Chad

agricultural land:

39.6%;

• arable land 3.9%;
• permanent crops 0%;
• permanent pasture 35.7%

forest:

9.1%

other:

51.3% (2011 est.)

• the population is unevenly distributed due to contrasts in climate and physical geography;
• the highest density is found in the southwest, particularly around Lake Chad and points south;
• the dry Saharan zone to the north is the least densely populated

• hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds occur in north;
• periodic droughts;
• locust plagues

• inadequate supplies of potable water;
• improper waste disposal in rural areas contributes to soil and water pollution;
• desertification

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping

noun:

Chadian(s)

adjective:

Chadian

• the population is unevenly distributed due to contrasts in climate and physical geography;
• the highest density is found in the southwest, particularly around Lake Chad and points south;
• the dry Saharan zone to the north is the least densely populated

at birth:

1.04 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.03 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

0.95 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

0.83 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.79 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.71 male(s)/female

total population:

0.93 male(s)/female (2016 est.)

degree of risk:

very high

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases:

malaria and dengue fever

water contact disease:

schistosomiasis

respiratory disease:

meningococcal meningitis

animal contact disease:

rabies (2016)

total number:

1,475,960

percentage:

48% (2010 est.)

conventional long form:

Republic of Chad

conventional short form:

Chad

local long form:

Republique du Tchad/Jumhuriyat Tshad

local short form:

Tchad/Tshad

etymology:

named for Lake Chad, which lies along the country's western border; the word "tsade" means "large body of water" or "lake" in several local native languages

name:

N'Djamena

geographic coordinates:

12 06 N, 15 02 E

time difference:

UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

• several previous;
• latest passed by referendum 31 March 1996, entered into force 8 April 1996;
• amended 2005 (2016)

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

both parents must be citizens of Chad

dual citizenship recognized:

Chadian law does not address dual citizenship

residency requirement for naturalization:

15 years

chief of state:

President Idriss DEBY Itno, Lt. Gen. (since 4 December 1990)

head of government:

Prime Minister Albert Pahimi PADACKE (since 15 February 2016)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers; members appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister

elections/appointments:

• president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (no term limits);
• election last held on 10 April 2016 (next to be held in April 2021);
• prime minister appointed by the president

election results:

Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY Itno reelected president; percent of vote - Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY (MPS) 61.6%, Saleh KEBZABO (UNDR) 12.8%, Laokein Kourayo MEDAR 10.7%, Djimrangar DADNADJI (MPS) 5.1%, other 9.8%

highest court(s):

• Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice, 3 chamber presidents, and 12 judges or councilors and divided into 3 chambers);
• Constitutional Council (consists of 3 judges and 6 jurists)

judge selection and term of office:

• Supreme Court chief justice selected by the president;
• councilors - 8 designated by the president and 7 by the speaker of the National Assembly;
• chief justice and councilors appointed for life;
• Constitutional Council judges - 2 appointed by the president and 1 by the speaker of the National Assembly;
• jurists - 3 each by the president and by the speaker of the National Assembly;
• judges appointed for 9-year terms

subordinate courts:

• High Court of Justice;
• Courts of Appeal;
• tribunals;
• justices of the peace

• Alliance for the Renaissance of Chad or ART (includes MPS, RDP, and Viva-RNDP)
• Federation Action for the Republic or FAR [Ngarledjy YORONGAR]
• National Rally for Development and Progress or Viva-RNDP [Dr. Nouradine Delwa Kassire COUMAKOYE]
• National Union for Democracy and Renewal or UNDR [Saleh KEBZABO]
• Party for Liberty and Development or PLD [Jean-Baptiste LAOKOLE]
• Patriotic Salvation Movement or MPS [Idriss DEBY]
• Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP [Lol Mahamat CHOUA]
• Union for Renewal and Democracy or URD [Sande NGARYIMBE]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Mahamat Nasser HASSANE (since 21 May 2014)

chancery:

2401 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 652-1312

FAX:

[1] (202) 758-0431

chief of mission:

Ambassador James KNIGHT (since 6 September 2013)

embassy:

Avenue Felix Eboue, N'Djamena

mailing address:

B. P. 413, N'Djamena

telephone:

[235] 2251-70-09

FAX:

[235] 2251-56-54

• 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

name:

"La Tchadienne" (The Chadian)

lyrics/music:

Louis GIDROL and his students/Paul VILLARD

note: adopted 1960

agriculture:

80%

industry and services:

20% (2006 est.)

lowest 10%:

2.6%

highest 10%:

30.8% (2003)

general assessment:

inadequate system of radiotelephone communication stations with high maintenance costs and low telephone density

domestic:

fixed-line connections for less than 1 per 100 persons coupled with mobile-cellular subscribership base of about 45 per 100 persons

international:

country code - 235; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2015)

• 1 state-owned TV station;
• state-owned radio network, Radiodiffusion Nationale Tchadienne (RNT), operates national and regional stations;
• about 10 private radio stations;
• some stations rebroadcast programs from international broadcasters (2007)

number of registered air carriers:

1; inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 1

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

28,332

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

mt-km (2015)

• 20 is the legal minimum age for compulsory military service, with a 3-year service obligation;
• 18 is the legal minimum age for voluntary service;
• no minimum age restriction for volunteers with consent from a parent or guardian;
• women are subject to 1 year of compulsory military or civic service at age 21;
• while provisions for military service have not been repealed, they have never been fully implemented (2015)

• since 2003, ad hoc armed militia groups and the Sudanese military have driven hundreds of thousands of Darfur residents into Chad;
• Chad wishes to be a helpful mediator in resolving the Darfur conflict, and in 2010 established a joint border monitoring force with Sudan, which has helped to reduce cross-border banditry and violence;
• 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 (country of origin):

• 309,669 (Sudan);
• 69,436 (Central African Republic);
• 7,917 (Nigeria) (2016)

IDPs:

58,748 (majority are in the east) (2016)