N'Djamena is the capital of Chad, a large country near the center of Africa. The city is located in the southwest part of Chad, across the Chari River from Cameroon.
N'Djamena has two districts. One was built by the French and has most of the public buildings. The other was built by the Africans and is where most of the residents of the city live. N'Djamena is the educational and cultural center of Chad. Its main institution of higher learning is the University of N'Djamena. The city also houses Chad's national museum.
N'Djamena is Chad's center for government and financial institutions. The city is also an important market site for the cotton that is grown in the region as well as the cattle that is raised nearby.
The city was founded as a military post in 1900 by the French, who were fighting to control the area. They named the post Fort-Lamy. The region of Chad became part of the colony of French Equatorial Africa in 1910. In 1960, Chad gained its independence from France and quickly descended into decades of civil war. In 1973, officials gave Fort-Lamy the more African name of N'Djamena. During the early 1980s, the city was temporarily occupied by troops from the neighboring country of Libya. Population (1993 estimate), 530,965.
