Match 50 DB Rec# - 7,502 Dataset-WOFACT
Title :Chad
Text :
Chad
Geography
Location:
Central Africa, south of Libya
Map references:
Africa
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withdrawn some of its forces in response to the ICJ ruling, but still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
Geography
Note:
landlocked; Lake Chad is the most significant water body in the Sahel
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)
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
Government
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)
Economy
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
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
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
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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The printed version of this item can be found under the title:
The World Factbook 1995,
SuDoc No: PREX 3.15:995
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