Chad
Republic of Chad conventional short form: Chad local long form: Republique du Tchad local short form: Tchad
republicIndependence 11 August 1960 (from France)
Chad as the 2001 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 114 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.
No fields match. Try a shorter word.
Introduction
1 fieldBackground
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.
Geography
Central Africa, south of Libya
18 fieldsLand 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
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.)
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
People
18 fieldsPer 1,000 population(2001 est.)
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.)
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 50.88 years male: 48.86 years female: 52.98 years (2001 est.)
Ethnic groups
- Muslims, commonly referred to as "northerners" or "gorane" (Arabs, Toubou, Hadjerai, Fulbe, Kotoko, Kanembou, Baguirmi, Boulala, Zaghawa, and Maba);
- non-Muslims, commonly referred to as "southerners" (Sara, Ngambaye, Mbaye, Goulaye, Moundang, Moussei, Massa) including nonindigenous 150,000 (of whom 1,000 are French) 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
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.)
Government
Republic
20 fieldsNational Assembly, 125 seatsone dot, one seat
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
Legal system
based on French civil law system and Chadian customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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
- unicameral National Assembly (125 seats; members elected by popular vote to 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 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
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 chancery: 2002 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 462-4009
Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission: Ambassador Christopher E. GOLDTHWAIT embassy: Avenue Felix Eboue, N'Djamena mailing address: B. P. 413, N'Djamena telephone: [235] (51) 70-09, (51) 90-52, (51) 92-33
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
Landlocked Chad's economic development suffers from its geographic remoteness, drought, lack of infrastructure, and political turmoil.
32 fieldsElectricity
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.
Budget
revenues: $198 million expenditures: $218 million, including capital expenditures of $146 million (1998 est.)
Industries
cotton textiles, meatpacking, beer brewing, natron (sodium carbonate), soap, cigarettes, construction materials
Agriculture - products
cotton, sorghum, millet, peanuts, rice, potatoes, manioc (tapioca); cattle, sheep, goats, camels
Imports - commodities
machinery and transportation equipment, industrial goods, petroleum products, foodstuffs, textiles
Economic aid - recipient
- $238.3 million (1995);
- note - $125 million committed by Taiwan (August 1997);
- $30 million committed by African Development Bank
Currency
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States
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
Communications
10 fieldsTelephone system
general assessment: primitive system domestic: fair system of radiotelephone communication stations international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Transportation
7 fieldsNetworkskm
Airports - with paved runways
total: 7 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total: 43 1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 914 to 1,523 m: 20 under 914 m: 11 (2000 est.)
Military
Armed Forces (includes Ground Force, Air Force, and Gendarmerie), Republican Guard, Rapid Intervention Force, Police, Rural and Nomadic Guard (GNNT)
7 fieldsMilitary branches
Armed Forces (includes Ground Force, Air Force, and Gendarmerie), Republican Guard, Rapid Intervention Force, Police, Rural and Nomadic Guard (GNNT)
Transnational Issues
1 fieldDisputes - international
delimitation of international boundaries in the vicinity of Lake Chad, the lack of which led to border incidents in the past, has been completed and awaits ratification by Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Chad.” The World Factbook 2001. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/chad/2001.