Chad

Internet country code

.td

Internet hosts

9 (2006)

Internet users

35,000 (2005)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 2, FM 4, shortwave 5 (2002)

Telephone system

general assessment: primitive system domestic: fair system of radiotelephone communication stations international: country code - 235; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Telephones - main lines in use

13,000 (2004)

Telephones - mobile cellular

210,000 (2005)

Television broadcast stations

1 (2002)

Agriculture - products

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

Budget

revenues: $765.2 million expenditures: $653.3 million; including capital expenditures of $146 million (2005 est.)

Currency (code)

Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States

Current account balance

$-602 million (2005 est.)

Debt - external

$1.5 billion (2003 est.)

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 has 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

111.6 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - production

120 million kWh (2003)

Exchange rates

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001)

Exports

$3.016 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities

cotton, cattle, gum arabic, oil

Exports - partners

US 78.1%, China 9.9%, Taiwan 4.1% (2005)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP (official exchange rate)

$4.799 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$13.98 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 33.5% industry: 25.9% services: 40.6% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$1,400 (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

6% (2005 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Imports

$749.1 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery and transportation equipment, industrial goods, foodstuffs, textiles

Imports - partners

France 21.1%, Cameroon 15.5%, US 12.1%, Belgium 6.8%, Portugal 4.6%, Saudi Arabia 4.3%, Netherlands 4.1% (2005)

Industrial production growth rate

5% (1995)

Industries

oil, cotton textiles, meatpacking, beer brewing, natron (sodium carbonate), soap, cigarettes, construction materials

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

3% (2005 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

18.2% of GDP (2005 est.)

Labor force

2.719 million

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 80% (subsistence farming, herding, and fishing) industry and services: 20%

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2003 est.)

Oil - consumption

1,450 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports

NA bbl/day

Oil - imports

NA bbl/day

Oil - production

225,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Population below poverty line

80% (2001 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$297 million (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate

NA%

Area

total: 1.284 million sq km land: 1,259,200 sq km water: 24,800 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly more than three times the size of California

Climate

tropical in south, desert in north

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Djourab Depression 160 m highest point: Emi Koussi 3,415 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 signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping

Geographic coordinates

15 00 N, 19 00 E

Geography - note

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

Irrigated land

300 sq km (2003)

Land 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

Land use

arable land: 2.8% permanent crops: 0.02% other: 97.18% (2005)

Location

Central Africa, south of Libya

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

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

Terrain

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

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

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)

Constitution

passed by referendum 31 March 1996; a June 2005 referendum removed constitutional term limits

Country name

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

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Marc M. WALL embassy: Avenue Felix Eboue, N'Djamena mailing address: B. P. 413, N'Djamena telephone: [235] 516-211 FAX: [235] 515-654

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Mahamat Adam BECHIR chancery: 2002 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 462-4009 FAX: [1] (202) 265-1937

Executive branch

chief of state: President Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY Itno (since 4 December 1990) head of government: Prime Minister Pascal YOADIMNADJI (since 3 February 2005) 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 3 May 2006 (next to be held by May 2011); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY Itno reelected president; percent of vote - Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY 64.7%, Delwa Kassire COUMAKOYE 15.1%, Albert Pahimi PADACKE 7.8%, Mahamat ABDOULAYE 7.1%, Brahim KOULAMALLAH 5.3%; note - a June 2005 national referendum altered the constitution removing presidential term limits and permitting Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY Itno to run for reelection

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

Government type

republic

Independence

11 August 1960 (from France)

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, OIF, ONUB, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Judicial branch

Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; Criminal Courts; Magistrate Courts

Legal system

based on French civil law system and Chadian customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch

bicameral according to constitution, consists of a National Assembly (155 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and a Senate (not yet created and size unspecified, members to serve six-year terms, one-third of membership renewable every two years) elections: National Assembly - last held 21 April 2002 (next to be held by April 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - MPS 110, RDP 12, FAR 9, RNDP 5, URD 5, UNDR 3, other 11

National holiday

Independence Day, 11 August (1960)

Political parties and leaders

Federation Action for the Republic or FAR [Ngarledjy YORONGAR]; National Rally for Development and Progress or RNDP [Delwa Kassire COUMAKOYE]; 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]

Political pressure groups and leaders

NA

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

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.

Manpower available for military service

males age 20-49: 1,527,580 females age 20-49: 1,629,510 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 20-49: 794,988 females age 20-49: 849,500 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually

males age 18-49: 94,536 females age 20-49: 93,521 (2005 est.)

Military branches

Chadian National Army (Armee Nationale Tchadienne, ANT), Air Force, Gendarmerie (2004)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

1% (2005 est.)

Military service age and obligation

20 years of age for conscripts, with three-year service obligation; 18 years of age for volunteers; no minimum age restriction for volunteers with consent from a guardian; women are subject to one year of compulsory military or civic service at age of 21 (2004)

Age structure

0-14 years: 47.9% (male 2,396,393/female 2,369,261) 15-64 years: 49.3% (male 2,355,940/female 2,550,535) 65 years and over: 2.7% (male 107,665/female 164,407) (2006 est.)

Birth rate

45.73 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate

16.38 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

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

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.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 91.45 deaths/1,000 live births male: 100.12 deaths/1,000 live births female: 82.43 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Languages

French (official), Arabic (official), Sara (in south), more than 120 different languages and dialects

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 47.52 years male: 45.88 years female: 49.21 years (2006 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write French or Arabic total population: 47.5% male: 56% female: 39.3% (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria water contact disease: schistosomiasis respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2005)

Median age

total: 16 years male: 15.3 years female: 16.6 years (2006 est.)

Nationality

noun: Chadian(s) adjective: Chadian

Net migration rate

-0.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Population

9,944,201 (July 2006 est.)

Population growth rate

2.93% (2006 est.)

Religions

Muslim 51%, Christian 35%, animist 7%, other 7%

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate

6.25 children born/woman (2006 est.)

Disputes - international

since the expulsions of residents from Darfur in 2003 by Janjawid armed militia and Sudanese military, about 200,000 refugees remain in eastern 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): 224,924 (Sudan), 29,683 (Central African Republic) (2005)

Airports

52 (2006)

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 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 45 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 21 under 914 m: 10 (2006)

Pipelines

oil 205 km (2006)

Roadways

total: 33,400 km paved: 267 km unpaved: 33,133 km (1999)

Waterways

Chari and Legone rivers are navigable only in wet season (2002)