National name:  République du Tchad

 

Current government officials:  President: Idriss Déby (1990)

                                                        Prime Minister: Youssouf Saleh Abbas (2008)

 

Government Branches:  Executive, Legislative, Judicial

 

Political parties:
                                     Federation Action for the Republic or FAR
                                     National Rally for Development and Progress or RNDP
                                     National Union for Democracy and Renewal or UNDR 
                                     Party for Liberty and Development or PLD 
                                     Patriotic Salvation Movement or MPS 
                                     Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP 
                                     Union for Renewal and Democracy or URD

 

Land area:   486,178 sq mi (1,259,201 sq km); total area: 495,755 sq mi (1,284,000 sq km), water: 24,800 sq km

 

Border countries:  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

 

Climate:  Tropical in south, desert in north

 

Population (2008 est.):  10,111,337 (growth rate: 2.1%); birth rate: 41.6/1000; infant mortality rate: 100.3/1000;

                                           life expectancy: 47.4; density per sq mi: 8

 

Age structure:  0-14 years: 47% (male 2,408,638/female 2,346,984) 
                           15-64 years: 50.1% (male 2,317,406/female 2,746,104) 
                            65 years and over: 2.9% (male 123,561/female 168,644) (2008 est.)

 

Median age:  Total: 16.4 years 
                         male: 15.2 years 
                         female: 17.5 years (2008 est.)

 

HIV/AIDS:  Adult prevalence rate : 4.8% (2003 est.)

 

Capital and largest city (2003 est.):  N'Djamena, population 609,600

 

Monetary unit:   CFA Franc
 
Languages:  French, Arabic (both official); Sara; more than 120 languages and dialects

 

Ethnicity/race:  200 distinct groups

                            North and center: mostly Muslim: Arabs, Gorane (Toubou, Daza, Kreda), Zaghawa,

                                        Kanembou, Ouaddai, Baguirmi, Hadjerai, Fulbe, Kotoko, Hausa, Boulala, and Maba

                            South: mostly Christian or animist: Sara (Ngambaye, Mbaye, Goulaye), Moundang, Moussei, 

                                        Massa

 

Flag description:  Three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red 
                                  note: similar to the flag of Romania; also similar to the flags of Andorra and Moldova, both

                                  of which have a national coat of arms centered in the yellow band; design was based on

                                  the flag of France

 

National Holiday:  Independence Day, August 11

 

Religions:  Islam 51%, Christian 35%, animist 7%, other 7%

 

Literacy rate:  25.7% (2006 est.)

 

Economic summary:

GDP/PPP (2007 est.): $15.9 billion; per capita $1,200. Real growth rate: 0.6%. Inflation: -8.8%. Unemployment: n.a. Arable land: 3%. Agriculture: cotton, sorghum, millet, peanuts, rice, potatoes, manioc (tapioca); cattle, sheep, goats, camels. Labor force: n.a.; agriculture 80%; industry and services 20% (subsistence farming, herding, and fishing). Industries: oil, cotton textiles, meatpacking, beer brewing, natron (sodium carbonate), soap, cigarettes, construction materials. Natural resources: petroleum, uranium, natron, kaolin, fish (Lake Chad), gold, limestone, sand and gravel, salt. Exports: $4.342 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.): cotton, cattle, gum arabic, oil. Imports: $823.1 million f.o.b. (2006 est.): machinery and transportation equipment, industrial goods, foodstuffs, textiles. Major trading partners: U.S., China, Portugal, France, Cameroon, Germany, Belgium (2004).

 

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

              Refugees and country of origin:  238,227 (Sudan, 2008), 44,607 (Central African Republic, 2008)

              Internally Displaced Persons: 178,918 (2008)