The Borkou region ( ar, بركو) is a

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

Chad Chad (; ar, تشاد , ; french: Tchad, ), officially the Republic of Chad, '; ) is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic ...

which was created in 2008 from the Borkou department of the former

Borkou-Ennedi-Tibesti region The Borkou-Ennedi-Tibesti (BET) was until 2008 one of the then 18 regions of Chad, its capital being Faya-Largeau. It comprised the former Borkou-Ennedi-Tibesti Prefecture. Most of the region was part of the Sahara desert. In 2008, this region w ...

. Its capital is

Faya-Largeau Faya-Largeau (also known as Faya, ar, فايا لارجو or ) is the largest city in northern Chad and was the capital of the region of Bourkou-Ennedi-Tibesti. It is now in the Borkou Region, which was formed in 2008 from the Borkou Departmen ...

Geography

Borkou is located in the

Sahara Desert , photo = Sahara real color.jpg , photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972 , map = , map_image = , location = , country = , country1 = , ...

, and contains parts of the

Tibesti Mountains The Tibesti Mountains are a mountain range in the central Sahara, primarily located in the extreme north of Chad, with a small portion located in southern Libya. The highest peak in the range, Emi Koussi, lies to the south at a height of and i ...

in its north. The highest point in

Emi Koussi Emi Koussi (also known as Emi Koussou) is a high pyroclastic shield volcano that lies at the southeast end of the Tibesti Mountains in the central Sahara, in the northern Borkou Region of northern Chad. The highest mountain of the Sahara, the vo ...

, is located in Borkou. The

Bodélé Depression The Bodélé Depression (), located at the southern edge of the Sahara Desert in north central Africa, is the lowest point in Chad. It is 500 km long, 150 km wide and around 160 m deep. Its bottom lies about 155 meters above sea leve ...

lies in the south-central portion of the region. The region borders

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya bo ...

to the north, Ennedi-Ouest Region to the east,

Wadi Fira Region Wadi Fira ( ar, وادي فيرا) is one of the 23 regions of Chad. Its capital is the town of Biltine. The region corresponds with the former prefecture of Biltine. Geography The region borders Borkou Region, Ennedi-Ouest Region and ...

, Batha Region,

Bahr el Gazel Region Bahr el-Ghazal (Arabic بحر الغزال , also transliterated ''Bahr al-Ghazal'', ''Baḩr al-Ghazāl'', ''Bahr el-Gazel'', or versions of these without the hyphen) may refer to two distinct places, both named after ephemeral or dry rivers. Chad ...

and

Kanem Region Kanem ( ar, كانم) is one of the 23 regions of Chad. It is named after the famous Kanem Empire, which was centred in this vicinity. The region's capital is Mao. It was created in 2002 from the former Prefecture of Kanem. In 2008, a portio ...

to the south, and

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesTibesti Region Tibesti Region ( ar, مقاطعة تيبستي) is a region of Chad, located in far northwest of the country. Its capital is Bardaï. It was created in 2008 when the former Borkou-Ennedi-Tibesti Region was split into three, with the Tibesti Dep ...

the west. The region's northern border lies within the

Aouzou Strip The Aouzou Strip (; ar, قطاع أوزو, Qiṭāʿ Awzū, french: Bande d'Aozou) is a strip of land in northern Chad that lies along the border with Libya, extending south to a depth of about 100 kilometers into Chad's Borkou, Ennedi Ouest, E ...

, historically a point of dispute between

and

.Geoffrey Leslie Simons, ''Libya and the West: from independence to Lockerbie'', Centre for Libyan Studies (Oxford, England). Pg. 57

Settlements

is the regional capital; other major settlements include

Gouro Guro (Gouro), also known as Kweni (Kwéndré) and Lo, is a Southern Mande language spoken by approximately a million people in Ivory Coast, primarily in the areas of Haut-Sassandra Haut-Sassandra Region is one of the 31 regions of Ivory Coas ...

Kirdimi Kirdimi is a sub-prefecture of Batha Region in Chad. References Populated places in Chad {{Chad-geo-stub ...

Koro Toro Koro Toro is a settlement in southern Borkou-Ennedi-Tibesti Region in Chad. It hosts the Koro Toro Airport and a "notorious" maximum security desert prison used by the Chadian government to detain captured fighters of Boko Haram and Chadian rebel ...

and

Yarda Yarda is a village situated in Tanout Department, Zinder Region, Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languages

Demographics

As per the census of 2009, the population of the region was 97,251, 46.6% female. The average size of household as of 2009 is 6.00: 6.00 in rural households and 5.80 in urban areas. The total number of households was 16,191: 10,584 in rural areas and 5,607 in urban areas. The number of nomads in the region was 8,221, 2.1% of the population. There were 96,459 people residing in private households. There were 47,285 above 18 years of ages: 24,775 male and 22,510 female. The sex ratio was 114.00 females for every hundred males. There were 89,030 sedentary staff, 0.80 of the total population. The

Dazaga Daza (also known as Dazaga) is a Nilo-Saharan language spoken by the Daza people inhabiting northern Chad. The Daza are also known as the Gouran (Gorane) in Chad. Dazaga is spoken by around 380,000 people, primarily in the Djurab Desert regio ...

and

Tedaga The Teda language, also known as Tedaga, is a Nilo-Saharan language spoken by the Teda, a northern subgroup of the Toubou people that inhabits southern Libya, northern Chad and eastern Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type ...

Toubou The Toubou or Tubu (from Old Tebu, meaning "rock people") are an ethnic group native to the Tibesti Mountains that inhabit the central Sahara in northern Chad, southern Libya and northeastern Niger. They live either as herders and nomads or as ...

are the dominant ethnic group in the region.

Administration

As a part of decentralisation in February 2003, the country is administratively split into regions, departments, municipalities and rural communities. The prefectures which were originally 14 in number were re-designated in 17 regions. The regions are administered by Governors appointed by the President. The Prefects, who originally held the responsibility of the 14 prefects, still retained the titles and were responsible for the administration of smaller departments in each region. The members of local assemblies are elected every six years, while the executive organs are elected every three years. As of 2016, there are totally 23 regions in Chad, which are divided based on population and administrative convenience. The Borkou region is divided into two departments, namely,

Borkou Borku (french: Borkou) or Borgu (') is a region of Central Africa, mostly in Northern Chad, forming part of the transitional zone between the arid wastes of the Sahara and the fertile lands of the central Sudan. It is bounded N. by the Tibesti ...

(capital

) and

Borkou Yala Borkou Yala is a department of Borkou Region in Chad. It was created by Order No. 002 / PR / 08 of 19 February 2008. Its chief town is Kirdimi. Subdivisions The department of Borkou Yala is divided into two sub-prefectures: * Kirdimi * Yar ...

(capital

Kirdimi Kirdimi is a sub-prefecture of Batha Region in Chad. References Populated places in Chad {{Chad-geo-stub ...

, also called Kirdi).

References

{{Authority control Regions of Chad