Fifty years ago Lake Chad was the fourth largest lake in Africa and covered an area in express of 25,000 sq km (9,650 sq mi), mostly in the far west of Chad but also extending into the neighbouring countries of Niger, Nigeria and Cameroon. Believed to be a remnant of a former inland sea, at its largest around 4,000 BC it measured some 400,000 sq km (154,000 sq mi).Today, however, as a result of reduced rainfall and desertification combined with increased demand for the lake's water, the area of the lake has been dramatically reduced to less than 1,000 sq km (386 sq mi), and it is now entirely within the bofders of Chad. Lake Chad gave its name to the country of Chad. The name Chad is a local word meaning "large expanse of water".
The lake, which has an average depth of only 1.5 m (5 ft) and is a mere 7 m (23 ft) at its deepest, has many islands and mudflats within it and is home to a wide variety of wildlife, including fish, crocodiles, waterfowl and shore birds. It is surrounded by swampy vegetation mostly made up of reeds and papyrus, which is used to make canoes.
Some of the islands are inhabited and used as bases for fishing, though the annual fish catch from the lake is about 20 per cent of what it was 40 years ago. The lake is a vital resource for the 10 million people living in the area, yet while there are various ambitious schemes to divert river water into the lake, it is by no means impossible that Lake Chad will have completely dried up by the end of this century.
Found at the intersection of four different countries in West Africa (Chad, Niger, Nigeria and Cameroon,) Lake Chad has been the source of water for massive irrigation projects.
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