Country Facts - Chad

The People

Nationality

Chadian(s)

Ethnic Composition

There are 200 distinct groups; in the north and center: Arabs, Gorane (Toubou, Daza, Kreda), Zaghawa, Kanembou, Ouaddai, Baguirmi, Hadjerai, Fulbe, Kotoko, Hausa, Boulala, and Maba, most of whom are Muslim; in the south: Sara (Ngambaye, Mbaye, Goulaye), Moundang, Moussei, Massa, most of whom are Christian or animist; about 1,000 French citizens live in Chad

Religious Composition

Muslim	51%
Christian	35%
Animist	7%
Other	7%

Languages Spoken

French (official), Arabic (official), Sara (in south), more than 120 different languages and dialects

Education and Literacy

Chad's overall adult literacy is around 40 percent; among males it is 69 percent and females 31 percent.

Labor Force

Total: NA

By occupation: agriculture 85% (subsistence farming, herding, and fishing).

Geography

Land Mass Total

495,755 sq mi (1,284,000 sq km)

Land

486,179 sq mi (1,259,200 sq km)

Water

9,575 sq mi (24,800 sq km)

Land Boundaries

Total: 3,708 mi (5,968 km)

Border countries: Cameroon 679 mi (1,094 km), Central African Republic
743 mi (1,197 km), Libya 655 mi (1,055 km), Niger 730 mi (1,175 km), Nigeria
54 mi (87 km), Sudan 845 mi (1,360 km).

Coastline

Landlocked

Maritime claim

None

Climate/Weather

Tropical in south, desert in north.

Terrain

Broad, arid plains in center, desert in north, mountains in northwest, lowlands in south.

Elevation extremes

Lowest: Djourab Depression 524 ft (160 m)
Highest: Emi Koussi 11,204 ft (3,415 m)

Natural Resources

Petroleum (unexploited but exploration under way), uranium, natron, kaolin, fish
(Lake Chad).

Land use

Arable land	3%
Permanent crops	0%
Other	97%

(1998)

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.

Geography Note

Lake Chad is the most significant water body in the Sahel.

Demographics

Population

8,997,237 (July 2002)

Age structure

0-14 years:	47.8%	Male: 2,162,732	Female: 2,135,354
15-64 years:	49.4%	Male: 2,108,134	Female: 2,340,189
65 years and over:	2.8%	Male: 103,683	Female: 147,145

(2002)

Growth Rate

3.27% (2002)

Life Expectancy

51.27 years (2002)
female: 53.4 years
male: 49.22 years

GDP Per Capita

Purchasing power parity
US$1,030 (2001)

Infant Mortality

93.46 deaths/1,000 live births (2002)

Sex ratio

At birth:	1.04 male(s)/female
Under 15 years:	1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years:	0.9 male(s)/female
65 years and over:	0.7 male(s)/female
Total population:	0.95 male(s)/female

(2002)

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002)

Economy & Trade

Chad's primarily agricultural economy will be boosted by major oilfield and pipeline projects that began in 2000. Over 80% of Chad's population relies on subsistence farming and stock raising for their livelihood. Cotton, cattle, and gum arabic provide the bulk of Chad's export earnings, but Chad will begin to export oil in 2004. Chad's economy has long been handicapped by its land-locked 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 is investing $3.7 billion to develop oil reserves estimated at 1 billion barrels in southern Chad. This will provide major new employment opportunities and generate badly needed tax revenue and foreign exchange. In 2000, GDP growth rate was a tragic 0.6 percent, mainly due to a devastating drought. Real GDP growth surged in 2001 reaching 8.5 percent driven primarily by oil-related investment, as well as a return to pre-drought levels of agricultural production. Sagging cotton prices caused a similar droop in the economy in 2002 with equally unfortunate predictions for 2003.

Unemployment

N/A

Inflation Rate

3% (2000)

Industries

Cotton textiles, meatpacking, beer brewing, natron (sodium carbonate), soap, cigarettes, construction materials.

Exports

US$172 million (f.o.b., 2000)

Imports

US$223 million (f.o.b., 2000)

Total Trade

Purchasing power parity
GDP US$8.9 billion (2001)

Top Export Partners

Portugal 38%, Germany 12%, Thailand, Costa Rica, South Africa, France, Nigeria (2001)

Top Import Partners

France 40%, Cameroon 13%, Nigeria 12%, India 5% (1999)

Top Exports

Cotton, cattle, textiles.

Top Imports

Machinery and transportation equipment, industrial goods, petroleum products, foodstuffs, textiles.

Debt - external

$1.1 billion (2000)

Economic aid

US$238.3 million (1995)
Note: $125 million committed by Taiwan (August 1997); $30 million committed by African Development Bank

Fiscal Year:

Calendar year.

Business Workweek

	Monday - Friday	Saturday - Sunday
Offices	Monday through Thursday, 7a.m. to 3:30p.m. Friday 7a.m. to noon.	Closed
Retail	Monday Closed Tuesday through Friday, 9a.m. to 12:30p.m. and 3p.m. to 6:30p.m.	Saturday 9a.m. to 12:30p.m. and 3p.m. to 6:30p.m.
Banks	Monday through Thursday, 7:30a.m. to 2p.m. Friday hours are 7a.m. to 10p.m.	Closed
Government	Monday through Thursday, 7a.m. to 3:30p.m.	Closed

Holidays

Official Holidays

Holidays	2003	2004	2005
New Year's Day	January 1	January 1	January 1
Festival of Sacrifice (Tabaski, Eid Al Adha)¹	February 12	February 2	January 21
Easter²	April 20	April 11	March 27
National Day	April 13	April 13	April 13
Labor Day	May 1	May 1	May 1
Liberation of Africa (Anniversary of the OAU's Foundation)	May 25	May 25	May 25
Independence Day	August 11	August 11	August 11
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary	August 15	August 15	August 15
All Saints' Day	November 1	November 1	November 1
Start of Ramadan³	October 27	October 15	October 4
End of Ramadan (Id al Fitr)*¹	November 26	November 14	November 3
Christmas Day*²	December 25	December 25	December 25

¹	Culmination of the Haj or Holy Pilgrimage.
²	Easter, a Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, is the first Sunday after the full moon and the vernal equinox (fixed in the Gregorian calendar at March 21), and often observed with Good Friday and Easter Monday. In the West, Easter is predicted using the Gregorian calendar, while Eastern Orthodox Christians use the much older Julian calendar, and celebrate 13 days later.
³	Ramadan (the month of fasting) begins with the first appearance of the new moon in the ninth month of the lunar Islamic Hijra calendar, and lasts 30 days. Dates for the start of Ramadan will vary from country to country, depending on the first appearance of the moon.
*¹	Feasting that officially marks the end of Ramadan, and commonly lasts for three days.
*²	Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. In A.D.320, Pope Julius I fixed the date at December 25 based on the Gregorian calendar. The Orthodox church calculates Christmas using the Julian calendar and celebrates 13 days later on January 7.

Country information used by permission of World Trade Press