| Chad |
Flag:
 |
Map:
 |
| 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. |
| Geography and Environmental |
Capital: name: N'Djamena
geographic coordinates: 12 07 N, 15 03 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Area Total: 1.284 million sq km |
| Area Land: 1,259,200 sq km |
| Area Water: 24,800 sq km |
| Area Comparative: slightly more than three times the size of California |
| Coastline: 0 km (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 |
| Elevation Extremes Highest Point: Emi Koussi 3,415 m |
| Natural Resources: petroleum, uranium, natron, kaolin, fish (Lake Chad), gold, limestone, sand and gravel, salt |
| Land Use Arable Land: 2.8% |
| Land Use Permanent Crops: 0.02% |
| Land Use Other: 97.18% (2005) |
| Irrigated Land: 300 sq km (2003) |
| Natural Hazards: hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds occur in north; periodic droughts; locust plagues |
| Environment Current Issues: inadequate supplies of potable water; improper waste disposal in rural areas contributes to soil and water pollution; desertification |
| Geography Note: landlocked; Lake Chad is the most significant water body in the Sahel |
| Population |
| Population: 9,885,661 (July 2007 est.) |
| Age Structure 0 to 14 Years: 47.3% (male 2,366,496/female 2,308,155) |
| Age Structure 15 to 64 Years: 49.8% (male 2,250,211/female 2,676,076) |
| Age Structure 65 Years And Over: 2.9% (male 120,666/female 164,057) (2007 est.) |
| Median Age Total: 16.3 years |
| Median Age Male: 15 years |
| Median Age Female: 17.4 years (2007 est.) |
| Population Growth Rate: 2.32% (2007 est.) |
| Birth Rate: 42.35 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Death Rate: 16.69 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Sex Ratio At Birth: 1.04 male(s)/female |
| Sex Ratio Under 15 Years: 1.025 male(s)/female |
| Sex Ratio 15 to 64 Years: 0.841 male(s)/female |
| Sex Ratio 65 Years And Over: 0.736 male(s)/female |
| Sex Ratio Total Population: 0.92 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
| Infant Mortality Rate Total: 102.07 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Infant Mortality Rate Male: 108.27 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Infant Mortality Rate Female: 95.62 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
| Life Expectancy At BirthTotalPopulation: 47.2 years |
| Life Expectancy At Birth Male: 46.17 years |
| Life Expectancy At Birth Female: 48.27 years (2007 est.) |
| Total Fertility Rate: 5.56 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
| HIV AIDS Adult Prevalence Rate: 4.8% (2003 est.) |
| HIV AIDS People Living With HIV AIDS: 200,000 (2003 est.) |
| HIV AIDS Deaths: 18,000 (2003 est.) |
| 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 |
| Literacy Total Population: 47.5% |
| Literacy Male: 56% |
| Literacy Female: 39.3% (2003 est.) |
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
note: instead of 14 prefectures, there may be a new administrative structure of 28 departments (departments, singular - department) and 1 city*; Assongha, Baguirmi, Bahr El Gazal, Bahr Koh, Batha Oriental, Batha Occidental, Biltine, Borkou, Dababa, Ennedi, Guera, Hadjer Lamis, Kabia, Kanem, Lac, Lac Iro, Logone Occidental, Logone Oriental, Mandoul, Mayo-Boneye, Mayo-Dallah, Monts de Lam, N'Djamena*, Ouaddai, Salamat, Sila, Tandjile Oriental, Tandjile Occidental, Tibesti |
| Legal System: based on French civil law system and Chadian customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| 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. |
| GDP Purchasing Power Parity: $15.26 billion (2006 est.) |
| GDP Real Growth Rate: 7% (2006 est.) |
| GDP Composition By Sector Agriculture: 32.5% |
| GDP Composition By Sector Industry: 26.6% |
| GDP Composition By Sector Services: 40.8% (2006 est.) |
| Labor Force: 2.719 million (1993) |
Labor Force By Occupation: agriculture: 80% (subsistence farming, herding, and fishing)
industry and services: 20% |
| Unemployment Rate: NA% |
Household Income Or Consumption By Percentage Share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation Rate Consumer Prices: 4% (2006 est.) |
| Industries: oil, cotton textiles, meatpacking, beer brewing, natron (sodium carbonate), soap, cigarettes, construction materials |
| Industrial Production Growth Rate: 5% (1995) |
| Energy |
| Electricity Production: 94 million kWh (2004) |
| Electricity Production By Source Fossil Fuel: 100% |
| Electricity Production By Source Hydro: 0% |
| Electricity Production By Source Nuclear: 0% |
| Electricity Production By Source Other: 0% (2001) |
| Electricity Consumption: 87.42 million kWh (2004) |
| Electricity Exports: 0 kWh (2004) |
| Electricity Imports: 0 kWh (2004) |
| Oil Production: 225,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) |
| Oil Consumption: 1,460 bbl/day (2004 est.) |
| Oil Proved Reserves: 2 billion bbl (2005) |
| Natural Gas Production: 0 cu m (2004 est.) |
| Natural Gas Consumption: 0 cu m (2004 est.) |
| Exports: $4.342 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) |
| Exports Commodities: cotton, cattle, gum arabic, oil |
| Exports Partners: US 78.1%, China 9.9%, Taiwan 4.1% (2005) |
| Imports: $823.1 million f.o.b. (2006 est.) |
| Imports Commodities: machinery and transportation equipment, industrial goods, foodstuffs, textiles |
| Imports Partners: France 21.2%, Cameroon 15.4%, US 12.1%, Belgium 6.7%, Portugal 4.6%, Saudi Arabia 4.3%, Netherlands 4.1% (2005) |
| Debt External: $1.5 billion (2003 est.) |
| Economic Aid Recipient: ODA, $246.9 million (2003 est.) |
| Communications |
| Telephones Main Lines In Use: 13,000 (2004) |
| TelephonesMobileCellular: 210,000 (2005) |
| Telephone System General Assessment: primitive system |
| Telephone System Domestic: fair system of radiotelephone communication stations |
| Telephone System International: country code - 235; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
| Radio Broadcast Stations: AM 2, FM 4, shortwave 5 (2002) |
| Radios: 1.67 million (1997) |
| Television Broadcast Stations: 1 (2002) |
| Televisions: 10,000 (1997) |
| Internet Service Providers-ISPs: 1 (2002) |
| Internet Users: 35,000 (2005) |
| Transportation |
| Waterways: Chari and Legone rivers are navigable only in wet season (2002) |
| Airports: 52 (2006) |
| Military Expenditures Percent Of GDP: 4.2% (2006) |
| 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), 41,246 (Central African Republic)
IDPs: 100,000 (2006) |