Map of Chad | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide19891990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023 | More stats

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Background: Chad part of France's African holdings until 1960 endured three decades of ethnic warfare as well as invasions by Libya before a semblance of peace was finally restored in 1990. A transitional government eventually suppressed or came to terms with most political-military groups settled a territorial dispute with Libya on terms favorable to Chad drafted a democratic constitution and held multiparty presidential and National Assembly elections in 1996 and 1997 respectively. In 1998 a new rebellion broke out in northern Chad which continued to escalate throughout 1999. Despite movement toward democratic reform power remains in the hands of a northern ethnic oligarchy.


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Location: Central Africa south of Libya

Geographic coordinates: 15 00 N 19 00 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Comparative: slightly more than three times the size of California

Land boundaries

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

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

Land use

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: 8,424,504 (July 2000 est.)
Growth rate: 3.31% (2000 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality

Ethnic groups: Muslims commonly referred to as 'northerners' or 'gorane' (Arabs Toubou Hadjerai Fulbe Kotoko Kanembou Baguirmi Boulala Zaghawa and Maba); non-Muslims commonly referred to as 'southerners' (Sara Ngambaye Mbaye Goulaye Moundang Moussei Massa) including nonindigenous 150,000 (of whom 1000 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

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 3.31% (2000 est.)

Birth rate: 48.81 births/1000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate: 15.71 deaths/1000 population (2000 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2000 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

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 96.66 deaths/1000 live births (2000 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

Total fertility rate: 6.63 children born/woman (2000 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

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name

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: passed by referendum 31 March 1995

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

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

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

Political parties and leaders: National Union for Development and Renewal or UNDR [Saleh KEBZABO]; Patriotic Salvation Movement or MPS [Maldom Bada ABBAS chairman] (originally in opposition but now the party in power and the party of the president); Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP [Lal Mahamat CHOUA]; Union for Renewal and Democracy or URD [Gen. Wadal Abdelkader KAMOUGUE]

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 NAM OAU OIC OPCW UDEAC UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UPU WCL WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTrO

Diplomatic representation

Flag description: three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side) yellow and red; similar to the flag of Romania; also similar to the flags of Andorra and Moldova both of which have a national coat of arms 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. Due to lack of financing the development of the Doba Basin oil fields originally due to finish in 2000 has been substantially delayed.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 0.6% (1999 est.)

Real gdp per capita ppp

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

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

Public debt

Taxes and other revenues

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Current account balance

Inflation rate consumer prices: 12% (1998 est.)

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: $288 million (f.o.b. 1999 est.)
Commodities: cotton cattle textiles
Partners: Portugal 30% Germany 14% Thailand Costa Rica South Africa France (1997)

Imports: $359 million (f.o.b. 1999 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: $1 billion (1999 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine Francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 647.25 (January 2000) 615.70 (1999) 589.95 (1998) 583.67 (1997) 511.55 (1996) 499.15 (1995)


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Electricity access

Electricity production: 100 million kWh (1998)

Electricity consumption: 93 million kWh (1998)

Electricity exports: 0 kWh (1998)

Electricity imports: 0 kWh (1998)

Electricity installed generating capacity

Electricity transmission distribution losses

Electricity generation sources

Petroleum

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones fixed lines

Telephones mobile cellular: 0 (1995)

Telephone system: primitive system

Broadcast media

Internet country code

Internet users

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $39 million (FY96)
Percent of gdp: 3.5% (FY96)

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: 49 (1999 est.)

Airports with paved runways

Airports with unpaved runways

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways: 0 km

Roadways

Waterways: 2000 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 has been completed and awaits ratification by Cameroon Chad Niger and Nigeria

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs