Faya-Largeau (also known as Faya, ar, فايا لارجو or ) is the largest city in northern

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 ...

and was the capital of the

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 ...

of Bourkou-Ennedi-Tibesti. It is now in the Borkou Region, which was formed in 2008 from the Borkou Department of the former Bourkou-Ennedi-Tibesti region.

History

Originally called ''Faya'', the town was renamed ''Largeau'' after French Colonel

Victor Emmanuel Largeau The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...

; upon Chadian independence from France, it assumed the name ''Faya-Largeau''. The town was captured by

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 ...

when Libya annexed 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 ...

in 1975, but was retaken by

Hissène Habré Hissène Habré (Arabic: ''Ḥusaīn Ḥabrī'', Chadian Arabic: ; ; 13 August 1942 – 24 August 2021), also spelled Hissen Habré, was a Chadian politician and convicted war criminal who served as the 5th president of Chad from 1982 u ...

's forces in 1980. Libya recaptured Faya-Largeau in 1983, but retreated in 1987.

Economy

Due to the considerable underground

water Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a ...

supply in the town, the main economic activities are

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

and natron mining. The town is serviced by

Faya-Largeau Airport Faya-Largeau Airport ( ar, مطار فايا لارجو) is an airport serving Faya-Largeau, the largest city in northern Chad. It is located in Chad's Borkou Region. Since 2013, three French Rafale are parked in Faya-Largeau to protect the Ch ...

with a paved runway, used almost exclusively by military airplanes.

Demographics

Climate

Faya-Largeau has a

hot desert climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk''), is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...

typical of the Borkou Region lying on the heart of the

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

. Average maximum temperatures in Faya-Largeau are consistently over from April to September, reaching a maximum of in June. The coolest months are December and January with an average maximum temperature of . Annual precipitation averages only and generally only occurs from June to September, although some years have no rainfall at all. The sunshine duration is one of the highest found in the world with some 3,800 hours of bright sunshine annually, and every month receives an average sunshine duration above 290 hours. LARAF MiG-23MS rolling along the runway at Faya Largeau AB,

LARAF MiG-23MS rolling along the runway at Faya Largeau AB,

History

Economy

Demographics

Climate

Notable people

See also

References

External links