The flag of Chad was officially introduced on 6th of November in 1959. It is modeled on the French tricolor and shows three vertical stripes in blue, yellow and red. The colours or colour-shades seem to be defined, but not by the country's constitution and its additional articles. The blue in particular is based on the blue of the French flag, so it should be very dark. Apparently there is a source for the definition of the colours that is cited again and again. This is the flag catalog "Album des pavilions nationaux et des marques distinctives" published by the French Navy. This provides: Blue = Pantone 281 c (as in the flag of France), yellow = 116 c and red = Pantone 186 c. Blue represents the sky, life, hope, agriculture and the southern part of the country, yellow represents the sun and the northern part of Chad with its desert landscape, red represents progress, fire, unity and sacrifice people. Originally the colours of the flag should have been the pan-African colours of green, yellow and red. However, this was rejected for domestic political reasons, as the opposition at the time used green in their colours. The colours green, yellow and red are the Pan-African colors. Around 1900, the Pan-African movement began, which wanted to highlight the similarities of all people with black skin. The colour triad green-yellow-red, which many African and American states adopted in their flags after gaining their independence, represents the political unity of Africa, and indeed of all black people. The first country was Ghana in 1957. The national colors are considered to have originated from Ethiopia (Abyssinia), the oldest independent state in Africa.
The coat of arms of Chad was introduced on 11 th of August in 1970. It is intended to symbolize "peace, unity and community spirit" and is a French design in a European style. It shows a shield with blue and yellow zigzag lines. They symbolize the water of Lake Chad and the sand of the Sahara. The red sun of freedom appears above the shield. A mouflon and a lion serve as supporters (shield holders). On the banner below the shield is written the state motto: "Unité, Travail, Progres" → "Unity, Work, Progress". In the period before the current coat of arms was introduced, a seal with a female figure was used as the coat of arms.
antiquity · settlement by Berbero-Libyan tribes, evolution of Chadian languages
since 11th century · immigration of Arabs
11th–17th century · establishment of the states of Kanem and Bornu (since ca. 1000), Bagirmi (since 1500) and Wadaï (since 1600)
1897 · intervention of French troops in Bagirmi
1898 · victory of French troops near Kusseri in Bagirmi
1903 · Wadaï becomes a French protectorate
1909 · Tibesti becomes a French protectorate
1910 · establishment of the General Gouvernement of French Equatorial Africa, now consisting of the territories Gaboon, Middle Congo (today Congo Brazzaville), Ubangi-Shari (today Central Africa) and Chad
1913/14 · Borku becomes a French protectorate
1946 · French Equatorial Africa becomes an overseas territory, in the four territories they establish parliaments
The name of Chad has its roots in the Chad Sea. The word "Chad" means in the Bornu language "big water", Chad is in this way the "Country of the big Water".
