oasis town located in northern Chad, north central Africa. It lies in the Sahara at the northern tip of the Bodele depression, 490 miles (790 km) northeast of the capital, N'Djamena. Originally called Faya, the town was renamed Largeau following the capture in 1913 of Borkou by the French army officer Col. Étienne Largeau; the original name was restored in the 1970s. Date palm production in Faya was the focus of a development project in the 1970s. The town has an airport, as well as a small electric power plant. Pop. (2000 est.) 10,400.