Chad, part of France's African
holdings until 1960, endured three decades of civil warfare as well as
invasions by Libya before a semblance of peace was finally restored in
1990. The government eventually drafted a democratic constitution and
held flawed presidential elections in 1996 and 2001. In 1998, a
rebellion broke out in northern Chad, which has sporadically flared up
despite several peace agreements between the government and the rebels.
In 2005, new rebel groups emerged in western Sudan and made probing
attacks into eastern Chad despite signing peace agreements in December
2006 and October 2007. Power remains in the hands of an ethnic minority.
In June 2005, President Idriss DEBY held a referendum successfully
removing constitutional term limits and won another controversial
election in 2006. Sporadic rebel campaigns continued throughout 2006 and
2007. The capital experienced a significant rebel threat in early 2008.
Geography ::Chad
Location:
Central Africa, south of Libya
Geographic coordinates:
15 00 N, 19 00 E
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 1.284 million sq km
1
land:
1,259,200 sq km
water:
24,800 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly more than three times the size of California
Land boundaries:
total: 5,968 km
border countries:
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:
Current Weather
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
highest point:
Emi Koussi 3,415 m
Natural resources:
petroleum, uranium, natron, kaolin, fish (Lake Chad), gold, limestone, sand and gravel, salt
65 years and over:
2.9% (male 129,088/female 177,810) (2010 est.)
Median age:
total: 16.6 years
male:
15.5 years
female:
17.8 years (2010 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.038% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 50
Birth rate:
40.12 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)
2
Death rate:
15.79 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)
Net migration rate:
-3.95 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)
55
Urbanization:
urban population: 27% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization:
4.7% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
0.85 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.73 male(s)/female
total population:
0.92 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 97.05 deaths/1,000 live births
0
male:
103 deaths/1,000 live births
female:
90.87 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 47.99 years
17
male:
46.95 years
female:
49.07 years (2010 est.)
Total fertility rate:
5.18 children born/woman (2010 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
3.5% (2007 est.)
8
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
200,000 (2007 est.)
9
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
14,000 (2007 est.)
6
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases:
bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease:
malaria
water contact disease:
schistosomiasis
respiratory disease:
meningococcal meningitis
animal contact disease:
rabies (2009)
Nationality:
noun: Chadian(s)
adjective:
Chadian
Ethnic groups:
Sara 27.7%, Arab 12.3%,
Mayo-Kebbi 11.5%, Kanem-Bornou 9%, Ouaddai 8.7%, Hadjarai 6.7%, Tandjile
6.5%, Gorane 6.3%, Fitri-Batha 4.7%, other 6.4%, unknown 0.3% (1993
census)
Religions:
Muslim 53.1%, Catholic 20.1%, Protestant 14.2%, animist 7.3%, other 0.5%, unknown 1.7%, atheist 3.1% (1993 census)
Languages:
French (official), Arabic (official), Sara (in south), more than 120 different languages and dialects
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write French or Arabic
total population:
25.7%
male:
40.8%
female:
12.8% (2000 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 6 years
male:
7 years
female:
4 years (2005)
Education expenditures:
1.9% of GDP (2005)
68
Government ::Chad
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Chad
conventional short form:
Chad
local long form:
Republique du Tchad/Jumhuriyat Tshad
local short form:
Tchad/Tshad
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: N'Djamena
geographic coordinates:
12 06 N, 15 02 E
time difference:
UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
22 regions (regions,
singular - region); Barh el Gazel, Batha, Borkou, Chari-Baguirmi,
Ennedi, Guera, Hadjer-Lamis, Kanem, Lac, Logone Occidental, Logone
Oriental, Mandoul, Mayo-Kebbi Est, Mayo-Kebbi Ouest, Moyen-Chari,
Ouaddai, Salamat, Sila, Tandjile, Tibesti, Ville de N'Djamena, Wadi Fira
Independence:
11 August 1960 (from France)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 11 August (1960)
Constitution:
passed by referendum 31 March 1996; a June 2005 referendum removed constitutional term limits
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 Itno (since 4 December 1990)
head of government:
Prime Minister Emmanuel NADINGAR (since 5 March 2010)
cabinet:
Council of State; members are appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister
elections:
president
elected by popular vote for a 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 election held on 3
May 2006 (next to be held by May 2011); prime minister appointed by the
president
election results:
Lt.
