Map of Chad | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: In 1960, Chad gained full independence from France. In December 1990, after Chad had endured three decades of ethnic warfare as well as invasions by Libya, former northern guerrilla leader Idriss DEBY seized control of the government. His transitional government eventually suppressed or came to terms with most political-military groups, settled the territorial dispute with Libya on terms favorable to Chad, drafted a democratic constitution which was ratified by popular referendum in 1996, held multiparty national presidential elections in 1996 (DEBY won with 69% of the vote), and held multiparty elections for the National Assembly in 1997 (DEBY's Patriotic Salvation Movement won a majority of the seats). But by the end of 1998, DEBY was beset with numerous problems including heavy casualties in the Democratic Republic of the Congo where Chadian troops had been deployed to support embattled President KABILA, a new rebellion in northern Chad, and further delays in the Doba Basin oil project in the south.


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Location: Central Africa, south of Libya

Geographic coordinates: 15 00 N, 19 00 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 1.284 million km²
Land: 1,259,200 km²
Water: 24,800 km²
Comparative: slightly more than three times the size of California

Land boundaries
Total: 5,968 km
Border countries: (6) Cameroon 1,094 km; , Central African Republic 1,197 km; , Libya 1,055 km; , Niger 1,175 km; , Nigeria 87 km; , Sudan 1,360 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: tropical in south, desert in north

Terrain: broad, arid plains in center, desert in north, mountains in northwest, lowlands in south

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Djourab Depression 160 m
Extremes highest point: Emi Koussi 3,415 m

Natural resources: petroleum (unexploited but exploration under way), uranium, natron, kaolin, fish (Lake Chad)

Land use
Arable land: 3%
Permanent crops: 0%
Permanent pastures: 36%
Forests and woodland: 26%
Other: 35% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 140 km² (1993 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds occur in north; periodic droughts; locust plagues

Geography
Note: landlocked; Lake Chad is the most significant water body in the Sahel


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Population: 7,557,436 (July 1999 est.)
Growth rate: 2.65% (1999 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Chadian(s)
Adjective: Chadian

Ethnic groups: Muslims (Arabs, Toubou, Hadjerai, Fulbe, Kotoko, Kanembou, Baguirmi, Boulala, Zaghawa, and Maba), non-Muslims (Sara, Ngambaye, Mbaye, Goulaye, Moundang, Moussei, Massa), nonindigenous 150,000 (of whom 1,000 are French)

Languages: French (official), Arabic (official), Sara and Sango (in south), more than 100 different languages and dialects

Religions: Muslim 50%, Christian 25%, indigenous beliefs (mostly animism) 25%

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 44% (male 1,675,394; female 1,667,717)
15-64 years: 53% (male 1,953,251; female 2,034,883)
65 years and over: 3% (male 99,783; female 126,408) (1999 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 2.65% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 43.06 births/1000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 16.57 deaths/1000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (1999 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: inadequate supplies of potable water; improper waste disposal in rural areas contributes to soil and water pollution; desertification
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 115.27 deaths/1000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 48.56 years
Male: 46.13 years
Female: 51.09 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.69 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write French or Arabic
Total population: 48.1%
Male: 62.1%
Female: 34.7% (1995 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Chad
Conventional short form: Chad
Local long form: Republique du Tchad
Local short form: Tchad

Government type: republic

Capital: N'Djamena

Administrative divisions: 14 prefectures (prefectures, singular_prefecture; Batha, Biltine, Borkou-Ennedi-Tibesti, Chari-Baguirmi, Guera, Kanem, Lac, Logone Occidental, Logone Oriental, Mayo-Kebbi, Moyen-Chari, Ouaddai, Salamat, Tandjile

Dependent areas

Independence: 11 August 1960 (from France)

National holiday: Independence Day, 11 August (1960)

