CHAD
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CHAD
@Chad:Geography
Location: Central Africa, south of Libya
Map references: Africa
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CHAD - MAJOR CITIES
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Latitude, Internat'l Time
Population Longitude Phone Code Zone
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N'DJAMENA 512,000 12.10N, 14.59E 235- GMT+1
Sarh 124,000 9.08N, 18.22E 235- GMT+1
Moundou 87,000 8.53N, 16.01E 235- GMT+1
Abeche 71,000 13.49N, 20.49E 235- GMT+1
Bongor 69,000 10.18N, 15.20E 235- GMT+1
Doba 64,000 8.40N, 16.50E 235- GMT+1
Lai 58,000 9.22N, 16.14E 235- GMT+1
Koumra 20,000 8.56N, 17.32E 235- GMT+1
Kelo 18,000 9.21N, 15.50E 235- GMT+1
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Area:
total area: 1.284 million sq km
land area: 1,259,200 sq km
comparative area: slightly more than three times the size of
California
Land boundaries: total 5,968 km, 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
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none; landlocked
International disputes: the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled
in February 1994 that the 100,000 sq km Aozou Strip between Chad and
Libya belongs to Chad; Libya has withdrawn some of its forces in
response to the ICJ ruling, but still maintains an airfield in the
disputed area; demarcation of international boundaries in Lake Chad,
the lack of which has led to border incidents in the past, is
completed and awaiting ratification by Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and
Nigeria
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)
Land use:
arable land: 2%
permanent crops: 0%
meadows and pastures: 36%
forest and woodland: 11%
other: 51%
Irrigated land: 100 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues: inadequate supplies of potable water; improper waste
disposal in rural areas contributes to soil and water pollution;
desertification
natural hazards: hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds occur in north;
periodic droughts; locust plagues
international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection,
Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping
Note: landlocked; Lake Chad is the most significant water body in the
Sahel
@Chad:People
Population: 5,586,505 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 44% (female 1,198,619; male 1,267,470)
15-64 years: 54% (female 1,563,678; male 1,456,481)
65 years and over: 2% (female 71,971; male 28,286) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.18% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 42.05 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 20.26 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 129.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 41.19 years
male: 40.04 years
female: 42.38 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 5.33 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Chadian(s)
adjective: Chadian
Ethnic divisions:
north and center: Muslims (Arabs, Toubou, Hadjerai, Fulbe, Kotoko,
Kanembou, Baguirmi, Boulala, Zaghawa, and Maba)
south: non-Muslims (Sara, Ngambaye, Mbaye, Goulaye, Moundang, Moussei,
Massa) nonindigenous 150,000, of whom 1,000 are French
Religions: Muslim 50%, Christian 25%, indigenous beliefs, animism 25%
Languages: French (official), Arabic (official), Sara (in south),
Sango (in south), more than 100 different languages and dialects are
spoken
Literacy: age 15 and over has the ability to read and write in French
and Arabic (1990 est.)
total population: 30%
male: 42%
female: 18%
Labor force: NA
by occupation: agriculture 85% (engaged in unpaid subsistence farming,
herding, and fishing)
@Chad:Government
Names:
conventional long form: Republic of Chad
conventional short form: Chad
local long form: Republique du Tchad
local short form: Tchad
Digraph: CD
Type: republic
Capital: N'Djamena
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: 22 December 1989 (suspended 3 December 1990);
Provisional National Charter 1 March 1991 is in effect (note - the
constitutional commission, which was drafting a new constitution to
submit to transitional parliament for ratification in April 1994,
failed to do so but expects to submit a new draft to the parliament
before the end of April 1995)
Legal system: based on French civil law system and Chadian customary
law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: universal at age NA
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY, since 4 December 1990
(after seizing power on 3 December 1990 - transitional government's
mandate expires April 1996)
head of government: Prime Minister Djimasta KOIBLA (since 9 April
1995)
cabinet: Council of State; appointed by the president on
recommendation of the prime minister
Legislative branch: unicameral
National Consultative Council (Conceil National Consultatif):
elections, formerly scheduled for April 1995, were postponed by mutual
agreement of the parties concerned until some time prior to April
1996; elections last held 8 July 1990; the National Consultative
Council was disbanded 3 December 1990 and replaced by the Provisional
Council of the Republic having 30 members appointed by President DEBY
on 8 March 1991; this, in turn, was replaced by a 57-member Higher
Transitional Council (Conseil Superieur de Transition) elected by a
specially convened Sovereign National Conference on 6 April 1993
Judicial branch: Court of Appeal
Political parties and leaders: Patriotic Salvation Movement (MPS),
former dissident group, Idriss DEBY, chairman
note: President DEBY, who promised political pluralism, a new
constitution, and free elections by April 1994, subsequently twice
postponed these initiatives, first until April 1995 and again until
sometime before April 1996; there are numerous dissident groups and at
least 45 opposition political parties
Other political or pressure groups: NA
Member of: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CEEAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-77, GATT,
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, WTO
Diplomatic representation in 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
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Laurence E. POPE II
embassy: Avenue Felix Eboue, N'Djamena
mailing address: B. P. 413, N'Djamena
telephone: [235] (51) 62 18, (51) 40 09, (51) 47 59
FAX: [235] (51) 33 72
Flag: 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
Overview: Climate, geographic remoteness, poor resource endowment, and
lack of infrastructure make Chad one of the most underdeveloped
countries in the world. Its economy is hobbled by political turmoil,
conflict with Libya, drought, and food shortages. Consequently the
economy has shown little progress in recent years in overcoming a
severe setback brought on by civil war in the late 1980s. More than
80% of the work force is involved in subsistence farming and fishing.
