Lake Boukou at Ounianga Serir Photo by David Stanley via Flickr Creative Commons

Language

Chad’s official languages are Arabic and French. In the south, African languages like Sara are also spoken.

Currency

Chad uses the CFA franc or Central African CFA franc. The coins come in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, and 500, and banknotes have bills of 500, 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, and 10,000. This currency was introduced in Equatorial Africa’s French colonies in 1945 to replace the French Equatorial African franc.

Time

Chad follows West Africa Time (WAT), which is an hour ahead of UTC (UTC+1). Daylight saving time is not observed.

Electricity

Most electrical outlets in Chad are the Type C Europlug, Type F Schuko or Type E. Electricity is supplied at 220 to 240 volts. Multi-voltage appliances like laptops will require an adapter. Curling irons and hair dryers also require a voltage converter.

Communications

Chad’s calling code is +235. The telecommunications market is not well developed and there are currently two competing mobile companies– Millicom and Bharti Airtel. Sotel Tchad (ST) is the national landline operator. Only EDGE and GPRS are available; 3G has not yet been introduced. Long-distance telephone connections can be made via satellite.

Duty-free

Individuals over the age of 18 may import up to 400 cigarettes (equivalent to 500 grams of tobacco or 125 cigars), a bottle of spirits and up to three bottles of wine. However, women are only permitted to import cigarettes. Free export of 250 cigars (one kilogram of tobacco or 1,000 cigarettes) is also allowed.

Tourist Office

There is no tourist office in Chad. Contact the US Embassy, N’Djamena: +235-2251-62-11, +235-2251-70-09, +235-2251-77-59, +235-2251-92-33, and +235-2251-92-18, or the South African Tourism office (http://www.southafrica.net): 1-800-593-1318 for more information.

Consulates in Chad

US Consulate, N’Djamena: +235-2251-62-11, +235-2251-70-09, +235-2251-77-59, +235-2251-92-33, and +235-2251-92-18 German Consulate, N’Djamena: +235-51-62-02-647 Consulate of the Netherlands, N’Djamena: +235-225-22-799 Norwegian Consulate, Sudan: +249-187-188-100 Consulate of Austria, Abuja: +234-706-418-32-26 British Consulate, N’Djamena: +235-90-54-64-47

Emergency

Fire: 18 Police: 17

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