Chad

Republic of ChadRepublique du Tchad

republicIndependence 11 August 1960 (from France)

Chad as the 1998 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 96 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalN'Djamena
Position15 00 N, 19 00 E
Area1.284 million sq km
LocationCentral Africa, south of Libya
1998

Every edition of Chad

Populationas each edition published it
7.36 million July 1998 est. · 5.02m in 1990
Population growth% a year
2.66% 1998 est. · 2.13% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 16 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
48.22 years 1998 est. · 40.41 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
5.74 children per woman 1998 est. · 5.3 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
116.97 deaths per 1,000 live births 1998 est. · 136 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$600 1997 est. · $215 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
5.5% 1997 est. · 8.4% in 1993

Geography

Central Africa, south of Libya

18 fields

Land use(1993 est.)

arable land 3%permanent crops 0%permanent pastures 36%forests and woodland 26%other 35% (1993 est.)irrigated 140 sq km (1993 est.)
Area
1.284million sq km
land: 1,259,200 sq kmwater: 24,800 sq kmslightly more than three times the size of California
Coastline
0km
(landlocked)Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Highest point
3,415m
Emi Koussilowest point: Djourab Depression 175 m
Land boundaries
5,968km
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

Location

Central Africa, south of Libya

Geographic coordinates

15 00 N, 19 00 E

Climate

tropical in south, desert in north

Terrain

broad, arid plains in center, desert in north, mountains in northwest, lowlands in south

Natural resources

petroleum (unexploited but exploration under way), uranium, natron, kaolin, fish (Lake Chad)

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

Environment-international agreements

party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified:
Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping

Geography-note

landlocked; Lake Chad is the most significant water body in the Sahel

People

15 fields
Population
7,359,512
(July 1998 est.)growth rate: 2.66% (1998 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1998 est.)

Birth
43.45Death
16.86Net migration
0

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (1998 est.)48.22
45.81 · 50.73
TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (1995 est.)48.1%
62.1% · 34.7%
MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 15 and over can read and write in French or Arabic

Religions

Muslim 50%Christian 25%indigenous beliefs (mostly animism) 25%

Age structure

0-14 years:
44% (male 1,631,010; female 1,623,272)
15-64 years:
53% (male 1,903,012; female 1,982,257)
65 years and over:
3% (male 97,118; female 122,843) (July 1998 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:
1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.79 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Infant mortality rate

116.97 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate

5.74 children born/woman (1998 est.)

Nationality

noun:
Chadian(s)
adjective:
Chadian

Ethnic groups

Muslims (Arabs, Toubou, Hadjerai, Fulbe, Kotoko, Kanembou, Baguirmi, Boulala, Zaghawa, and Maba), non-Muslims (Sara, Ngambaye, Mbaye, Goulaye, Moundang, Moussei, Massa), nonindigenous 150,000 (of whom 1,000 are French)

Languages

French (official), Arabic (official), Sara and Sango (in south), more than 100 different languages and dialects

Government

Republic; President Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY (since 4 December 1990); Prime Minister Nassour Guelengdouksia OUAIDOU (since 16 May 1997)

20 fields

National Assembly, 125 seatsone dot, one seat

MPS 65URD 29UNDR 15RDP 3others 13

Country name

conventional long form:
Republic of Chad
conventional short form:
Chad
local long form:
Republique du Tchad
local short form:
Tchad

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

31 March 1995, passed by referendum

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 Nassour Guelengdouksia OUAIDOU (since 16 May 1997);
  • appointed by the president;
  • note-he was reappointed on 1 January 1998 when President DEBY named his new government
cabinet:
Council of State appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister
elections:
  • the constitution provides for the election of a president by direct popular vote to serve a term of five years;
  • 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 2 June and 11 July 1996 (next to be held NA 2001);
  • the prime minister is appointed by the president
election results:
in the first round of voting none of the 15 candidates received the required 50% of the total vote; percent of vote, first round-Lt. Gen. Idress DEBY 47.8%; percent of vote, second round-Lt. Gen. DEBY 69.1%, Wadal Abdelkader KAMOUGUE 30.9%

Legislative branch

unicameral National Assembly (125 seats; members serve four-year terms); replaces the Higher Transitional Council or the Conseil Superieur de Transition

elections:
  • National Assembly-last held in two rounds on 5 January and 23 February 1997, (next to be held NA 2001);
  • in the first round of voting on 5 January 1997 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

