Ouaddaï ( ar, وداي) 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 ...

, located in the south-east of the country, with its capital at

Abéché Abéché ( ar, أبشه, ''Absha'') is the fourth largest city in Chad and is the capital of Ouaddaï Region. It has within it the remnants of the ancient capital, including palaces, mosques, and the tombs of former sultans. History The city o ...

. Prior to 2002 it was known as

Ouaddaï Prefecture Ouaddaï may refer to: * Ouaddaï highlands, an area in eastern Chad along the border with Sudan * Ouaddaï Prefecture, a former political prefecture of Chad * Ouaddaï Region, a political region of Chad created in 2002 * Wadai Empire (1635–1912) ...

; in 2008 the southern portions of Ouaddaï (the Sila Department and Djourf Al Ahmar Department) were split off to become the new

Sila Region Sila or Dar Sila is a region of Chad, located in the south-east of the country. It was created in 2008 from the departments of Sila and Djourf Al Ahmar which were previously part of Ouaddaï Region. The capital of the region is Goz Beïda. ...

(also known as Dar Sila).

History

The region was the heartland of the former

Ouaddai Empire The Wadai Sultanate ( ar, سلطنة وداي ''Saltanat Waday'', french: royaume du Ouaddaï, Fur: ''Burgu'' or ''Birgu''; 1501–1912) was an African sultanate located to the east of Lake Chad in present-day Chad and the Central African Republ ...

, or Wadai Sultanate, which existed from the early 16th century until 1911 when it was conquered by

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in the

Ouaddai War The Wadai War (also known as "Ouaddai War") was waged by France and its African allies against the Wadai Empire and its allies from 1906 to 1912. Located in what today would be eastern Chad and western Sudan, Wadai fiercely resisted the French in ...

. Both capitals of the Empire - Ouara (now uninhabited) and

- are located in modern Ouaddaï region.

Geography

The region borders

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 ...

to the north,

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

to the east,

to the south, and Batha Region to the west. The terrain is generally flat savannah, rising slightly towards the east where the

Ouaddaï highlands Ouaddaï Highlands is an area in east of Chad along the border with Sudan. The Ennedi Plateau and the Ouaddaï highlands in the east of Chad complete the image of a gradually sloping basin, which descends towards Lake Chad. There are also central ...

are located.

Settlements

is the capital of the region and is the fourth largest city in Chad; other major settlements include

Abdi Abdi is a male name. It is a given name used in several countries with different origins. The Oromo version of the name, used within Ethiopia, translates to ‘Hope’. Among others, one version has Arabic has meaning which is loosely translated a ...

Adré Adré (Arabic: أدري) is the main town of the Assoungha department in the Ouaddaï Region of Chad. It is located very close to Chad's eastern border with Sudan, 400m away. The town is served by Adré Airport. History The Chadian-Sudanese c ...

, Am Hitan, Bourtail, Chokoyan, Hadjer Hadid,

Marfa Marfa may refer to: Music * Marfa (instrument), an African percussion instrument * Marfa (music), celebratory music of the Hyderabadi Muslims Places * Márfa, a village in Baranya county, Hungary * Marfa, Chad * Marfa, Texas, a city in the hi ...

, Mabrone and

Tourane Nang or DanangSee also Danang Dragons ( ; vi, Đà Nẵng, ) is a class-1 municipality and the fifth-largest city in Vietnam by municipal population. It lies on the coast of the East Sea of Vietnam at the mouth of the Hàn River, and is o ...

Demography

As per the 2009 Chadian census, the region has a population of 721,166. The main ethnolinguistic groups are the Assangori,

Baggara The Baggāra ( ar, :wikt:بقار#Etymology 2, البَقَّارَة "heifer herder") or Chadian Arabs are a Nomad, nomadic confederation of people of mixed Arabs, Arab and Arabization, Arabized Indigenous peoples of Africa, indigenous African a ...

(generally speakers of

Chadian Arabic Chadian Arabic ( ar, لهجة تشادية), also known as Shuwa Arabic, Baggara Arabic, Western Sudanic Arabic, or West Sudanic Arabic (WSA), is a variety of Arabic and the first language of 1.6 million people, both town dwellers and nomadic c ...

Dar Sila Daju Dar Sila is the name of the wandering sultanate of the Dar Sila Daju, a multi-tribal ethnic group in Chad and Sudan. The number of the people in this group exceeds 50,000. They speak the Sila language, a Nilo-Saharan language. Most members of th ...

Kajakse Kajakse (also known as Kadjakse, Kajeske, Kujarke, Mini, Kawa Tadimini) is an Afro-Asiatic language spoken in eastern Chad. Notes References * Alio, Khalil. 2004a. ''Préliminaires à une étude de la langue kajakse d'Am-Dam, de toram d ...

, Karanga, Kendeje, Maba (including the

sub-group), Mararit,

Masalit The Masalit (Masalit language, Masalit: ''masala/masara''; ar, ماساليت) are an ethnic group inhabiting western Sudan and eastern Chad. They speak the Masalit language Overview The Masalit primarily live in Geneina, the capital of west Darfu ...

and Surbakhal.

Subdivisions

Since 2008, the region of Ouaddaï is divided into three departments:

References

Regions of Chad {{Chad-geo-stub