World Facts

conventional long form: Republic of Chad
Capital: N'Djamena
Type of Government: republic-
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
Age Structure: 0-14 years: 47.9% (male 2,365,277/female 2,337,388)
Agriculture: cotton, sorghum, millet, peanuts, rice, potatoes, manioc (tapioca); cattle, sheep, goats, camels
Airports: 50 (2004 est.)
With Paved Runways: total: 7
With Unpaved Runways:
Area: total: 1.284 million sq km. slightly more than three times the size of California
Background: 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 sporadically flares up despite several peace agreements between the government and the rebels. In 2005 new rebel groups emerged in western Sudan and have made probing attacks into eastern Chad. Power remains in the hands of an ethnic minority. In June 2005, President Idriss DEBY held a referendum successfully removing constitutional term limits.
Birth rate: 45.98 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget: revenues: $765.2 million
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)-
Climate: tropical in south, desert in north
Communications:
Constitution: passed by referendum 31 March 1996
Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States
Current account balance: $663.3 million (2005 est.)
Death rate: 16.41 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external: $1.5 billion (2003 est.)-
Dependency status: -
Dependent areas:
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Marc WALL
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Mahamat Adam BECHIR
Disputes - international: since 2003, Janjawid armed militia and Sudanese military have driven about 200,000 Darfur region refugees into eastern Chad; Chad remains an important mediator in the Sudanese civil conflict; 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 Chad and Niger-
Distribution of family income: -
Economic aid - donor:
Economic aid - recipient: $238.3 million received; note - $125 million committed by Taiwan (August 1997); $30 million committed by African Development Bank; ODA $246.9 million (2003 est.)
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. Over 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. The nation's total oil reserves have been estimated to be 2 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.
Electricity - consumption:
Electricity - exports:
Electricity - imports:
Electricity - production:
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Djourab Depression 160 m
Environment - current issues: inadequate supplies of potable water; improper waste disposal in rural areas contributes to soil and water pollution; desertification
Environment - International Agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
Ethnic groups: 200 distinct groups; in the north and center: Arabs, Gorane (Toubou, Daza, Kreda), Zaghawa, Kanembou, Ouaddai, Baguirmi, Hadjerai, Fulbe, Kotoko, Hausa, Boulala, and Maba, most of whom are Muslim; in the south: Sara (Ngambaye, Mbaye, Goulaye), Moundang, Moussei, Massa, most of whom are Christian or animist; about 1,000 French citizens live in Chad
Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 516.5 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001)
Executive branch: chief of state: President Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY (since 4 December 1990)
Exports: $3.016 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - partners: US 67.7%, China 21.5%, Portugal 4.3% (2004)
Fiscal year: calendar year
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
GDP (official exchange rate): $4.988 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (purchasing power parity): $18.3 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 23.7%
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,900 (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 14% (2005 est.)
Geographic coordinates: 15 00 N, 19 00 E
Geography - note: landlocked; Lake Chad is the most significant water body in the Sahel-
Government - note:
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 4.8% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 18,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 200,000 (2003 est.)-
Heliports:
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA-
Illicit drugs:
Imports: $749.1 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - partners: France 21.9%, Cameroon 16.1%, US 10.8%, Portugal 10.4%, Germany 6.4%, Belgium 4.6% (2004)
Independence: 11 August 1960 (from France)
Industrial production growth rate: 5% (1995)
Industries: oil, cotton textiles, meatpacking, beer brewing, natron (sodium carbonate), soap, cigarettes, construction materials
Infant mortality rate: total: 93.82 deaths/1,000 live births
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.5% (2005 est.)
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, ONUB, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Internet country code: .td
Internet hosts: 8 (2004)
Internet users: 15,000 (2002)
Investment (gross fixed): 7.2% of GDP (2005 est.)
Irrigated land: 200 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; Criminal Courts; Magistrate Courts
Labor force: NA
Labor force - by occupation:
Land boundaries: total: 5,968 km
Land use: arable land: 2.86%
Languages: French (official), Arabic (official), Sara (in south), more than 120 different languages and dialects
Legal system: based on French civil law system and Chadian customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch:
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 47.18 years
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write French or Arabic
Location: Central Africa, south of Libya
Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high
Manpower available for military service: males age 20-49: 1,559,382 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service: males age 20-49: 834,695 (2005 est.)-
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
Map references: Africa
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Median age: total: 16.02 years-
Merchant marine: -
Military - note:
Military branches: Chadian National Army (Armee Nationale Tchadienne, ANT), Air Force, Gendarmerie (2004)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $101.3 million (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.1% (2004)
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 (2004)
National holiday: Independence Day, 11 August (1960)
Nationality: noun: Chadian(s)-
Natural gas - consumption: -
Natural gas - exports: -
Natural gas - imports:
Natural gas - production: -
Natural gas - proved reserves:
Natural hazards: hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds occur in north; periodic droughts; locust plagues
Natural resources: petroleum, uranium, natron, kaolin, fish (Lake Chad), gold, limestone, sand and gravel, salt
Net migration rate: -0.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption: 1,450 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports: NA
Oil - imports: NA
Oil - production: 225,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)-
Oil - proved reserves: -
People - note:
Political parties and leaders: Federation Action for the Republic or FAR [Ngarlejy YORONGAR]; 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 Democracy and Republic or UDR [Jean ALINGUE]; Union for Renewal and Democracy or URD [Gen. Wadal Abdelkader KAMOUGUE]; Viva Rally for Development and Progress or Viva RNDP [Delwa Kassire COUMAKOYE]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
Population: 9,826,419 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line: 80% (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.95% (2005 est.)-
Ports and terminals: -
Public debt:
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 4, shortwave 5 (2002)-
Railways:
Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 200,000 (Sudan) 30,000 (Central African Republic) (2004)
Religions: Muslim 51%, Christian 35%, animist 7%, other 7%
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $881.8 million (2005 est.)
Roadways: total: 33,400 km
Sex ratio:
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system: general assessment: primitive system
Telephones - main lines in use: 11,800 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 65,000 (2003)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (2002)
Terrain: broad, arid plains in center, desert in north, mountains in northwest, lowlands in south
Total fertility rate: 6.32 children born/woman (2005 est.)-
Transportation - note:
Unemployment rate: NA
Waterways: Chari and Legone rivers are navigable only in wet season (2002)