Gen. Idriss DEBY Itno reelected president; percent of vote - Lt. Gen.
Idriss DEBY 64.7%, Delwa Kassire KOUMAKOYE 15.1%, Albert Pahimi PADACKE
7.8%, Mahamat ABDOULAYE 7.1%, Brahim KOULAMALLAH 5.3%; note - a June
2005 national referendum altered the constitution removing presidential
term limits and permitting Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY Itno to run for
reelection
Legislative branch:
unicameral National
Assembly (155 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year
terms); note - the 1996 constitution called for a Senate that has never
been formed
elections:
National
Assembly - last held on 21 April 2002 (next to be held by 2009); note -
legislative elections, originally scheduled for 2006, were first
delayed by National Assembly action and subsequently by an accord,
signed in August 2007, between government and opposition parties
election results:
percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - MPS 110, RDP 12, FAR 9, RNDP 5, UNDR 5, URD 3, other 11
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; Criminal Courts; Magistrate Courts
Political parties and leaders:
Federation Action for the
Republic or FAR [Ngarledjy YORONGAR]; National Rally for Development
and Progress or RNDP [Delwa Kassire KOUMAKOYE]; National Union for
Democracy and Renewal or UNDR [Saleh KEBZABO]; Party for Liberty and
Development or PLD [Ibni Oumar Mahamat SALEH]; Patriotic Salvation
Movement or MPS [Mahamat Saleh AHMAT, chairman]; Rally for Democracy and
Progress or RDP [Lol Mahamat CHOUA]; Union for Renewal and Democracy or
URD [Gen. Wadal Abdelkader KAMOUGUE]
three equal vertical
bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red; the flag combines the blue
and red French (former colonial) colors with the red and yellow of the
Pan-African colors; blue symbolizes the sky, hope, and the south of the
country, which is relatively well-watered; yellow represents the sun, as
well as the desert in the north of the country; red stands for
progress, unity, and sacrifice
note: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 ::Chad
Economy - overview:
Chad's primarily agricultural
economy will continue to be boosted by major foreign direct investment
projects in the oil sector that began in 2000. At least 80% of Chad's
population relies on subsistence farming and livestock raising for its
livelihood. Chad's economy has long been handicapped by its landlocked
position, high energy costs, and a history of instability. Chad relies
on foreign assistance and foreign capital for most public and private
sector investment projects. A consortium led by two US companies has
been investing $3.7 billion to develop oil reserves - estimated at 1
billion barrels - in southern Chad. Chinese companies are also expanding
exploration efforts and are currently building a 300-km pipleline and
the country's first refinery. The nation's total oil reserves are
estimated at 1.5 billion barrels. Oil production came on stream in late
2003. Chad began to export oil in 2004. Cotton, cattle, and gum arabic
provide the bulk of Chad's non-oil export earnings.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$16.26 billion (2009 est.)
31
$16.43 billion (2008 est.)
$16.46 billion (2007 est.)
note:data are in 2009 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$7.056 billion (2009 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
-1% (2009 est.)
30
-0.2% (2008 est.)
0.6% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,600 (2009 est.)
94
$1,600 (2008 est.)
$1,700 (2007 est.)
note:data are in 2009 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 47.2%
industry:
6.5%
services:
45.1% (2008 est.)
Labor force:
4.293 million (2007)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 80% (subsistence farming, herding, and fishing)
industry and services:
20% (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate:
NA% est.)
Population below poverty line:
80% (2001 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
machinery and transportation equipment, industrial goods, foodstuffs, textiles
Imports - partners:
France 17.6%, Cameroon 14.8%, China 9.9%, Ukraine 9.6%, US 7.7%, Germany 5.6%, Saudi Arabia 4.7%, Netherlands 4% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$616 million (31 December 2009 est.)
