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, despite signing peace agreements in December 2006 and October 2007. Power remains in the hands of an ethnic minority. In June 2005, President Idriss DEBY held a referendum successfully removing constitutional term limits and won another controversial election in 2006.

Central Africa, south of Libya
15 00 N, 19 00 E
Africa
total: 1.284 million sq km ; land: 1,259,200 sq km ; water: 24,800 sq km
slightly more than three times the size of California
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
0 km (landlocked)
none (landlocked)
tropical in south, desert in north
broad, arid plains in center, desert in north, mountains in northwest, lowlands in south
lowest point: Djourab Depression 160 m ; highest point: Emi Koussi 3,415 m
petroleum, uranium, natron, kaolin, fish (Lake Chad), gold, limestone, sand and gravel, salt
arable land: 2.8% ; permanent crops: 0.02% ; other: 97.18% (2005)
300 sq km (2003)
43 cu km (1987)
Total: 0.23 cu km/yr (17%/0%/83%) ; Per capita: 24 cu m/yr (2000)
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
landlocked; Lake Chad is the most significant water body in the Sahel
9,885,661 (July 2007 est.)
0-14 years: 47.3% (male 2,366,496/female 2,308,155) ; 15-64 years: 49.8% (male 2,250,211/female 2,676,076) ; 65 years and over: 2.9% (male 120,666/female 164,057) (2007 est.)
total: 16.3 years ; male: 15 years ; female: 17.4 years (2007 est.)
2.32% (2007 est.)
42.35 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
16.69 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
-2.46 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female ; under 15 years: 1.025 male(s)/female ; 15-64 years: 0.841 male(s)/female ; 65 years and over: 0.736 male(s)/female ; total population: 0.92 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
total: 102.07 deaths/1,000 live births ; male: 108.27 deaths/1,000 live births ; female: 95.62 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
total population: 47.2 years ; male: 46.17 years ; female: 48.27 years (2007 est.)
5.56 children born/woman (2007 est.)
4.8% (2003 est.)
200,000 (2003 est.)
18,000 (2003 est.)
noun: Chadian(s) ; adjective: Chadian
Sara 27.7%, Arab 12.3%, Mayo-Kebbi 11.5%, Kanem-Bornou 9%, Ouaddai 8.7%, Hadjarai 6.7%, Tandjile 6.5%, Gorane 6.3%, Fitri-Batha 4.7%, other 6.4%, unknown 0.3% (1993 census)
Muslim 53.1%, Catholic 20.1%, Protestant 14.2%, animist 7.3%, other 0.5%, unknown 1.7%, atheist 3.1% (1993 census)
French (official), Arabic (official), Sara (in south), more than 120 different languages and dialects
definition: age 15 and over can read and write French or Arabic ; total population: 47.5% ; male: 56% ; female: 39.3% (2003 est.)
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 (2007)

conventional long form: Republic of Chad ; conventional short form: Chad ; local long form: Republique du Tchad/Jumhuriyat Tshad ; local short form: Tchad/Tshad
republic
name: N'Djamena ; geographic coordinates: 12 06 N, 15 02 E ; time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
18 regions (regions, singular - region); Batha, Borkou-Ennedi-Tibesti, Chari-Baguirmi, Guera, Hadjer-Lamis, Kanem, Lac, Logone Occidental, Logone Oriental, Mandoul, Mayo-Kebbi Est, Mayo-Kebbi Ouest, Moyen-Chari, Ouaddai, Salamat, Tandjile, Ville de N'Djamena, Wadi Fira

11 August 1960 (from France)
Independence Day, 11 August (1960)
passed by referendum 31 March 1996; a June 2005 referendum removed constitutional term limits
based on French civil law system and Chadian customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
18 years of age; universal
chief of state: President Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY Itno (since 4 December 1990) ; head of government: Prime Minister Nouradine Delwa KASSIRE Koumakoye (since 26 February 2007) ; 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 KOUMAKOYE 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
unicameral National Assembly (155 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms); note - the 1996 constitution called for a Senate that has never been formed ; elections: National Assembly - last held 21 April 2002 (next to be held by 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
Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; Criminal Courts; Magistrate Courts
Federation Action for the Republic or FAR [Ngarledjy YORONGAR]; National Rally for Development and Progress or RNDP [Delwa Kassire KOUMAKOYE]; 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]
NA
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF, ONUB, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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
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
chief of mission: Ambassador Louis NIGRO ; embassy: Avenue Felix Eboue, N'Djamena ; mailing address: B. P. 413, N'Djamena ; telephone: [235] 251-62-11, [235] 251-70-09, [235] 251-77-59 ; FAX: [235] 251-56-54





