Mao () is a city in

Chad Chad, officially the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North Africa, North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to Chad–Libya border, the north, Sudan to Chad–Sudan border, the east, the Central Afric ...

, the capital of the

Kanem Region Kanem () is one of the regions of Chad, 23 regions of Chad. It is named after the famous Kanem Empire, which was centred in this vicinity. The region's capital city, capital is Mao, Chad, Mao. It was created in 2002 from the former prefectures ...

and of the department also named Kanem. It is the 16th most populous city in

, and is located north-northeast of

N'Djamena N'Djamena ( ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Chad, largest city of Chad. It is also a Provinces of Chad, special statute region, divided into 10 districts or ''arrondissements'', similar to the city of Paris. Originally calle ...

. On the border of the

Sahara The Sahara (, ) is a desert spanning across North Africa. With an area of , it is the largest hot desert in the world and the list of deserts by area, third-largest desert overall, smaller only than the deserts of Antarctica and the northern Ar ...

, Mao's geography is marked by

sand dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, flat ...

s and sparse vegetation. A large majority of Mao's residents are

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

. There are two

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

churches (one

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

and one

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

) in Mao. As in other Chadian regions, Mao is ruled by both a traditional Sultan and by central government officials. The Sultan of Kanem, who resides in Mao, is the traditional chief of the Kanembou people. Moves toward decentralisation have been stymied by the complex and sometimes tense relationships between traditional rulers in Chad and national authorities.

History

Mao was created in 1898 by Sultan Ali, brother of Sultan Djourab who was assassinated by the

Fezzan Fezzan ( , ; ; ; ) is the southwestern region of modern Libya. It is largely desert, but broken by mountains, uplands, and dry river valleys (wadis) in the north, where oases enable ancient towns and villages to survive deep in the otherwise in ...

s and other accomplices. Since 1900, Mao has been the effective administrative center of the north. On 18 July 2010, the Sultan of Kanem, Alifa Ali Zezerti, died in hospital in N'Djamena aged 83, from complications from a heart attack. He was the 39th ruler of the Kanem dynasty, and had reigned since 1947. He was buried in Mao. His predecessor, Sultan Zezerti, had died on 26 September 1947, having ruled since 1925. His son was elected as Sultan in a by-election without competition. In October 2013, riots broke out in Mao's main market directed against the administration of

Idriss Déby Idriss Déby Itno ( '; 18 June 1952 – 20 April 2021) was a Chadian politician and military officer who was the sixth List of heads of state of Chad, president of Chad from 1991 until his death in 2021 during the 2021 Northern Chad offensive, No ...

after the shooting dead of a civilian by an officer close to Déby. On 30 September 2015, around 8 pm, a major fire burned through the main market of Mao. The origin could not be determined. No deaths were reported. On 12 May 2016, at 5 am, a large fire spread throughout the main market of Mao, the second in under two years. The fire started in a nearby fuel depot. No human casualties were reported.

Transport

The area is very isolated and land travel is difficult (along sand tracks that can only be negotiated using four-by-four vehicles or camels). The town has a small airport, Mao Airport , with a paved runway.

Economy

On Wednesdays, which is "Grand Market Day", fresh produce is sold such as onion, garlic, dates, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers and sometimes aubergines, which were introduced in 2009 by the UN

Food and Agriculture Organization The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; . (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition and food security. Its Latin motto, , translates ...

. Fruits are also sold, especially bananas and sometimes mangoes,

papayas The papaya (, ), papaw, () or pawpaw () is the plant species ''Carica papaya'', one of the 21 accepted species in the genus ''Carica'' of the family Caricaceae, and also the name of its fruit. It was first domesticated in Mesoamerica, within ...

and guavas.

Millet Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most millets belong to the tribe Paniceae. Millets are important crops in the Semi-arid climate, ...

is also available in both white and red types.

Demographics

The population for 1993 and 2009 corresponds to the official census. For 2019 it was estimated based on population growth in the Kanem area.

References

Notes

{{reflist

Sources

* Joël Thomas, 'Enquête exploitation dans la région de Mao (Kanem),' 1990, 1991, 134 p. * Gustav Nachtigal
« Excursion au sud du Kanem »
in ''Sahara et Soudan'', Hachette & Cie, Paris, 1881, p. 440 and following Populated places in Chad Kanem Region