Constitution: 31 March 1995, passed by referendum

Legal system: based on French civil law system and Chadian customary law; does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY (since 4 December 1990)
Head of government: Prime Minister Nassour Guelengdouksia OUAIDOU (since 16 May 1997)
Cabinet: Council of State appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister
Elections: president elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms; if no candidate receives at least 50% of the total vote, the two candidates receiving the most votes must stand for a second round of voting; last held 2 June and 11 July 1996 (next to be held NA 2001); prime minister appointed by the president
Election results: in the first round of voting none of the 15 candidates received the required 50% of the total vote; percent of vote, first round_Lt. Gen. Idress DEBY 47.8%; percent of vote, second round_Lt. Gen. DEBY 69.1%, Wadal Abdelkader KAMOUGUE 30.9%

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (125 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms); replaces the Higher Transitional Council or the Conseil Superieur de Transition
Elections: National Assembly_last held in two rounds on 5 January and 23 February 1997, (next to be held NA 2001); in the first round of voting some candidates won clear victories by receiving 50% or more of the vote; where that did not happen, the two highest scoring candidates stood for a second round of voting
Election results: percent of vote by party_NA; seats by party_MPS 65, URD 29, UNDR 15, RDP 3, others 13

Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; Criminal Courts; Magistrate Courts

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CEEAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, MINURCA, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UDEAC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Hassaballah Abdelhadi Ahmat SOUBIANE
In the us chancery: 2002 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20,009
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 462-4,009
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 265-1937
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador David C. HALSTED
From the us embassy: Avenue Felix Eboue, N'Djamena
From the us mailing address: B. P. 413, N'Djamena
From the us telephone: [235] (51) 70-09, (51) 90-52, (51) 92-33
From the us FAX: [235] (51) 56-54

Flag description: three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red; similar to the flag of Romania; also similar to the flag of Andorra, which has a national coat of arms featuring a quartered shield centered in the yellow band; design was based on the flag of France

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Landlocked Chad's economic development suffers from it's geographic remoteness, drought, lack of infrastructure, and political turmoil. About 85% of the population depends on agriculture, including the herding of livestock. Of Africa's Francophone countries, Chad benefited least from the 50% devaluation of their currencies in January 1994. Financial aid from the World Bank, the African Development Fund, and other sources is directed largely at the improvement of agriculture, especially livestock production. Lack of financing and low oil prices, however, are stalling the development of an oil field in the Doba Basin and the construction of a proposed oil pipeline through Cameroon.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 2.9% (1998 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity: $1,000 (1998 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 39%
Industry: 15%
Services: 46% (1997)

Agriculture products: cotton, sorghum, millet, peanuts, rice, potatoes, manioc (tapioca; cattle, sheep, goats, camels

Industries: cotton textiles, meat packing, beer brewing, natron (sodium carbonate), soap, cigarettes, construction materials

Industrial production growth rate: 5% (1995)

Labor force: NA
By occupation agriculture: 85% (subsistence farming herding and fishing)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $198 million
Expenditures: $218 million, including capital expenditures of $146 million (1998 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $220 million (f.o.b., 1998 est.)
Commodities: cotton, cattle, textiles
Partners: Portugal 30%, Germany 14%, Thailand, Costa Rica, South Africa, France (1997)

Imports: $252 million (f.o.b., 1998 est.)
Commodities: machinery and transportation equipment, industrial goods, petroleum products, foodstuffs, textiles
Partners: France 41%, Nigeria 10%, Cameroon 7%, India 6% (1997)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $875 million (1995 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine Francs (CFAF) per US$1_560.01 (December 1998), 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997), 511.55 (1996), 499.15 (1995), 555.20 (1994)


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Electricity
Production: 90 million kWh (1996)
Production by source fossil fuel: 100%
Production by source hydro: 0%
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Production by source other: 0% (1996)
Consumption: 90 million kWh (1996)
Exports: 0 kWh (1996)
Imports: 0 kWh (1996)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones: 5,000 (1987 est.)

Telephone system: primitive system
Domestic: fair system of radiotelephone communication stations
International: satellite earth station_1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $39 million (1996)
Percent of gdp: 3.5% (1996)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 52 (1998 est.)
With paved runways total: 8
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 2
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2
With paved runways under 914 m: 1 (1998 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 44
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 12
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 22
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 10 (1998 est.)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways: 0 km

Roadways

Waterways: 2,000 km navigable

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: delimitation of international boundaries in the vicinity of Lake Chad, the lack of which led to border incidents in the past, is completed and awaits ratification by Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs