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| Chad | Plants and Animal | Back to Top |
Since the 1950s, Chad's food production has declined. Even so, contempt pockets of malnutrition remaining in areas where rains failed or locusts damaged local crops, the overall picture for Chad's food production was good in the 1985-87 time. The rebound of food production in this time was the result of good rains, the return of political stability, and the absence of major conflict in the sahelian and soudanian zones. The downturn in cotton production and added restrictions on its cultivation also released lands and labor for farmers to put into food production. Production was so high in these years that, for the first time in a decade, it was around that Chad had returned to food sufficiency. This followed a cereal shortfall in the drought years of 1984 and 1985 of around 325,000 tons. Total cereal production rose thereafter to the 700,000-ton level, well above the around 615,000 tons of grains needed for food sufficiency.
Two institutional efforts to manage cattle marketing were attempted in the 1970s and 1980s. The Chadian Animal Resources Improvement Company (Société Tchadienne d'Exploitation des Ressources Animales-- SOTERA), a mixed enterprise formed as a farm animal company with participation by some orthodox farm animal traders, began operations in 1978. Its aim was to control live animal exports through a license system and to have a monopoly on exports of chilled meat and hides. It was hoped at the time that the association of traders to SOTERA would increase the effective collection of export taxes on farm animal by 50 to 74%. By 1984, SOTERA handled only a small portion of the domestic market and less than 30 % of the export trade. A second institution, the Center for the Modernization of Animal Production, was engaged in marketing dairy products, supplying chicks to farmers, and overseeing the sale of eggs and the processing of feed. But, among other problems, the CMPA was unable to compete with local traders for milk needed to produce cheese for sale. Although highly subsidized, this venture also was unsuccessful and demonstrated the resilience of the orthodox private network for marketing produce.
| Chad | Communications | Back to Top |
Primitive system
domestic: fair system of radiotelephone communication stations
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat
| Chad | Culture | Back to Top |
The essential social unit of Sara society is the lineage. Called the qir ka among the eastern Sara, qin ka among those of the center, and qel ka among the western subgroups, the term actually refers to the male ancestor from whom members of the lineage believe they descend. Within the context of the qir ka, an individual identifies patrilineally. Legal identity and rights to land are determined by membership in the patrilineage. The mother's lineage, is not disregarded; it may offer shelter and support, when the individual is cut off from the paternal lineage, or benefit from certain kinds of labor obligations.
Although the basic social group is the lineage, the basic residential unit is the village. In general, local government takes two forms. If the villagers all belong to the same origin, the village is governed by origin institutions whereby the elders make valuable decisions, preside over valuable cultural rites, and play an valuable role in agricultural rituals. If villagers are separated among several lineages, elders from the different groups may meet together to resolve common problems. In such encounters, elders of the lineage that first settled the territory preside as "first among equals."
During the colonial era, the French superimposed a territorially based administration over precolonial Sara social and political institutions. On the local level, this took the form of the canton. The canton was headed by a chief named by the central government, who in turn named "village chiefs." Although candidates for such positions existed among the orthodox Sara authorities, the French generally preferred to appoint collaborators who had no independent base of support. Apart from creating new political structures, the French also sought to reorganize Sara society spatially. They forced people to regroup in more compact villages along roads, causing lineages to abandon orthodox lands, contempt considerable initial resistance, the colonial administration finally succeeded in imposing these new settlement patterns and new chiefs, thus counteract Sara political and social structures.
| Chad | Defence | Back to Top |
Military branches: Armed Forces includes Ground Force, Air Force, and Gendarmerie, Republican Guard, Rapid Intervention Force, Police, Rural and Nomadic Guard (GNNT)
Military manpower - military age: 20 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,814,578 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 949,997 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 82,003 (2001 est.)
| Chad | International Disputes | Back to Top |
Delimitation of international boundaries in the vicinity of Lake Chad, the deficiency of which led to border incidents in the past, has been completed and awaits ratification by Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria
| Chad | Economy | Back to Top |
The economy of Chad is based largely on subsistence agriculture; some 83 % of the labor force is engaged in farming, animal husbandry, forestry, and fishing. In 1992 national budget figures showed revenues of $121 million and expenditures of $365 million. The currency is the CFA franc, consisting of 100 centimes. An exchange rate of 50 CFA francs equal to 1 French franc was in force until 1994, when the CFA franc was devalued by 50 %. In 1999 imports were $270 million, and exports were $277 million. Chad's principal mineral resource is natron -a complex of sodium carbonate, which is dug up in the Lake Chad and Borkou areas and is used as salt and in the preparation of soap and medicines. Annual production is a few thousand tons. There are indications of deposits of gold in the Ouaddaï area, uranium in the Ennedi Plateau area, uranium and wolframite in the Aozou Strip in the far north, and bauxite near Laï. Oil has been found north of Lake Chad.
Landlocked Chad's economic development suffers from its geographic remoteness, drought, deficiency of infrastructure, and political turmoil. About 85% of the population depends on agriculture, including the herding of farm animal. Of Africa's Francophone countries, Chad benefited least from the 50% devaluation of their currencies in January 1994. Financial aid from the World Bank, the African Development Fund, and other sources is directed largely at the improvement of agriculture, particularly farm animal production. The World Bank's decision to back the Doba oil field development and the Chad-Cameroon pipeline will add Chad to the group of already booming West African oil exporters. the rank and file may not benefit much from the oil development projects.
| Chad | Education | Back to Top |
The establishment of Protestant mission schools in southern Chad in the 1920s, followed by Roman Catholic and colonial state establishments in later decades, marked the beginning of Western education in Chad. From the outset, the colonial administration required that all instruction be in French, with the exception of religion classes, which could be taught in local languages. As early as 1925, the state imposed a standard curriculum on all institutions wishing official recognition and government subsidies. The state thus extended its determine to education, even though the majority of Chadian students attended private mission schools before World War II.
At freedom in 1960, the government accomplished a goal of universal primary education, and school attendance was made compulsory until age twelve. Nevertheless, the development of standard curricula was hampered by the limited number of schools, the existence of two- and three-year establishments alongside the standard five- and seven-year collèges and lycées, and the Muslim preference for Quranic education. Even so, by the mid-1960s 17 % of students between the ages of six and eight were in school. This number described a substantial increase over the 9 % attending school in the mid-1950s and the 1.5 % immediately after World War II. Although the academic year in Chad parallels the French schedule, running from October to June, it is not particularly appropriate for a nation where the hottest part of the April and May.
In the late 1980s, the Ministry of Education had administrative responsibility for all formal schooling. Because of years of civil strife, local communities had assumed many of the ministry's functions, including the construction and maintenance of schools, and payment of teachers' salaries. In 2001 Chad had a literacy rate of 69 %. School attendance in the 1996 school year was 680,959 primary and 99,799 secondary students. During this time there were 2,660 primary schools. In the mid-1990s about 3,000 people attended institutions of higher education, including the nation’s one university, the University of Chad.
| Chad | Government | Back to Top |
Government: Governmental system based on Fundamental Law of October 18, 1982, which served as interim constitution. Fundamental Law published after Armed Forces of the North (Forces Armées du Nord--FAN) wrested control from incumbent government; in late 1980s, former FAN leaders still held many valuable positions. Fundamental Law gives president overriding authority for controlling all aspects of government. New constitution being drafted in 1989. In 1988 presidentially appointed Council of Ministers served as cabinet. No elected legislative body, but thirty-member National Advisory Council provided forum for limited debate. Judicial system based on French civil law but modified to include mixture of customary and Islamic legal interpretations. In late 1980s, civil and military courts sometimes had overlapping jurisdictions.
