Shari River

The Shari River (in the language of one of the Central African tribes “Shari” means “flow”, “river”) flows into the southern part of Lake Chad, which is characterized by wayward behavior: it dries up, then fills again, which happens every 20-30 years. The Shari River is its main artery, on which 80-90% of the lake’s water supply depends.

Shari flows from southeast to northwest. The river has many sleeves that flow mostly through swampy terrain. During the rainy season, it not only saturates Lake Chad with water, but also floods the surrounding villages. When flowing into the lake, the river forms a delta.

Shari originates on the plateaus of the Central African Republic from the Baminghi and Gribinga rivers and flows further along the plain territory of the Republic of Chad. In western Chad, the river serves as a natural border between it and Cameroon. The river bed runs along the northeast of the ancient Precambrian African Plate, which is part of the core of the continent.