Chad, landlocked and very sparsely populated with about 9.3 million people, covers an area four-fifths the size of Alaska.  It is also one of the poorest countries in the world.  The official languages are French (spoken by the educated) and Arabic (spoken by about 60% of the population); about 120 other languages are used.  Over 40% of the people are Muslim, dwelling largely in the east and in the desert areas of the north.  The "Christian" population is in the south.  There is a great need for missionaries in this land where there are over 900 assemblies; over 250 national workers are involved in the outreach.