Politics: Chadian Civil War and factionalism have controlled political events since mid-1960s. After its victory in 1982, Command Council of the Armed Forces of the North (Conseil de Commandement des Forces Armées du Nord--CCFAN) was broken and in June 1984 replaced by sole political party, National Union for freedom and Revolution (Union Nationale pour l'Indépendance et la Révolution--UNIR). UNIR, led by president, had fourteen-member administrator Bureau and eighty-member Central Committee. Party used mainly to integrate former government opponents into new regime. No elections planned as of late 1988.
Foreign Affairs: Since freedom, external affairs governed by France, Chad's colonizer, and Libya, ambitious neighbor to north. Relations with France have wavered, but in late 1980s France provided some of Chad's air defense and other security needs, and French financial interests helped sustain economy. Libya has claimed and occupied Aozou Strip, aided several antigovernment rebel factions, and intervened militarily. In late 1988, relations with Libya were restored, so that Chad had amicable relations with all its neighbors. United States supported government and provided military and humanitarian assistance.
International Organizations: Member of African Development Bank, West African Economic Community, Conference of East and Central African States, European Community, Group of 77, World Bank, International Cotton Advisory Committee, Islamic Development Bank, International Telecommunications Satellite Organization, Interpol, Lake Chad Basin Commission, Nonaligned Movement, Organization of African Unity, Afro-Malagasy and Mauritian Common Organization, Organization of the Islamic Conference, United Nations.
| Chad | History | Back to Top |
The Contemporary Attitudes, institutions, and problems of Chad are the outgrowth of historical traditions and tendencies that have evolved over more than 1,000 years. The nation is populated by various, yet in many cases, interrelated peoples whose evolution was characterized by intersecting migrations, splinterings, and regroupings. Most of the nation's population groups originated in areas generally north and east of Chad's present-day boundaries. Chad's geographic position along major trans-Saharan trade routes has also affected its historical development. In early times, trade consisted of goods and slaves seized in raids on groups in the south. Consolidations of small chiefdoms led to the evolution of a series of kingdoms and empires in the central region, of which the most valuable were Kanem-Borno, Bagirmi, and Wadai. The kingdoms and empires based their power on, and were ultimately subjected to, raids or the payment of tribute. Although there were early communities in both northern and southern Chad, most of the nation's known history is focused on the Muslim peoples of the central region.
After World War II, representative institutions were introduced, and the growth of party politics began. Political groupings reflected domestic political developments in France and orthodox ethnic factionalism in Chad. Short-lived political coalitions and party splinterings were commonplace. When Chad achieved freedom in 1960, southerners--the group most exposed to the French administrators--controlled political life. The most prominent of the northern rebel groups was the National Liberation Front of Chad (Front de Libération Nationale du Tchad--FROLINAT), an umbrella organization formed in 1966. Over the years, FROLINAT went through a series of transformations and fragmentations. Nonetheless, by the mid-1970s rebel activity, in conjunction with Tombalbaye's political ineptitude, helped bring about the government's downfall. Tombalbaye was killed in 1975 during a military coup d'état led by Félix Malloum.
The new government, had no more success than its predecessor in halting rebel activity. In 1979 Hissein Habré, a northern rebel leader, ousted Malloum. Throughout the 1980s, the quest for political control changed from a north-south fight to a primarily northern intraregional conflict. The turmoil of the late 1970s and 1980s had international and domestic aspects, as Libya, France, the United States, and many African nations became involved in the Chadian imbroglio. By early 1988, stability had been restored, but inter- and intraethnic differences, as well as regional divisions, continued to threaten Chad's progress toward national integration.
| Chad | Introduction | Back to Top |
The capital of Chad is N'Djamena which has an area of 1,284,150 sq km. Chad, Republic of, landlocked republic in north-central Africa, bounded on the north by Libya, on the east by Sudan, on the south by the Central African Republic, and on the west by Cameroon, Nigeria, and Niger. A former French colony, Chad gained full freedom on August 11, 1960.
