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. The 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 2000. Despite movement toward democratic reform power remains in the hands of a northern ethnic oligarchy.

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.)

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

Population: 8,707,078 (July 2001 est.)
Growth rate: 3.29% (2001 est.)
Below poverty line: 64% (1995 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Chadian
Adjective: Chadian

Ethnic groups
Note: ethnicity and regional background more commonly used to identify Chadians than religious affiliation

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%

Age structure
0-14 years: 47.73% (male 2,091,724; female 2,064,514)
15-64 years: 49.46% (male 2,035,099; female 2,271,389)
65 years and over: 2.81% (male 101,579; female 142,773) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: 3.29% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 48.28 births/1000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 15.4 deaths/1000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2001 est.)

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

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.04 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.01 male/female
15-64 years: 0.9 male/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male/female
Total population: 0.94 male/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 95.06 deaths/1000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 50.88 years
Male: 48.86 years
Female: 52.98 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.56 children born/woman (2001 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 2.69% (1999 est.)
People living with hivaids: 92,000 (1999 est.)
Deaths: 10,000 (1999 est.)

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.)

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

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; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

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 Nagoum YAMASSOUM (since 13 December 1999)
Cabinet: Council of State, members appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister
Elections: president elected by popular vote to serve five-year term; 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 20 May 2001 (next to be held NA 2006); prime minister appointed by the president
Election results: Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY elected president; percent of vote - Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY 63%, Ngarlegy YORONGAR 16%, Saleh KEBZABO 7%
Note: government coalition - MPS, UNDR, and URD

Legislative branch
Elections: National Assembly - last held in two rounds on 5 January and 23 February 1997 (next to be held in late 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: National Union for Development and Renewal or UNDR [Saleh KEBZABO]; Patriotic Salvation Movement or MPS [Mahamat Saleh AHMAT 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 CEMAC ECA FAO FZ G-77 IBRD ICAO ICFTU ICRM IDA IDB IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF Intelsat Interpol IOC ITU NAM OAU OIC OPCW 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 Christopher E. GOLDTHWAIT
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 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

Economy overview: Landlocked Chad's economic development suffers from its 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. The World Bank's decision to back the Doba oil field development and the Chad-Cameroon pipeline will add Chad to the group of already booming West African oil exporters. However the rank and file may not benefit much from the oil development projects.

Real gdp growth rate: 4% (2000 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $1000 (2000 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 40%
Industry: 14%
Services: 46% (1998)

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

Industries: cotton textiles meatpacking 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%

Population below poverty line: 64% (1995 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

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

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 3% (2000 est.)

Exports: $172 million (f.o.b. 2000 est.)
Commodities: cotton cattle textiles
Partners: Portugal 38% Germany 12% Thailand Costa Rica South Africa France (1999)

Imports: $223 million (f.o.b. 2000 est.)
Commodities: machinery and transportation equipment industrial goods petroleum products foodstuffs textiles
Partners: France 40% Cameroon 13% Nigeria 12% India 5% (1999)

Debt external: $1 billion (1999 est.)

Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 699.21 (January 2001) 711.98 (2000) 615.70 (1999) 589.95 (1998) 583.67 (1997) 511.55 (1996); note - from 1 January 1999 the XAF is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XAF per euro

Electricity
Production: 90 million kWh (1999)
Production by source fossil fuel: 100%
Production by source hydro: 0%
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Production by source other: 0% (1999)
Consumption: 83.7 million kWh (1999)
Exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Imports: 0 kWh (1999)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 7,000 (1997)
Mobile cellular: NA

Telephone system
General assessment: primitive system
Domestic: fair system of radiotelephone communication stations
International: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Internet
Country code: .td
Service providers isps: 1 (2000)
Users: 1000 (2000)

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

Airports: 50 (2000 est.)
With paved runways total: 7
With paved runways over 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 3
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 43
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 12
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 20
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 11 (2000 est.)

Railways: 0 km

Waterways: 2000 km