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 t ...
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;
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 the east, Suda ...
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, ...
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 un ...
'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 t ...
and natron mining. The town is serviced by
Faya-Largeau Airport 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 deser ...
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 =
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. 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.
Notable people
* Idriss Ndélé Moussa, dentist, academic, and politician
See also
* Chadian–Libyan conflict
References
*
External links
*{{Wikivoyage-inline, Faya
Populated places in Chad
Borkou Region