Official Name- Republic of Chad| Chad | Land | Back to Top |
Although Chadian society is economically, socially, and culturally fragmented, the nation's geography is unified by the Lake Chad Basin. Once a huge inland sea (the Pale-Chadian Sea) whose only remnant is shallow Lake Chad, this large depression extends west into Nigeria and Niger. The larger, northern portion of the basin is bounded within Chad by the Tibesti Mountains in the northwest, the Ennedi Plateau in the northeast, the Ouaddaï Highlands in the east along the border with Sudan, the Guéra Massif in central Chad, and the Mandara Mountains along Chad's southwestern border with Cameroon. The smaller, southern part of the basin falls almost exclusively in Chad. It is delimited in the north by the Guéra Massif, in the south by highlands 250 kilometers south of the border with Central African Republic, and in the southwest by the Mandara Mountains.
Lake Chad, located in the southwestern part of the basin at an altitude of 282 meters, surprisingly does not mark the basin's lowest point; instead, this is found in the Bodele and Djourab regions in the north-central and northeastern parts of the nation, respectively. At various times in the past, and as late as the 1870s, the Bahr el Ghazal Depression, which extends from the northeastern part of the lake to the Djourab, acted as an overflow canal; since freedom, climatic conditions have made overflows impossible.
North and northeast of Lake Chad, the basin extends for more than 800 kms, passing through regions characterized by great rolling dunes separated by very deep depressions. Although vegetation holds the dunes in place in the Kanem region, farther north they are bare and have a fluid, rippling character. From its low point in the Djourab, the basin rises to the plateaus and peaks of the Tibesti Mountains in the north. The summit of this formationas well as the highest point in the Sahara Desert is Emi Koussi, a dormant volcano that reaches 3,414 meters above sea level. The basin's northeastern limit is the Ennedi Plateau, whose limestone bed rises in steps etched by erosion.
| Chad | Languages | Back to Top |
The official languages of Chad are French and Arabic, but numerous African languages are spoken. Chadic languages, particularly Hausa, are spoken in the Lake Chad area. Muslims make up about 50 % of the population. About 33 % of the people are Christians. Most of the remaining population adheres to orthodox religions.
| Chad | Life | Back to Top |
Chad possesses a valuable cultural heritage. The government has in the past promoted cultural activities and institutions. There is a national museum of past history and orthodox artifacts. The Chad Cultural Centre seeks to awaken a conscious interest in national traditions. The lives of the people have been so separated by war and famine since the 1960s, that Chad is more destroyed than ever, and the main efforts of the government and people are now directed toward survival.
| Chad | organization | Back to Top |
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CEEAC, CEMAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO.
| Chad | People | Back to Top |
In the late 1980s, demographic data for Chad were very incomplete. One of the most valuable demographic techniques is projection from one set of data to anticipate the evolution of the population, but the deficiency of a national census in Chad has made applying such a technique difficult. In addition, population projections assume that the population has evolved with regularity since the last collection of data. In Chad, domestic conflict, foreign military occupation of part of its territory, and serious famines, from 1968 through 1973 and in the early 1980s, have disrupted the regular change of the population. As a result, many population estimates were likely inaccurate. In 1988 most population estimates continued to be based on projections from partial studies made in 1964 and 1968 by the National Institute of Economic and Statistical Studies in France and by the Chadian government. These survey data, projected forward, were the major reference sources for the Chadian government and for many international agencies and foreign governments. Two organizations, the Sahel Institute and the Population Reference Bureau (PRB), gave different figures for Chad's population in 1985. The first organization around the population at almost 5 million; the second, at 5.2 million. In the late 1980s, cognizant of the need for demographic data for planning, the Ministry of Planning and Reconstruction and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa began planning the first national census for 1989.
The around population of Chad in 2001 was 8,707,099. The overall population density is 8 persons per sq km. About 76 % of the people live in rural areas, and most of the population is concentrated in the south. The population may be separated into two main groups: a Muslim population in the northern and eastern portions of the nation and the non-Muslims of black African origin in the southern regions. The Muslim population includes both nomadic Arabs and sedentary non-Arab peoples. The largest group among the non-Muslims is the Sara tribe. Chad culture draws most heavily on the ethnic heritage of its black peoples, but Islamic and French determines are much in demonstrate.
| Chad | Politics | Back to Top |
National Union for Development and Renewal or UNDR [Saleh KEBZABO]; Patriotic Salvation Movement or MPS [Mahamat Saleh AHMAT, chairman] (originally in opposition but now the party in power and the party of the president); Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP [Lal Mahamat CHOUA]; Union for Renewal and Democracy or URD [Gen. Wadal Abdelkader KAMOUGUE]
| Chad | Provinces | Back to Top |
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.
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| Chad | Time | Back to Top |
| Chad | Currency and General Information | Back to Top |
| Africaine Francs BEAC | United States Dollars |
| 1 XAF | 0.000210526 USD |
| 752.952 XAF | 1 USD |
| Countries Currency Unit | USD/Unit | Units/USD | |
| DZD | Algeria Dinars | 0.0129554 | 77.1877 |
| USD | United States Dollars | 1.00000 | 1.00000 |
| ARS | Argentina Pesos | 0.341293 | 2.93004 |
| AUD | Australia Dollars | 0.533413 | 1.87472 |
| ATS | Austria Schillings ** | 0.0632609 | 15.8076 |
| BSD | Bahamas Dollars | 1.00000 | 1.00000 |
| BBD | Barbados Dollars | 0.502513 | 1.99000 |
| BEF | Belgium Francs ** | 0.0215788 | 46.3417 |
| BMD | Bermuda Dollars | 1.00000 | 1.00000 |
| BRL | Brazil Reals | 0.430318 | 2.32386 |
| GBP | United Kingdom Pounds | 1.42399 | 0.702251 |
| BGL | Bulgaria Leva | 0.447293 | 2.23567 |
| CAD | Canada Dollars | 0.627606 | 1.59336 |
| CLP | Chile Pesos | 0.00152392 | 656.202 |
| CNY | China Yuan Renminbi | 0.120813 | 8.27726 |
| CYP | Cyprus Pounds | 1.49883 | 0.667186 |
| CZK | Czech Republic Koruny | 0.0281883 | 35.4758 |
| DKK | Denmark Kroner | 0.117155 | 8.53568 |
| XCD | East Caribbean Dollars | 0.370370 | 2.70000 |
| EGP | Egypt Pounds | 0.217271 | 4.60255 |
| EUR | Euro | 0.870489 | 1.14878 |
| FJD | Fiji Dollars | 0.447227 | 2.23600 |
| FIM | Finland Markkaa ** | 0.146406 | 6.83034 |
| FRF | France Francs ** | 0.132705 | 7.53550 |
| DEM | Germany Deutsche Marks ** | 0.445074 | 2.24682 |
| XAU | Gold Ounces | 301.977 | 0.00331151 |
| GRD | Greece Drachmae ** | 0.00255463 | 391.447 |
| HKD | Hong Kong Dollars | 0.128215 | 7.79939 |
| HUF | Hungary Forint | 0.00358416 | 279.006 |
| ISK | Iceland Kronur | 0.00999868 | 100.013 |
| INR | India Rupees | 0.0205205 | 48.7319 |
| IDR | Indonesia Rupiahs | 0.000102055 | 9,798.61 |
| IEP | Ireland Pounds ** | 1.10529 | 0.904738 |
| ILS | Israel New Shekels | 0.212386 | 4.70841 |
| ITL | Italy Lire ** | 0.000449570 | 2,224.35 |
