Chad

Sahelian republic, heir to the Kanem–Bornu region; Islam took root early in Kanem and among the sultanates of Wadai, Bagirmi and Fitri, and about half the country — chiefly the north and east — is Sunni Muslim.

☾ The Coming of Islam

Early Islam in Kanem and the Sahelian sultanates

Islam took root early around Lake Chad in the empire of Kanem, whose rulers adopted the faith, and spread through the sultanates of Wadai, Bagirmi and Fitri and along the trans-Saharan trade, more recently reaching the Saharan north.

☾ Religious Composition

A Muslim north within a religiously divided country

About half of Chadians are Sunni Muslim, concentrated in the north and east, while the south is largely Christian and traditional-religion; Islam has drawn together many ethnic groups without wholly displacing older local practices.

Demographic shares are approximate.

At a glance