The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Columbia Encyclopedia World Factbook American Heritage Coll. It is a port on the Chari River and a transportation hub that lies on roads leading to Nigeria, Sudan, and the Central African Republic. Ndjamena is primarily an administrative center. It is also a major regional market for livestock, salt, dates, and grains.
Meat processing is the chief industry.
The city was founded as Fort-Lamy by the French in 1900. During a period of civil war in the 1960s the town was occupied by Libyan forces. Its name was changed to Ndjamena in 1973. The city has schools of administration and veterinary medicine and an international airport. The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition.