MONGABAY.COM
Mongabay.com seeks to raise interest in and appreciation of wild lands and wildlife, while examining the impact of emerging trends in climate, technology, economics, and finance on conservation and development (more)
WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
|
|
Chad
Index
The coup d'état that terminated Tombalbaye's government
received an enthusiastic response in N'Djamena. Malloum
emerged as
the chairman of the new Supreme Military Council (Conseil
Supérieur
Militaire--CSM). His government contained more Muslims
from
northern and eastern Chad, but ethnic and regional
dominance still
remained very much in the hands of southerners. The
successor
government soon overturned many of Tombalbaye's more
odious
policies. For example, the CSM attempted to distribute
external
drought relief assistance more equitably and efficiently
and
devised plans to develop numerous economic reforms,
including
reductions in taxes and government expenditures.
Neither reformers nor skilled administrators, the new
military
leaders were unable to retain for long the modicum of
authority,
legitimacy, and popularity that they had gained through
their
overthrow of the unpopular Tombalbaye. The expectations of
most
urban Chadians far exceeded the capacity of the new
government--or
possibly any government--to satisfy them. It soon became
clear,
moreover, that the new leaders (mostly southern military
officers)
saw themselves as caretakers rather than innovators, and
few of
Tombalbaye's close associates were punished. Throughout
its tenure,
the CSM was unable to win the support of the capital's
increasingly
radicalized unions, students, and urban dwellers. The
government
suspended the National Union of Chadian Workers (Union
Nationale de
Travailleurs du Tchad--UNTT) and prohibited strikes, but
labor and
urban unrest continued from 1975 through 1978. On the
first
anniversary of the formation of the CSM, Malloum was the
target of
a grenade attack that injured several top officials and
spectators.
A year after that, in March 1977, the CSM executed
summarily the
leaders of a short-lived mutiny by several military units
in
N'Djamena.
The fundamental failures of Malloum's government,
however, were
most evident in its interactions with France, Libya, and
FROLINAT.
In his first few months in office, Malloum persuaded a few
eastern
rebel elements to join the new government. In the north,
the
derde (Oueddei Kichidemi) returned from exile in
Libya in
August 1975. But his son, Goukouni Oueddei, refused to
respond to
his entreaties or those of the government and remained in
opposition. When the Command Council of the Army Armed
Forces of
the North (Conseil de Commandement des Forces Armées du
Nord--
CCFAN), a structure set up in 1972 by Habré and Goukouni
to
represent northern elements in FROLINAT, continued to
refuse
negotiations with the CSM over the release of the hostage
French
archaeologist, France began dealing directly with the
rebels.
Malloum's government reacted to this embarrassment by
demanding the
departure of 1,500 French troops, at a time in late 1975
when
Chad's military situation was beginning to worsen.
Throughout 1976
and 1977, the military balance of power shifted in favor
of
FROLINAT as Libya provided the rebels with substantially
more
weaponry and logistical support than ever before. Faya
Largeau was
placed under siege twice in 1976, and then in June 1977
Bardaï fell
to the CCFAN.
The sharp increase in Libyan activity also brought to a
head
the power struggle within the CCFAN between Goukouni and
Habré. In
1971 Habré had left his position as a deputy prefect in
the
Tombalbaye government to join Goukouni's rebels. Goukouni
and
Habré, ambitious Toubou leaders from two different and
competing
clans, became bitter rivals, first within the CCFAN and
later
within all of Chad. In the CCFAN, the key issues dividing
the men
were relations with Libya and the handling of the hostage
affair.
Habré opposed vigorously all Libyan designs on the Aozou
Strip and
favored retaining the French hostage even after most of
the ransom
demands had been met. Goukouni felt that priority should
go to the
conflict with the CSM, for which Libyan assistance could
be
decisive, and that the kidnapping had already achieved
more than
enough. Habré finally split with him in 1976, taking a few
hundred
followers to fight in Batha and Biltine prefectures and
retaining
for his group the name FAN
(see Appendix B).
Goukouni and
his
followers prevailed (the CCFAN released the hostage to
French
authorities in January 1977).
As the military position of the CSM continued to
decline in
1977, Malloum's political overtures to the rebel groups
and leaders
became increasingly flexible. In September Malloum and
Habré met in
Khartoum to begin negotiations on a formal alliance. Their
efforts
culminated in a carefully drafted agreement, the
Fundamental
Charter, which formed the basis of the National Union
Government of
August 1978. Malloum was named president of the new
government,
while Habré, as prime minister, became the first
significant
insurgent figure to hold an executive position in a
postcolonial
government.
Habré's ascension to power in N'Djamena was intended to
signal
to Goukouni and other rebel leaders the government's
willingness to
negotiate seriously following its reversals on the
battlefield in
1978. In February Faya Largeau fell to FROLINAT, and with
it
roughly half the country's territory. Shortly thereafter,
Malloum
flew to Sabha in southern Libya to negotiate a cease-fire,
but even
as it was being codified in March, FROLINAT's position was
hardening. Goukouni claimed that all three liberation
armies were
now united under his leadership in the new People's Armed
Forces
(Forces Armées Populaires--FAP) and that their objective
remained
the overthrow of the "dictatorial neocolonial regime
imposed by
France on Chad since August 11, 1960." FAP continued to
advance
toward the capital until it was halted near Ati in major
battles
with French military forces and units of the Chadian Armed
Forces
(Forces Armées Tchadiennes--FAT;
see Appendix B). It was
Malloum's
hope that the FROLINAT leadership would soften its terms,
or
possibly undergo renewed fragmentation.
Data as of December 1988
President Tombalbaye marching in a parade celebrating the tenth
anniversary of independence
Courtesy Michael R. Saks
Fountain in Sultan Kasser Plaza in N'Djamena
Courtesy Michael R. Saks
Malloum's Military Government, 1975-78
The coup d'état that terminated Tombalbaye's government
received an enthusiastic response in N'Djamena. Malloum
emerged as
the chairman of the new Supreme Military Council (Conseil
Supérieur
Militaire--CSM). His government contained more Muslims
from
northern and eastern Chad, but ethnic and regional
dominance still
remained very much in the hands of southerners. The
successor
government soon overturned many of Tombalbaye's more
odious
policies. For example, the CSM attempted to distribute
external
drought relief assistance more equitably and efficiently
and
devised plans to develop numerous economic reforms,
including
reductions in taxes and government expenditures.
Neither reformers nor skilled administrators, the new
military
leaders were unable to retain for long the modicum of
authority,
legitimacy, and popularity that they had gained through
their
overthrow of the unpopular Tombalbaye. The expectations of
most
urban Chadians far exceeded the capacity of the new
government--or
possibly any government--to satisfy them. It soon became
clear,
moreover, that the new leaders (mostly southern military
officers)
saw themselves as caretakers rather than innovators, and
few of
Tombalbaye's close associates were punished. Throughout
its tenure,
the CSM was unable to win the support of the capital's
increasingly
radicalized unions, students, and urban dwellers. The
government
suspended the National Union of Chadian Workers (Union
Nationale de
Travailleurs du Tchad--UNTT) and prohibited strikes, but
labor and
urban unrest continued from 1975 through 1978. On the
first
anniversary of the formation of the CSM, Malloum was the
target of
a grenade attack that injured several top officials and
spectators.
A year after that, in March 1977, the CSM executed
summarily the
leaders of a short-lived mutiny by several military units
in
N'Djamena.
The fundamental failures of Malloum's government,
however, were
most evident in its interactions with France, Libya, and
FROLINAT.
In his first few months in office, Malloum persuaded a few
eastern
rebel elements to join the new government. In the north,
the
derde (Oueddei Kichidemi) returned from exile in
Libya in
August 1975. But his son, Goukouni Oueddei, refused to
respond to
his entreaties or those of the government and remained in
opposition. When the Command Council of the Army Armed
Forces of
the North (Conseil de Commandement des Forces Armées du
Nord--
CCFAN), a structure set up in 1972 by Habré and Goukouni
to
represent northern elements in FROLINAT, continued to
refuse
negotiations with the CSM over the release of the hostage
French
archaeologist, France began dealing directly with the
rebels.
Malloum's government reacted to this embarrassment by
demanding the
departure of 1,500 French troops, at a time in late 1975
when
Chad's military situation was beginning to worsen.
Throughout 1976
and 1977, the military balance of power shifted in favor
of
FROLINAT as Libya provided the rebels with substantially
more
weaponry and logistical support than ever before. Faya
Largeau was
placed under siege twice in 1976, and then in June 1977
Bardaï fell
to the CCFAN.
The sharp increase in Libyan activity also brought to a
head
the power struggle within the CCFAN between Goukouni and
Habré. In
1971 Habré had left his position as a deputy prefect in
the
Tombalbaye government to join Goukouni's rebels. Goukouni
and
Habré, ambitious Toubou leaders from two different and
competing
clans, became bitter rivals, first within the CCFAN and
later
within all of Chad. In the CCFAN, the key issues dividing
the men
were relations with Libya and the handling of the hostage
affair.
Habré opposed vigorously all Libyan designs on the Aozou
Strip and
favored retaining the French hostage even after most of
the ransom
demands had been met. Goukouni felt that priority should
go to the
conflict with the CSM, for which Libyan assistance could
be
decisive, and that the kidnapping had already achieved
more than
enough. Habré finally split with him in 1976, taking a few
hundred
followers to fight in Batha and Biltine prefectures and
retaining
for his group the name FAN
(see Appendix B).
Goukouni and
his
followers prevailed (the CCFAN released the hostage to
French
authorities in January 1977).
As the military position of the CSM continued to
decline in
1977, Malloum's political overtures to the rebel groups
and leaders
became increasingly flexible. In September Malloum and
Habré met in
Khartoum to begin negotiations on a formal alliance. Their
efforts
culminated in a carefully drafted agreement, the
Fundamental
Charter, which formed the basis of the National Union
Government of
August 1978. Malloum was named president of the new
government,
while Habré, as prime minister, became the first
significant
insurgent figure to hold an executive position in a
postcolonial
government.
Habré's ascension to power in N'Djamena was intended to
signal
to Goukouni and other rebel leaders the government's
willingness to
negotiate seriously following its reversals on the
battlefield in
1978. In February Faya Largeau fell to FROLINAT, and with
it
roughly half the country's territory. Shortly thereafter,
Malloum
flew to Sabha in southern Libya to negotiate a cease-fire,
but even
as it was being codified in March, FROLINAT's position was
hardening. Goukouni claimed that all three liberation
armies were
now united under his leadership in the new People's Armed
Forces
(Forces Armées Populaires--FAP) and that their objective
remained
the overthrow of the "dictatorial neocolonial regime
imposed by
France on Chad since August 11, 1960." FAP continued to
advance
toward the capital until it was halted near Ati in major
battles
with French military forces and units of the Chadian Armed
Forces
(Forces Armées Tchadiennes--FAT;
see Appendix B). It was
Malloum's
hope that the FROLINAT leadership would soften its terms,
or
possibly undergo renewed fragmentation.