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. Chinese companies are also expanding exploration efforts and plan to build a refinery. The nation's total oil reserves have been estimated to be 1.5 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.
$15.95 billion (2007 est.)
$7.4 billion (2007 est.)
-1.3% (2007 est.)
$1,600 (2007 est.)
agriculture: 22.2% ; industry: 47.2% ; services: 30.6% (2007 est.)
3.747 million (2006)
agriculture: 80% (subsistence farming, herding, and fishing) ; industry and services: 20% (2006 est.)
NA%
80% (2001 est.)
lowest 10%: NA% ; highest 10%: NA%

4% (2007 est.)
11.5% of GDP (2007 est.)
revenues: $1.889 billion ; expenditures: $1.473 billion (2007 est.)

cotton, sorghum, millet, peanuts, rice, potatoes, manioc (tapioca); cattle, sheep, goats, camels
oil, cotton textiles, meatpacking, beer brewing, natron (sodium carbonate), soap, cigarettes, construction materials
-0.5% (2007 est.)
95 million kWh (2005)
fossil fuel: 100% ; hydro: 0% ; nuclear: 0% ; other: 0% (2001)
88.35 million kWh (2005)
0 kWh (2005)
0 kWh (2005)
176,700 bbl/day (2005 est.)
1,350 bbl/day (2005 est.)
170,000 bbl/day (2004)
1,316 bbl/day (2004)
1.5 billion bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
0 cu m (2005 est.)
0 cu m (2005 est.)
0 cu m (2005 est.)
0 cu m (2005)
0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
-$144.5 million (2007 est.)
$4.219 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
oil, cattle, cotton, gum arabic
US 80.6%, China 10.4%, South Korea 2.3% (2006)
$1.149 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
France 18.7%, Cameroon 17.6%, US 12.6%, Germany 7.4%, Saudi Arabia 5%, Belgium 4.9% (2006)

$997.3 million (31 December 2007 est.)
$1.6 billion (2005 est.)
$4.5 billion (2006 est.)
$NA
$NA
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States
XAF
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 480.1 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003)
calendar year
ODA, $379.8 million (2005)
13,000 (2006)
466,100 (2006)
general assessment: primitive system with high costs and low telephone density ; domestic: fair system of radiotelephone communication stations ; international: country code - 235; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)
AM 2, FM 4, shortwave 5 (2001)
1.67 million (1997)
1 (2001)
10,000 (1997)
.td
72 (2007)
1 (2002)
60,000 (2006)

55 (2007)
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 (2007)
total: 48 ; 1,524 to 2,437 m: 16 ; 914 to 1,523 m: 21 ; under 914 m: 11 (2007)

oil 205 km (2006)

total: 33,400 km ; paved: 267 km ; unpaved: 33,133 km (1999)
Chari and Legone rivers are navigable only in wet season (2006)



Chadian National Army (Armee Nationale Tchadienne, ANT), Chadian Air Force (Force Aerienne Tchadienne, FAT), Gendarmerie (2007)
20 years of age for conscripts, with 3-year service obligation; 18 years of age for volunteers; no minimum age restriction for volunteers with consent from a guardian; women are subject to 1 year of compulsory military or civic service at age of 21 (2004)
males age 20-49: 1,527,580 ; females age 20-49: 1,629,510 (2005 est.)
males age 20-49: 794,988 ; females age 20-49: 849,500 (2005 est.)
males age 18-49: 94,536 ; females age 20-49: 93,521 (2005 est.)
4.2% (2006)

since 2003, Janjawid armed militia and the Sudanese military have driven hundreds of thousands of Darfur residents into 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 (country of origin): 234,000 (Sudan), 41,246 (Central African Republic) ; IDPs: 100,000 (2006)