39
$1.347 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
Debt - external:
$1.6 billion (2005 est.)
40
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$NA (31 December 2009 est.)
$4.5 billion (2006 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$NA
Exchange rates:
Cooperation Financiere en
Afrique Centrale francs (XAF) per US dollar - 481.35 (2009), 447.81
(2008), 480.1 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005)
note:since
1 January 1999, the Central African CFA franc (XAF) has been pegged to
the euro at a rate of 655.957 CFA francs per euro; Central African CFA
franc (XAF) coins and banknotes are not accepted in countries using West
African CFA francs (XOF), and vice versa, even though the two
currencies trade at par
Communications ::Chad
Telephones - main lines in use:
13,000 (2008)
99
Telephones - mobile cellular:
1.809 million (2008)
26
Telephone system:
general assessment: inadequate system of radiotelephone communication stations with high costs and low telephone density
domestic:
fixed-line
connections for only about 1 per 1000 persons coupled with
mobile-cellular subscribership base of less than 20 per 100 persons
international:
country code - 235; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2008)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 4, shortwave 5 (2001)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (2001)
Internet country code:
.td
Internet hosts:
5 (2009)
25
Internet users:
130,000 (2008)
44
Transportation ::Chad
Airports:
54 (2009)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 8
over 3,047 m:
2
2,438 to 3,047 m:
3
1,524 to 2,437 m:
2
under 914 m:
1 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 46
2,438 to 3,047 m:
2
1,524 to 2,437 m:
13
914 to 1,523 m:
20
under 914 m:
11 (2009)
Pipelines:
oil 250 km (2009)
Roadways:
total: 33,400 km
paved:
267 km
unpaved:
33,133 km (2002)
Waterways:
Chari and Legone rivers are navigable only in wet season (2008)
Military ::Chad
Military branches:
Armed Forces: Chadian National Army
(Armee Nationale du Tchad, ANT), Chadian Air Force (Force Aerienne
Tchadienne, FAT), Gendarmerie (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
20 years of age for
conscripts, with 3-year service obligation; 18 years of age for
volunteers; no minimum age restriction for volunteers with consent from a
guardian; women are subject to 1 year of compulsory military or civic
service at age of 21 (2004)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,025,929
females age 16-49:
2,377,898 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,141,776
females age 16-49:
1,354,111 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 125,073
female:
125,069 (2010 est.)
Military expenditures:
1.7% of GDP (2009)
Transnational Issues ::Chad
Disputes - international:
since 2003, Janjawid armed militia
and the Sudanese military have driven hundreds of thousands of Darfur
residents into Chad; Chad remains an important mediator in the Sudanese
civil conflict, reducing tensions with Sudan arising from cross-border
banditry; Chadian Aozou rebels reside in southern Libya; only Nigeria
and Cameroon have heeded the Lake Chad Commission's admonition to ratify
the delimitation treaty, which also includes the Chad-Niger and
Niger-Nigeria boundaries
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 234,000 (Sudan); 54,200 (Central African Republic)
IDPs:
178,918 (2007)
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Chad
is a source, transit, and destination country for children trafficked
for the purposes of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation; the
majority of children are trafficked within Chad for involuntary
domestic servitude, forced cattle herding, forced begging, forced labor
in petty commerce or the fishing industry, or for commercial sexual
exploitation; to a lesser extent, Chadian children are also trafficked
to Cameroon, the Central African Republic, and Nigeria for cattle
herding; children may also be trafficked from Cameroon and the Central
African Republic to Chad's oil producing regions for sexual exploitation
tier rating:
Tier
3 - the Government of Chad does not fully comply with the minimum
standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making any
significant efforts to do so; although facing resource constraints, the
government has the capacity to conduct basic anti-trafficking law
enforcement efforts, yet did not do so during the last year; it showed
no results in enforcing government policy prohibiting the recruitment of
child soldiers; Chad has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2009)