Data as of December 1988
- Chad-Southern Dominance, 1960-1978
- Chad-Islam in Chad
- Chad-Constitutional System STRUCTURE OF GOVERNMENT
- Chad-Central Saharan Languages
- Chad-HEALTH AND MEDICAL SERVICES
- Chad-Defense Expenditures
- Chad-Production Factors
- Chad-LANGUAGES AND ETHNIC GROUPS
- Chad-Equipment
- Chad-Judicial System
- Chad-INTRODUCTION
- Chad-President
- Chad-Direction of Trade
- Chad-Boua
- Chad-Chapter 1 - Historical Setting
- Chad-FOREIGN MILITARY COOPERATION
- Chad-Protestantism in Chad
- Chad-Regional Government
- Chad-Banking and Finance
- Chad-ECONOMY
- Chad-Manufacturing MANUFACTURING, MINING, AND UTILITIES
- Chad-NATIONAL SECURITY
- Chad-Government Finances
- Chad-The French Military Role in Chad
- Chad -COUNTRY PROFILE
- Chad-TOMBALBAYE ERA, 1960-75
- Chad-Secondary Education
- Chad-Arabs: Semisedentary Peoples of the Sahel
- Chad-Relations with Nigeria and Sudan
- Chad-ERA OF EMPIRES, A.D - 900-1900
- Chad-Internal Security Conditions
- Chad-Chapter 2 - The Society and Its Environment
- Chad-CHAD
- Chad-Repelling Libya's Occupying Force, 1985-87
- Chad-Classical African Religions
- Chad-Chapter 3 - The Economy
- Chad-ARRIVAL OF THE FRENCH AND COLONIAL ADMINISTRATION
- Chad-Relations with Other African States
- Chad-SOCIETY
- Chad-Roman Catholicism in Chad
- Chad-Primary Education
- Chad-PREHISTORY
- Chad-Exports
- Chad-Police Services
- Chad-Civil War and Multilateral Mediation, 1979-82
- Chad-Organization of the National Security Establishment
- Chad-National Debt THE NATIONAL DEBT AND FOREIGN ASSISTANCE
- Chad-Relations with France
- Chad-Congo-Kordofanian Languages
- Chad-Subsistence Farming
- Chad-The Air Force
- Chad-Chapter 4 - Government and Politics
- Chad-Nilo-Saharan Languages
- Chad-Land Transport
- Chad-TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUNICATIONS
- Chad-GROWTH AND STRUCTURE OF THE ECONOMY
- Chad-United States Military Aid
- Chad-Balance of Payments BALANCE OF PAYMENTS AND FINANCE
- Chad-GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
- Chad-Council of Ministers
- Chad-Foreign Assistance
- Chad-Administrative Structure
- Chad-Wheat
- Chad-Air Transport
- Chad-ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
- Chad-Forestry
- Chad-Factionalism POLITICAL DYNAMICS
- Chad-Rice and Corn
- Chad-The Land
- Chad-Sahelian Region
- Chad-Communications
- Chad-Restructuring the System
- Chad-Training
- Chad-Vocational Education
- Chad-Chapter 5 - National Security
- Chad-Cotton
- Chad-The Chadian National Armed Forces
- Chad-Fall of the Tombalbaye Government
- Chad-Fulani
- Chad-Mass Media
- Chad-Mabang Languages
- Chad-RELIGION
- Chad
- Chad-INTERNAL SECURITY AND PUBLIC ORDER
- Chad-The FROLINAT Rebellion, 1965-79
- Chad-POPULATION
- Chad-Relations with Libya
- Chad
- Chad-National Union for Independence and Revolution
- Chad
- Chad-Relations with Arab States
- Chad-Sara: Sedentary Peoples of the Soudanian Zone
- Chad-AGRICULTURE
- Chad
- Chad-Tombalbaye's Governance: Policies and Methods
- Chad-Sara-Bongo-Baguirmi Languages
- Chad-Soudanian Region
- Chad-Rebellion in Eastern and Northern Chad
- Chad-THE ARMED FORCES
- Chad-Mining
- Chad-PREFACE
- Chad-SOCIAL STRUCTURE
- Chad-Saharan Region
- Chad
- Chad-Relations with the United States
- Chad-Fishing
- Chad-Kanem-Borno
- Chad-Afro-Asiatic Languages
- Chad-Toubou and Daza: Nomads of the Sahara
- Chad
- Chad-PHYSICAL SETTING
- Chad-Christianity
- Chad-Sorghum and Millet
- Chad-FOREIGN RELATIONS
- Chad-Pricing Mechanisms
- Chad
- Chad-DECOLONIZATION POLITICS
- Chad-Tubers
- Chad-Water Systems
- Chad-Political Style
- Chad-Peanuts
- Chad-TRADE AND COMMERCE
- Chad-Imports
- Chad-The Criminal Justice System
- Chad-Ouaddaïan Languages
- Chad-CIVIL CONFLICT AND LIBYAN INTERVENTION
- Chad-Origins and Early Development
- Chad-Banda-Ngbaka
- Chad-TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUNICATIONS
- Chad-GEOGRAPHY
- Chad
- Chad-ROLE OF GOVERNMENT
- Chad-Preindependence Factions POLITICAL BACKGROUND
- Chad-Higher Education
- Chad-Malloum's Military Government, 1975-78 CIVIL WAR AND NORTHERN DOMINANCE, 1975-82
- Chad-Livestock
- Chad-Arabic
- Chad-Water and Electricity
- Chad
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 has sporadically flared up despite several peace agreements between the government and the rebels. In 2005, new rebel groups emerged in western Sudan and 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. Sporadic rebel campaigns continued throughout 2006 and 2007, and the capital experienced a significant rebel threat in early 2008.
