Chad

CHAD: New polio cases threaten country, region and beyond

N'DJAMENA Tuesday, November 25, 2008 (IRIN) - The Chadian Health Ministry and the UN have launched a polio vaccination drive targeting half a million...

CHAD: ICG proposes inclusive path to peace

DAKAR Friday, September 26, 2008 (IRIN) - Unless the Chad government includes rebels in reconciliation talks, the country will continue to face...

CHAD: Armed attacks blocking aid in the east

NDJAMENA Wednesday, October 29, 2008 (IRIN) - Rampant armed attacks have forced aid agencies to suspend critical humanitarian assistance to thousands...

CHAD: UN Secretary-General calls to double troop numbers

GOZ BEIDA Monday, November 17, 2008 (IRIN) - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is calling for a doubling of international troops deployed to eastern...
CHAD: UN Secretary-General cal...

CHAD: UN Secretary-General calls to double troop numbers

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for nearly doubling the number of international troops deployed to eastern Chad. UN peacekeepers,...

"Heaviest Rain Ever" predicted in Chad

Thousands of people have remained homeless in Chad and Cameroon since the rains began early in August, according to Norbert Allale, disaster response...

National name: République du Tchad

Geography 

Capital: N'Djamena
Major Towns: Mongo, Abéché, Bongor
Location (geographical coordinates/latitude and longitude): 12°06'N, 15°02'E
Time Zone: WAT (UTC+1)
Size (Land and Sea): 1.284 million sq km
Borders with 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
Elevation extremes: Lowest point: Djourab Depression 160 m; highest point: Emi Koussi 3,415 m
 
Politics 

Head of State: President: Idriss Déby (1990), Prime Minister: Delwa Kassire Koumakoye (2007)
Form of Government: Republic
Independancy (from France):  August 11, 1960 
Currency: CFA franc (XAF)

Industry 

Main Industries: Oil, cotton textiles, meatpacking, beer brewing, natron (sodium carbonate), soap, cigarettes, construction materials.
Natural resources: Petroleum (unexploited but exploration under way), uranium, natron, kaolin, fish (Lake Chad), gold, limestone, sand and gravel, salt.
Agriculture: Cotton, sorghum, millet, peanuts, rice, potatoes, manioc (tapioca); cattle, sheep, goats, camels.

Population and People 

Population: 10,238,807 (2007 est.)
Population density per sq mi: 21
Growth rate: 2.9%
Birth rate: 45.3/1000 (2007 est.)
Total fertility rate: 5.56 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 89.8/1000
Religion: 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
Ethnic groups / Tribes: 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)
Average age: 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.)
Life expectancy: 47.9
Literacy (definition: age 15 and over can read and write French or Arabic): Total population: 47.5%; male: 56%
female: 39.3% (2003 est.)

  • Four bioclimatic zones, mostly desert climate
  • Named after Lake Chad
  • Over 200 different ethnic and linguistic groups
  • Lake Chad (with a surface area of 1,540 km²) is second largest in Africa, only 10.5 metres at the deepest point
  • Home to 120 species of fish and at least that many species of birds (Lake Chad)
  • Nomadic population in the north, desert area
  • Enclosed by different and diverse African regions
  • Great distances from any water/sea (Atlantic Ocean, Red Sea, Nile Valley or Mediterranean Sea
  • Approx 1/3 covered by the Saharan Region (northern part of the country)
  • In the northern region: coldest month is January with a maximum temperature of 32° and the hottest month is May with a maximum temperature of 45°
  • Natural resources: petroleum, uranium, natron, kaolin, fish (Chari River, Logone River and Lake Chad)
  • The country's capital is 1,600 kilometres (994 mi) from the nearest seaport
  • 5968km of land boundaries
  • Cotton production
  • Major export is livestock, including smoked and dried fish
  • Exports several million dollars worth of gum arabic to Europe and the U.S. each year
  • Food crops include pearl millet, sorghum, peanuts, rice, sweet potatoes, manioc, cassava, and yams
  • Culturally diverse nation  (Arabic, French, African influence/mixture)
  • National instrument: hu hu, a stringed instrument that uses calabashes as loudspeakers
  • Food: millet as staple food, rolled into a ball and then dipped into a sauce, mainly with fish
  • Carcaje is a popular sweet drink extracted from hibiscus leaves
  • Millet beer (“billi-billi”) or other locally made alcoholic beverages
  • Mahamat Saleh Haroun’s film “Daratt” won the Grand Special Jury Prize at the 63rd Venice International Film Festival
  • Capital N'Djamena with colourful daily market and laid-back atmosphere
  • Dry desert to fertile farmland
  • National Museum with Sarh culture dating back to the ninth century
  • Abéché, a former capital of the powerful Ouadaï sultanate, with oriental charme
  • Camel racing in the world in the Tibesti Mountains, home of the fierce Toubou tribe