Chad

Find a country's flag, map or national anthem here. Click on a letter to find the country:

Chad

General Information
Geography
Government
Economy
Population
Health
Communications and media
Chronology


GENERAL INFORMATION

National name République du Tchad/Republic of Chad Area 1,284,000 sq km/495,752 sq mi Capital Ndjamena (formerly Fort Lamy) Language French, Arabic (both official), over 100 African languages Religion Muslim 50%, Christian 25%, animist 25% Time difference GMT +1 Major holidays 1 January, 1, 25 May, 7 June, 11 August, 1, 28 November, 25 December; variable: Eid-ul-Adha, Easter Monday, end of Ramadan, Prophet's Birthday


GEOGRAPHY

Major towns/cities Sarh, Moundou, Abéché, Bongor, Doba, Kélo, Koumra Physical features landlocked state with mountains (Tibetsi) and part of Sahara Desert in north; moist savannah in south; rivers in south flow northwest to Lake Chad Airports one international airport and over 40 small airports for domestic services; total passengers carried: 46,000 (2003 est) Railways none Roads total road network: 33,400 km/20,775 mi, of which 0.8% paved (1999 est); passenger cars: 3.2 per 1,000 people (1996 est)


GOVERNMENT

Head of state Idriss Deby from 1990 Head of government Delwa Kassiré Koumakoye from 2007 Political system emergent democracy Political executive limited presidency Administrative divisions 14 prefectures, subdivided into 28 departments Political parties Patriotic Salvation Movement (MPS), left of centre; Alliance for Democracy and Progress (RDP), left of centre; Union for Democracy and Progress (UPDT), left of centre; Action for Unity and Socialism (ACTUS), left of centre; Union for Democracy and the Republic (UDR), left of centre Death penalty retained and used for ordinary crimes Armed forces 30,400; plus paramilitary forces of 4,500 (2006 est) Conscription conscription is for three years Defence spend (% GDP) 0.9 (2005 est) Education spend (% GDP) 2 (2001 est) Health spend (% GDP) 2.6 (2004)


ECONOMY

Currency franc CFA GDP (US$) 5.5 billion (2005 est) Real GDP growth (% change on previous year) 0.1 (2006 est) GNI (US$) 3.9 billion (2005 est) GNI per capita (PPP) (US$) 1,470 (2005 est) Consumer price inflation 8.6% (2006 est) Labour force 77.8% agriculture, 6.3% industry, 15.9% services (1997 est) Foreign debt (US$) 1.7 billion (2004 est) Major trading partners USA, France, Portugal, China, Cameroon, South Korea, Belgium Resources petroleum, tungsten, tin ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, uranium, limestone, kaolin, titanium Industries cotton processing, sugar refinery, beer, cigarettes, soap, bicycles Exports livestock, cotton, meat, oil. Principal market: USA 33.4% (2005) Imports petroleum and petroleum products, cereals, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, machinery and transport equipment, electrical equipment. Principal source: France 7.8% (2005) Arable land 2.8% (2006 est) Agricultural products cotton, millet, sugar cane, sorghum, groundnuts; livestock rearing (cattle, sheep, and goats)


POPULATION

Population 10,032,500 (2006 est) Population growth rate 2.7% (2005–10) Population density (per sq km) 8 (2006 est) Urban population (% of total) 26 (2005 est) Age distribution (% of total population) 0–14 47%, 15–59 48%, 60+ 5% (2005 est) Ethnic groups mainly Arabs in the north, and Pagan, or Kirdi, groups in the south. There is no single dominant group in any region, the largest are the Sara, who comprise about a quarter of the total population. Europeans, mainly French, constitute a very small minority Life expectancy 43 (men); 45 (women) (2005–10) Child mortality rate (under 5, per 1,000 live births) 200 (2004) Education (compulsory years) 6 Literacy rate 55% (men); 38% (women) (2004 est)