|
Location | | Central Africa, south of Libya
|
Area(sq km) | | total: 1.284 million sq km land: 1,259,200 sq km water: 24,800 sq km
|
Geographic coordinates | | 15 00 N, 19 00 E
|
Land boundaries(km) | | 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
|
Coastline(km) | | 0 km (landlocked)
|
Climate | | tropical in south, desert in north
|
Elevation extremes(m) | | lowest point: Djourab Depression 160 m highest point: Emi Koussi 3,415 m
|
Natural resources | | petroleum, uranium, natron, kaolin, fish (Lake Chad), gold, limestone, sand and gravel, salt
|
Land use(%) | | arable land: 2.8% permanent crops: 0.02% other: 97.18% (2005)
|
Irrigated land(sq km) | | 300 sq km (2003)
|
Total renewable water resources(cu km) | | 43 cu km (1987)
|
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural) | | total: 0.23 cu km/yr (17%/0%/83%) per capita: 24 cu m/yr (2000)
|
Natural hazards | | hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds occur in north; periodic droughts; locust plagues
|
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, Hazardous Wastes, 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
|
Population | | 10,329,208 (July 2009 est.)
|
Age structure(%) | | 0-14 years: 46.7% (male 2,445,841/female 2,381,319) 15-64 years: 50.4% (male 2,386,428/female 2,816,050) 65 years and over: 2.9% (male 126,351/female 173,219) (2009 est.)
|
Median age(years) | | total: 16.5 years male: 15.3 years female: 17.7 years (2009 est.)
|
Population growth rate(%) | | 2.069% (2009 est.)
|
Birth rate(births/1,000 population) | | 40.86 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
|
Death rate(deaths/1,000 population) | | 16.09 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
|
Net migration rate(migrant(s)/1,000 population) | | -4.08 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
|
Urbanization(%) | | urban population: 27% of total population (2008) rate of urbanization: 4.7% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
|
Sex ratio(male(s)/female) | | at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.85 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female total population: 0.92 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
|
Infant mortality rate(deaths/1,000 live births) | | total: 98.69 deaths/1,000 live births male: 104.72 deaths/1,000 live births female: 92.42 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
|
Life expectancy at birth(years) | | total population: 47.7 years male: 46.67 years female: 48.77 years (2009 est.)
|
Total fertility rate(children born/woman) | | 5.31 children born/woman (2009 est.)
