZCN Scheme) and Italian firm Bonifica (Transaqua Scheme) ^{[5][6][7][8][9]}. In 1994, the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) proposed a similar project and at a March, 2008 Summit, the Heads of State of the LCBC member countries committed to the diversion project ^[10]. In April, 2008, the LCBC advertised a request for proposals for a World Bank-funded feasibility study.

See also

• List of lakes
• Neolithic Subpluvial

Notes

External links

• Bibliography on Water Resources and International Law. See Lake Chad. Peace Palace Libray
• International Cooperation and Sustainable Water Management of the Waters of the Lake Chad/ by Moustapha Abakar Malloumi
• http://www.eoearth.org/article/Lake_Chad_flooded_savanna
• Information on, and a map of, Chad's watershed.
• Map of the Lake Chad basin at Water Resources eAtlas.
• Article on the disappearing lake in The Guardian.
• Reconstruction of Megalake Chad using Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission data.