Chari or Shari (both: shä´rē), longest river of interior drainage in Africa, c.650 mi (1,050 km) long, rising in the uplands of the Central African Republic, N central Africa. It flows NW across S Chad, past Sarh (Fort Archambault), Bousso, and Ndjamena (Fort-Lamy), and enters Lake Chad through a wide delta. The Logone River is its chief tributary. During the summer rainy season, the river floods much of the surrounding area.

Shari, river, Chad: see Chari.