Patriotic Salvation Movement or MPS [Maldom Bada ABBAS, chairman], originally in opposition but now the party in power and the party of the president; National Union for Development and Renewal or UNDR [Saleh KEBZABO, leader]; Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP [Lal Mahamat CHOUA, leader];

Union for Renewal and Democracy or URD [Gen. Wadal Abdelkader KAMOUGUE, leader]; note-in mid-1996 Chad had about 60 political parties, of which these are the most prominent in the new National Assembly

International organization participation

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CEEAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, UDEAC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission:
Ambassador Mahamat Saleh AHMAT
chancery:
2002 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone:
[1] (202) 462-4009

FAX

[1] (202) 265-1937

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission:
Ambassador David C. HALSTED
embassy:
Avenue Felix Eboue, N'Djamena
mailing address:
B. P. 413, N'Djamena
telephone:
[235] (51) 70-09, (51) 90-52, (51) 92-33

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 flag of Andorra, which has a national coat of arms featuring a quartered shield centered in the yellow band;
  • design was based on the flag of France

Economy

Landlocked Chad's economic development suffers from | it's geographic remoteness, drought, lack of infrastructure, and | political turmoil.

28 fields
GDP, purchasing power parity
-$4.3billion
purchasing power parity · (1997 est.)
GDP per capita, PPP
-$600
purchasing power parity · (1997 est.)
Real growth rate
5.5%
(1997 est.)industrial production growth: 5% (1995)

GDP-composition by sector(1995)

agriculture 48%industry 18%services 34% (1995)

Budget

Revenues
$198 millionExpenditures
$218 million (1998 est.)
expenditures including capital expenditures of $146 million
Fixed lines
5,000
(1987 est.)

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. Lack of financing, however, is stalling the development of a southern oil field and the construction of a proposed oil pipeline through Cameroon.

Labor force

NA; by occupation: agriculture 85% (subsistence farming, herding, and fishing)

Industries

cotton textiles, meat packing, beer brewing, natron (sodium carbonate), soap, cigarettes, construction materials

Electricity-capacity

29,000 kW (1995)

Electricity-production

80 million kWh (1995)

Agriculture-products

cotton, sorghum, millet, peanuts, rice, potatoes, manioc (tapioca); cattle, sheep, goats, camels

Exports

total value:
$259 million (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
commodities:
cotton, cattle, textiles
partners:
Portugal 30%, Germany 18%, South Africa 16%, France 7%

Imports

total value:
$301 million (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
commodities:
  • machinery and transportation equipment 39%, industrial goods 20%, petroleum products 13%, foodstuffs 9%;
  • textiles;
  • note-excludes military equipment
partners:
France 34%, Cameroon 24%, Nigeria 7%, US 6%

Debt-external

$875 million (1995 est.)

Economic aid

recipient: $125 million committed by Taiwan (August 1997); $30 million committed by African Development Bank

Currency

1 Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes

Exchange rates

CFA Francs (CFAF) per US$1-608.36 (January 1998), 583.67 (1997), 511.55 (1996), 499.15 (1995), 555.20 (1994), 283.16 (1993) note: beginning 12 January 1994 the CFA franc was devalued to CFAF 100 per French franc from CFAF 50 at which it had been fixed since 1948

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications

Telephone system

primitive system

domestic:
fair system of radiotelephone communication stations
international:
satellite earth station-1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 6, FM 1, shortwave 0

Television broadcast stations

1 (1987 est.) note: limited TV service; many facilities are inoperative

Televisions

7,000 (1991 est.)

Transportation

7 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved only

under 914 m
1
over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2

Airports by runway lengthunpaved only

under 914 m
10
total: 47 1,524 to 2,437 m: 16 914 to 1,523 m: 21

Networkskm

Highways
32,700Railways
0Waterways
2,000
Highways: paved: 262 km · unpaved: 32,438 km (1995 est.)

Highways

total:
32,700 km
paved:
262 km
unpaved:
32,438 km (1995 est.)

Airports

53 (1997 est.)

Military

Armed Forces (includes Ground Force, Air Force, and | Gendarmerie), Republican Guard, Police

7 fields

Military branches

Armed Forces (includes Ground Force, Air Force, and Gendarmerie), Republican Guard, Police

Military manpower-availability

males age 15-49: 1,645,295 (1998 est.)

Transnational Issues

1 field

Disputes-international

demarcation of international boundaries in the vicinity of Lake Chad, the lack of which led to border incidents in the past, is completed and awaits ratification by Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria CHILE

Central Intelligence Agency. “Chad.” The World Factbook 1998. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/chad/1998.

How to cite ← 1997 edition 1999 edition →