Size: Approximately 1,284,000 square kilometers.
Topography: Northern third desert, with mountains in north and plateaus in northeast; central third broad, arid savanna with Lake Chad in west, massif in center, and highlands in east; southern third wooded and humid lowlands, intersected by rivers.
Climate: Northern Saharan zone generally hot and dry; central sahelian zone mostly dry with rainy season from June to early September; southern soudanian zone tropical with rainy season lasting from April to October.
Data as of December 1988