[2] The Chari River flows from the Central African Republic through Chad into Lake Chad, following the Cameroon border from N'Djamena, where it is joined by its western and principal tributary, the Logone River.

The watershed of the river covers 548,747 square kilometres (211,872 sq mi).

Much of Chad's population, including Sarh and the capital N'Djamena, is concentrated around it.

The river supports an important local fishing industry.

Since the 1960s, there have been proposals to divert water from the Ubangi River to the Chari to revitalize Lake Chad, which would constitute a reversal of the capture of the upper Ubangi from the Chari by the Congo River that is believed to have occurred in the early Pleistocene.