Cotton is the major cash crop, accounting for at least half of
exports. Chad is highly dependent on foreign aid, especially food
credits, given chronic shortages in several regions. Of all the
Francophone countries in Africa, Chad has benefited the least from the
50% devaluation of their currencies on 12 January 1994. Despite an
increase in external financial aid and favorable price increases for
cotton - the primary source of foreign exchange - the corrupt and
enfeebled government bureaucracy continues to dampen economic
enterprise by neglecting payments to domestic suppliers and public
sector salaries. Oil production in the Lake Chad area remains a
distant prospect and the subsistence-driven economy probably will
continue to limp along in the near term.
National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $2.8 billion (1993
est.)
National product real growth rate: 3.5% (1993 est.)
National product per capita: $530 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): -4.1% (1992)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $120 million
expenditures: $363 million, including capital expenditures of $104
million (1992 est.)
Exports: $190 million (f.o.b., 1992)
commodities: cotton 48%, cattle 35%, textiles 5%, fish
partners: France, Nigeria, Cameroon
Imports: $261 million (f.o.b., 1992)
commodities: machinery and transportation equipment 39%, industrial
goods 20%, petroleum products 13%, foodstuffs 9%; note - excludes
military equipment
partners: US, France, Nigeria, Cameroon
External debt: $492 million (December 1990 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate 2.7% (1992 est.); accounts for
nearly 15% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity: 40,000 kW
production: 80 million kWh
consumption per capita: 13 kWh (1993)
Industries: cotton textile mills, slaughterhouses, brewery, natron
(sodium carbonate), soap, cigarettes
Agriculture: accounts for about 45% of GDP; largely subsistence
farming; cotton most important cash crop; food crops include sorghum,
millet, peanuts, rice, potatoes, manioc; livestock - cattle, sheep,
goats, camels; self-sufficient in food in years of adequate rainfall
Economic aid:
recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $198 million;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
(1970-89), $1.5 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $28 million;
Communist countries (1970-89), $80 million
Currency: 1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine Francs (CFAF) per US$1
- 529.43 (January 1995), 555.20 (1994), 283.16 (1993), 264.69 (1992),
282.11 (1991), 272.26 (1990)
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
@Chad:Transportation
Railroads: 0 km
Highways:
total: 31,322 km
paved: bituminous 263 km
unpaved: gravel, crushed stone 7,069 km; earth 23,990 km
Inland waterways: 2,000 km navigable
Ports: none
Airports:
total: 66
with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
with paved runways under 914 m: 23
with unpaved runways over 3,047 m: 1
with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 17
with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 21
@Chad:Communications
Telephone system: NA telephones; primitive system
local: NA
intercity: fair system of radio communication stations for intercity
links
international: 1 INTELSAT (Atlantic Ocean) earth station
Radio:
broadcast stations: AM 6, FM 1, shortwave 0
radios: NA
Television:
broadcast stations: NA; note - limited TV service; many facilties are
inoperative
televisions: NA
@Chad:Defense Forces
Branches: Armed Forces (includes Ground Force, Air Force, and
Gendarmerie), Republican Guard, Police
Manpower availability: males age 15-49 1,307,210; males fit for
military service 679,640; males reach military age (20) annually
54,945 (1995 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $74 million, 11.1% of
GDP (1994)
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