HEALTH

Physicians (per 10,000 people) 0.3 (2004 est) Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) 0.7 (2002 est) HIV infection (% of population aged 15–49) 3.5 (2005 est) AIDS deaths 11,000 (2005 est) Access to drinking-water source (% of total population) 40 (urban); 32 (rural) (2002)


COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA

Landline telephones (per 100 people) 0.2 (2005 est) Mobile phone subscribers (per 100 people) 2.2 (2005 est) Radios (per 1,000 people) 236 (2001 est) TV sets (per 1,000 people) 6 (2004 est) Personal computer users (per 100 people) 0.2 (2005 est) Internet users (per 100 people) 0.4 (2005 est)


CHRONOLOGY

7th–9th centuries Berber pastoral nomads, the Zaghawa, immigrated from the north and became a ruling aristocracy, dominating the Sao people, sedentary black farmers, and establishing the Kanem state. 9th–19th centuries The Zaghawa's Saifi dynasty formed the kingdom of Bornu, which stretched to the west and south of Lake Chad, and converted to Islam in the 11th century. At its height between the 15th and 18th centuries, it raided the south for slaves, and faced rivalry from the 16th century from the Baguirmi and Ouadai Arab kingdoms. 1820s Visited by British explorers. 1890s–1901 Conquered by France, who ended slave raiding by Arab kingdoms. 1910 Became colony in French Equatorial Africa. Cotton production expanded in the south. 1944 Pro-Nazi Vichy government signed agreement giving Libya rights to Aozou Strip in northern Chad. 1946 Became overseas territory of French Republic, with its own territorial assembly and representation in French parliament. 1960 Independence achieved, with François Tombalbaye (a Christian) of the Chadian Progressive Party (CPT) as president. 1963 Violent opposition in Muslim north led by Chadian National Liberation Front (Frolinat) backed by Libya. 1968 Revolt of northern militias quelled with French help. 1973 Africanization campaign launched by Tombalbaye. 1975 Tombalbaye killed in military coup led by Gen Félix Malloum; Frolinat continued its resistance. 1978 Malloum formed short-lived coalition government with former Frolinat leader Hissène Habré. 1979 Malloum forced to leave country; interim government set up under Gen Goukouni Oueddei (Frolinat); Habré continued his opposition with his Army of the North (FAN); Libya supported Goukouni. 1981–82 Habré gained control of half the country; Goukouni fled and set up ‘government in exile’. 1983 Habré's regime recognized by Organization of African Unity (OAU; later African Union) and France, but Goukouni's supporters, with Libya's help, fought on in the north. 1987 Chad, France, and Libya agreed on OAU ceasefire to end civil war. 1988 Libya relinquished claims to Aozou Strip. 1990 Habré ousted after army defeat by Libyan-backed Patriotic Salvation Movement (MPS) rebels based in Sudan and led by Habré's former ally Idriss Deby. 1991–92 Several antigovernment coups foiled. 1993 Transitional charter adopted, as prelude to full democracy. 1997 Reconciliation agreement signed with rebel forces. 1998 New rebel Movement for Democracy and Justice in Chad (MDJT) began armed rebellion. 2000 Hissene Habré charged with torture and murder while president in the 1980s; put under house arrest in exile in Senegal. 2002 Government and MDJT rebels signed Libyan-brokered peace deal; outbreaks of fighting continued. 2003 Government signed further peace accords with MDJT and rebel National Resistance Army; fighting began to spill over Chadian border from conflict in Darfur province in neighbouring Sudan. 2005 Referendum endorsed repeal of constitutional provision limiting presidential mandate to two terms; denounced as fraudulent by opposition parties; government accused Sudanese regime of supporting Chadian rebels. 2006 Idriss Deby re-elected for third term as president. Rebel forces advanced on capital, N'djaména, but repulsed by loyalist troops; Chad broke off diplomatic relations with Sudan. 2007 Delwa Kassiré Koumakoye appointed prime minister following death of Pascal Yoadimnadji. Idriss Deby and Sudanese president agreed not to undermine each other's regimes.


© Research Machines plc 2008. All rights reserved. Helicon Publishing is a division of Research Machines plc.