|
Nationality | | noun: Chadian(s) adjective: Chadian
|
Ethnic groups(%) | | 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)
|
Religions(%) | | Muslim 53.1%, Catholic 20.1%, Protestant 14.2%, animist 7.3%, other 0.5%, unknown 1.7%, atheist 3.1% (1993 census)
|
Languages(%) | | French (official), Arabic (official), Sara (in south), more than 120 different languages and dialects
|
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
|
Government type | | republic
|
Capital | | name: N'Djamena geographic coordinates: 12 06 N, 15 02 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
|
Administrative divisions | | 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
|
Constitution | | passed by referendum 31 March 1996; a June 2005 referendum removed constitutional term limits
|
Legal system | | based on French civil law system and Chadian customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
|
Suffrage | | 18 years of age; universal
|
Executive branch | | chief of state: President Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY Itno (since 4 December 1990) head of government: Prime Minister Youssof Saleh ABBAS (since 16 April 2008) 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
|
Legislative branch | | 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 2009); note - legislative elections, originally scheduled for 2006, were first delayed by National Assembly action and subsequently by an accord, signed in August 2007, between government and opposition parties election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - MPS 110, RDP 12, FAR 9, RNDP 5, UNDR 5, URD 3, other 11
|
Judicial branch | | Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; Criminal Courts; Magistrate Courts
|
Political pressure groups and leaders | | rebel groups
|
International organization participation | | 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, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
|
Flag description | | three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red note: 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
|
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. At least 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 are estimated at 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.
|
GDP (purchasing power parity) | | $15.82 billion (2008 est.) $15.85 billion (2007 est.) $15.82 billion (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars
|
GDP (official exchange rate) | | $8.4 billion (2008 est.)
|
GDP - real growth rate(%) | | -0.2% (2008 est.) 0.2% (2007 est.) 0.2% (2006 est.)
|
GDP - per capita (PPP) | | $1,600 (2008 est.) $1,600 (2007 est.) $1,600 (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars
|
GDP - composition by sector(%) | | agriculture: 20.5% industry: 48% services: 31.5% (2008 est.)
|
Labor force | | 4.293 million (2007)
|
Labor force - by occupation(%) | | agriculture: 80% (subsistence farming, herding, and fishing) industry and services: 20% (2006 est.)
|
Unemployment rate(%) | | NA%
|
Population below poverty line(%) | | 80% (2001 est.)
|
Household income or consumption by percentage share(%) | | lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
|
Investment (gross fixed)(% of GDP) | | 13.7% of GDP (2008 est.)
|
Budget | | revenues: $2.324 billion expenditures: $1.91 billion (2008 est.)
|
Inflation rate (consumer prices)(%) | | 10.3% (2008 est.) 4% (2007 est.)
|
Stock of money | | $NA (31 December 2008) $874.5 million (31 December 2007)
|
Stock of quasi money | | $NA (31 December 2008) $55.23 million (31 December 2007)
|
Stock of domestic credit | | $NA (31 December 2008) $82.81 million (31 December 2007)
|
Market value of publicly traded shares | | $NA
|
Economic aid - recipient | | ODA, $379.8 million (2005)
|
Agriculture - products | | cotton, sorghum, millet, peanuts, rice, potatoes, manioc (tapioca); cattle, sheep, goats, camels
|
Industries | | oil, cotton textiles, meatpacking, brewing, natron (sodium carbonate), soap, cigarettes, construction materials
|
Industrial production growth rate(%) | | 2% (2008 est.)
|
Current account balance | | -$1.019 billion (2008 est.) -$737.8 million (2007 est.)
|
Exports | | $4.342 billion (2008 est.) $3.674 billion (2007 est.)
|
Exports - commodities(%) | | oil, cattle, cotton, gum arabic
|
Exports - partners(%) | | US 92.8%, Japan 2.2%, France 1.5% (2008)
|
Imports | | $1.927 billion (2008 est.) $1.541 billion (2007 est.)
|
Imports - commodities(%) | | machinery and transportation equipment, industrial goods, foodstuffs, textiles
|
Imports - partners(%) | | France 17.5%, Cameroon 14.8%, China 9.8%, Ukraine 9.5%, US 7.7%, Germany 5.6%, Saudi Arabia 4.7%, Netherlands 4% (2008)
|
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | | $1.347 billion (31 December 2008 est.) $964.4 million (31 December 2007 est.)
|
Debt - external | | $1.6 billion (2005 est.)
|
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home | | $4.5 billion (2006 est.)
