(before 1973, Fort Lamy), the capital of the Republic of Chad, located on the right bank of the Chari River near its confluence with the Logone River.
Ndjamena has an equatorial monsoonal climate. Average January temperature is 23.9°C, and in July, 27.7°C. Annual precipitation totals 648 mm. The population is 178,000 (1973). The city was founded at the end of the 19th century by the French and given the name of Fort Lamy. Made the capital of all French territory in Central Africa, it became a major base of operations against the Sanusi and the Wadai state. Prior to 1958, Ndjamena was the capital of the French colony of Chad; from 1958 to 1960 it was the capital of the autonomous Republic of Chad, and since 1960 it has been the capital of the independent Republic of Chad.
Ndjamena is the port of departure for shipping along the Chari and Logone rivers. On major highways and with an international airport, the city is an important trade and transportation center, dealing for the most part in the export of cotton and livestock products. A meat-packing plant operates there; other local products include butter, vegetable oil, shoes, and building materials. Ndjamena is the site of a university (founded in 1971), a national school of administration, an institute of zoology and veterinary science, a national institute of the humanities, an institute of tropical livestock raising and veterinary science, an institute of cotton-growing, and a national museum.