| JMD | Jamaica Dollars | 0.0210041 | 47.6099 |
| JPY | Japan Yen | 0.00754183 | 132.594 |
| JOD | Jordan Dinars | 1.41057 | 0.708931 |
| LBP | Lebanon Pounds | 0.000660937 | 1,513.00 |
| LUF | Luxembourg Francs ** | 0.0215788 | 46.3417 |
| MYR | Malaysia Ringgits | 0.263330 | 3.79751 |
| MXN | Mexico Pesos | 0.111007 | 9.00848 |
| NZD | New Zealand Dollars | 0.440474 | 2.27028 |
| NOK | Norway Kroner | 0.113022 | 8.84780 |
| NLG | Netherlands Guilders ** | 0.395011 | 2.53158 |
| PKR | Pakistan Rupees | 0.0166945 | 59.9000 |
| PHP | Philippines Pesos | 0.0196386 | 50.9202 |
| XPT | Platinum Ounces | 510.962 | 0.00195709 |
| PLN | Poland Zlotych | 0.243488 | 4.10699 |
| PTE | Portugal Escudos ** | 0.00434198 | 230.310 |
| ROL | Romania Lei | 0.0000303433 | 32,956.21 |
| RUR | Russia Rubles | 0.0321342 | 31.1195 |
| SAR | Saudi Arabia Riyals | 0.266668 | 3.74998 |
| XAG | Silver Ounces | 4.65692 | 0.214734 |
| SGD | Singapore Dollars | 0.542540 | 1.84318 |
| SKK | Slovakia Koruny | 0.0208441 | 47.9751 |
| ZAR | South Africa Rand | 0.0883340 | 11.3207 |
| KRW | South Korea Won | 0.000759354 | 1,316.91 |
| ESP | Spain Pesetas ** | 0.00523174 | 191.141 |
| XDR | IMF Special Drawing Rights | 1.24862 | 0.800882 |
| SDD | Sudan Dinars | 0.00384615 | 260.000 |
| SEK | Sweden Kronor | 0.0964189 | 10.3714 |
| CHF | Switzerland Francs | 0.593789 | 1.68410 |
| TWD | Taiwan New Dollars | 0.0286531 | 34.9002 |
| THB | Thailand Baht | 0.0230087 | 43.4619 |
| TTD | Trinidad and Tobago Dollars | 0.163399 | 6.12000 |
| TRL | Turkey Liras | 0.000000763622 | 1,309,549.07 |
| VEB | Venezuela Bolivares | 0.00108696 | 920.000 |
| ZMK | Zambia Kwacha | 0.000239866 | 4,169.00 |
| Chad : Geographic coordinates | 15 00 N, 19 00 E |
| Chad : Population growth rate | 3.29% |
| Chad : Birth rate | 48.28 births/1,000 population |
| Chad : Death rate | 15.4 deaths/1,000 population |
| Chad : People living with HIV/AIDS | 92,000 |
| Chad : Independence | 11 August 1960 |
| Chad : National holiday | Independence Day, 11 August |
| Chad : Constitution | 31 March 1995 |
| Chad : GDP | purchasing power parity - $8.1 billion |
| Chad : GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $1,000 |
| Chad : Electricity - consumption | 83.7 million kWh |
| Chad : Exports | $172 million cotton, cattle, textiles |
| Chad : Imports | $223 million machinery and transportation equipment, industrial goods, petroleum products |
| Chad : Telephones | 7,000 |
| Chad : Mobile cellular | N/A |
| Chad : Radio broadcast stations | AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 5 |
| Chad : Radios | 1.67 million |
| Chad : Television broadcast stations | 1 |
| Chad : Televisions | 10,000 |
| Chad : Internet country code | .td |
| Chad : Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 1 |
| Chad : Internet users | 1,000 |
| Chad : Railways | N/A |
| Chad : Highways | 33,400 km |
| Chad : Waterways | 2,000 km |
| Chad : Pipelines | N/A |
| Chad : Ports and harbors | N/A |
| Chad : Merchant marine | N/A |
| Chad : Airports | 50 |
| Chad : Heliports | N/A |
| Chad : Military branches | Ground Force, Air Force, and Gendarmerie |
| Chad : Military expenditures | $39 million |