|
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad | | $NA
|
Exchange rates | | Cooperation Financiere en Afrique Centrale francs (XAF) per US dollar - 447.81 (2008 est.), 480.1 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004) note: since 1 January 1999, the Central African CFA franc (XAF) has been pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 CFA francs per euro; Central African CFA franc (XAF) coins and banknotes are not accepted in countries using West African CFA francs (XOF), and vice versa, even though the two currencies trade at par
|
Currency (code) | | Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States
|
Telephones - main lines in use | | 13,000 (2008)
|
Telephones - mobile cellular | | 1.809 million (2008)
|
Telephone system | | general assessment: primitive system with high costs and low telephone density; fixed-line connections for only about 1 per 1000 persons coupled with mobile-cellular subscribership base of less than 20 per 100 persons domestic: fair system of radiotelephone communication stations international: country code - 235; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2008)
|
Internet country code | | .td
|
Internet users | | 130,000 (2008)
|
Airports | | 54 (2009)
|
Pipelines(km) | | oil 250 km (2008)
|
Roadways(km) | | total: 33,400 km paved: 267 km unpaved: 33,133 km (2002)
|
Military branches | | Armed Forces: Chadian National Army (Armee Nationale du Tchad, ANT), Chadian Air Force (Force Aerienne Tchadienne, FAT), Gendarmerie (2008)
|
Military service age and obligation(years of age) | | 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)
|
Manpower available for military service | | males age 16-49: 1,906,545 females age 16-49: 2,258,758 (2008 est.)
|
Manpower fit for military service | | males age 16-49: 1,103,006 females age 16-49: 1,315,620 (2009 est.)
|
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually | | male: 121,080 female: 121,585 (2009 est.)
|
Military expenditures(% of GDP) | | 4.2% of GDP (2006)
|
Disputes - international | | 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 and internally displaced persons | | refugees (country of origin): 234,000 (Sudan); 54,200 (Central African Republic) IDPs: 178,918 (2007)
|
Trafficking in persons | | current situation: Chad is a source, transit, and destination country for children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation; the majority of children are trafficked within Chad for involuntary domestic servitude, forced cattle herding, forced begging, forced labor in petty commerce or the fishing industry, or for commercial sexual exploitation; to a lesser extent, Chadian children are also trafficked to Cameroon, the Central African Republic, and Nigeria for cattle herding; children may also be trafficked from Cameroon and the Central African Republic to Chad's oil producing regions for sexual exploitation tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Chad is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat human trafficking in 2007; Chad was destabilized during 2007 by civil conflict leading to a declared state of emergency in February 2008, and a steady influx of refugees fleeing Sudan and the Central African Republic; the government demonstrated insufficient overall efforts to combat trafficking; Chad has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)
|
Electricity - production(kWh) | | 100 million kWh (2007 est.)
|
Electricity - production by source(%) | | fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
|
Electricity - consumption(kWh) | | 93 million kWh (2007 est.)
|
Electricity - exports(kWh) | | 0 kWh (2008 est.)
|
Electricity - imports(kWh) | | 0 kWh (2008 est.)
|
Oil - production(bbl/day) | | 127,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
|
Oil - consumption(bbl/day) | | 1,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
|
Oil - exports(bbl/day) | | 157,900 bbl/day (2007 est.)
|
Oil - imports(bbl/day) | | 1,571 bbl/day (2007 est.)
|
Oil - proved reserves(bbl) | | 1.5 billion bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
|
Natural gas - production(cu m) | | 0 cu m (2008 est.)
|
Natural gas - consumption(cu m) | | 0 cu m (2008 est.)
|
Natural gas - exports(cu m) | | 0 cu m (2008)
|
Natural gas - proved reserves(cu m) | | 0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
|
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate(%) | | 3.5% (2007 est.)
|
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | | 200,000 (2007 est.)
|
HIV/AIDS - deaths | | 14,000 (2007 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 animal contact disease: rabies (2009)
|
Literacy(%) | | definition: age 15 and over can read and write French or Arabic total population: 25.7% male: 40.8% female: 12.8% (2000 est.)
|
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)(years) | | total: 6 years male: 7 years female: 4 years (2005)
|
Education expenditures(% of GDP) | | 1.9% of GDP (2005)
|
|
|