Land use: arable land: 2.86% permanent crops: 0.02% other: 97.12% (2001)
Irrigated land:
200 sq km (1998 est.)
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, 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 Chad
Population:
9,538,544 (July 2004 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 47.9% (male 2,297,490; female 2,269,801)
15-64 years: 49.3% (male 2,245,586; female 2,459,796)
65 years and over: 2.8% (male 107,594; female 158,277) (2004 est.)
Median age:
total: 16 years
male: 15.3 years
female: 16.7 years (2004 est.)