Population:
5,466,771 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.15% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
42.12 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
20.59 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
131.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
40.79 years
male:
39.7 years
female:
41.94 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
5.33 children born/woman (1994 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 can read and write French or 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; constitutional commission drafting new constitution to submit to transitional parliament for ratification in April 1994 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 Col. Idriss DEBY, since 4 December 1990 (after seizing power on 3 December 1990 - transitional government's mandate expires April 1995) head of government: Prime Minister Kassire Delwa KOUMAKOYE (since 17 November 1993) cabinet: Council of State; appointed by the president on recommendation of the prime minister Legislative branch: unicameral National Consultative Council (Conceil National Consultatif): elections last held 8 July 1990; 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, has postponed these initiatives for another year; there are numerous dissident groups and 26 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, IDA, IDB, IFAD, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, OIC, UDEAC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Diplomatic representation in US: chief of mission: (vacant); Ambassador KOUMBARIA Laoumaye Mekonyo died on 16 May 1994 chancery: 2002 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: (202) 462-4009 FAX: (202) 265-1937 US diplomatic representation: chief of mission: Ambassador Lawrence POPE embassy: Avenue Felix Eboue, N'Djamena mailing address: B. P. 413, N'Djamena telephone: [235] (51) 62-18, 40-09, or 62-11 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 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. Over 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. The government hopes that discovery of several oil deposits near Lake Chad will lead to economic revival and a windfall in government revenues by 2000. National product: GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $2.7 billion (1993 est.) National product real growth rate: 8.4% (1991 est.) National product per capita: $500 (1993 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2%-3% (1991 est.) Unemployment rate: NA% Budget: revenues: $115 million expenditures: $412 million, including capital expenditures of $218 million (1991 est.) Exports: $193.9 million (f.o.b., 1991) commodities: cotton 48%, cattle 35%, textiles 5%, fish partners: France, Nigeria, Cameroon Imports: $294.1 million (f.o.b., 1991) 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 12.9% (1989 est.); accounts for nearly 15% of GDP Electricity: capacity: 40,000 kW production: 70 million kWh consumption per capita: 15 kWh (1991) 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 - 592.05 (January 1994), 283.16 (1993), 264.69 (1992), 282.11 (1991), 272.26 (1990), 319.01 (1989) 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, Communications
Highways:
total:
31,322 km
paved:
bituminous 32 km
unpaved:
gravel, crushed stone 7,300 km; earth 23,990 km
Inland waterways:
2,000 km navigable
Airports:
total:
68
usable:
58
with permanent-surface runways:
5
with runways over 3,659 m:
1
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
3
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
27
Telecommunications:
fair system of radiocommunication stations for intercity links;
broadcast stations - 6 AM, 1 FM, limited TV service; many facilities
are inoperative; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
@Chad, Defense Forces
Branches:
Army (includes Ground Forces, Air Force, and Gendarmerie), Republican
Guard
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 1,276,167; fit for military service 663,326; reach
military age (20) annually 54,027 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $58 million, 5.6% of GDP (1989)
@Chile, Geography
Location:
Southern South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean between
Argentina and Peru
Map references:
South America, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
756,950 sq km
land area:
748,800 sq km
comparative area:
slightly smaller than twice the size of Montana
note:
includes Isla de Pascua (Easter Island) and Isla Sala y Gomez
Land boundaries:
total 6,171 km, Argentina 5,150 km, Bolivia 861 km, Peru 160 km
Coastline:
6,435 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
24 nm
continental shelf:
200 nm
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
territorial sea:
12 nm
International disputes:
short section of the southern boundary with Argentina is indefinite;
Bolivia has wanted a sovereign corridor to the South Pacific Ocean
since the Atacama area was lost to Chile in 1884; dispute with Bolivia
over Rio Lauca water rights; territorial claim in Antarctica (Chilean
Antarctic Territory) partially overlaps Argentine and British claims
Climate:
temperate; desert in north; cool and damp in south
Terrain:
low coastal mountains; fertile central valley; rugged Andes in east
Natural resources:
copper, timber, iron ore, nitrates, precious metals, molybdenum
Land use:
arable land:
7%
permanent crops:
0%
meadows and pastures:
16%
forest and woodland:
21%
other:
56%
Irrigated land:
12,650 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution
from untreated sewage; deforestation contributing to loss of
biodiversity; soil erosion; desertification
natural hazards:
subject to severe earthquakes; active volcanism; tsunamis
international agreements:
party to - Antarctic Treaty, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes,
Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands,
Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Antarctic-Environmental Protocol,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea
Note:
strategic location relative to sea lanes between Atlantic and Pacific
Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake Passage); Atacama
Desert one of world's driest regions
@Chile, People