A landlocked country in north-central Africa, the Republic of Chad is one of the French Equatorial states territories since 1920 until it gained its freedom in 1960 during Francois Tombalbaye’s leadership. Home to over 200 different ethnic groups, Chad has a rich cultural heritage.
Though the country’s mining industry has produced sodium carbonate and even gold-bearing quartz, Chad is one of the poorest countries in the world due to prolonged civil wars that alarmed foreign investors. Chad is now a member of the Central African States and uses the CFA franc of its legal tender.
In 1974, the Bank of Central African States released banknotes for its members. Banknotes specifically for Chad had the same standard designs on the reverse but the name of the country “Republique du Tchad” was printed on the top center of its obverse. The notes bear a watermark that shows an antelope’s head which was also the watermark design for the 1980 - 1984 issues. For its 1984 - 1992 issues, banknotes have various designs on both its obverse and reverse, depicting the country’s cultural tradition, fauna, economic activities, and way of life.
