Chad, part of France's African holdings until 1960, endured three decades of civil warfare, as well as invasions by Libya, before peace was restored in 1990. The government eventually drafted a democratic constitution and held flawed presidential elections in 1996 and 2001. In 1998, a rebellion broke out in northern Chad, which has sporadically flared up despite several peace agreements between the government and insurgents. In June 2005, President Idriss DEBY held a referendum successfully removing constitutional term limits and won another controversial election in 2006. Sporadic rebel campaigns continued throughout 2006 and 2007. The capital experienced a significant insurrection in early 2008, but has had no significant rebel threats since then, in part due to Chad's 2010 rapprochement with Sudan, which previously used Chadian rebels as proxies. In late 2015, the government imposed a state of emergency in the Lake Chad region following multiple attacks by the terrorist group Boko Haram throughout the year; Boko Haram also launched several bombings in N'Djamena in mid-2015. DEBY in 2011 was reelected to his fourth term in an election that international observers described as proceeding without incident. In January 2014, Chad began a two-year rotation on the UN Security Council.

Central Africa, south of Libya

15 00 N, 19 00 E

Africa

slightly more than three times the size of California

0 km (landlocked)

none (landlocked)

tropical in south, desert in north

broad, arid plains in center, desert in north, mountains in northwest, lowlands in south

highest point: Emi Koussi 3,415 m

petroleum, uranium, natron, kaolin, fish (Lake Chad), gold, limestone, sand and gravel, salt

arable land 3.9%; permanent crops 0%; permanent pasture 35.7%

300 sq km (2012)

the population is unevenly distributed due to contrasts in climate and physical geography; the highest density is found in the southwest, particularly around Lake Chad and points south; the dry Saharan zone to the north is the least densely populated

hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds occur in north; periodic droughts; locust plagues

inadequate supplies of potable water; improper waste disposal in rural areas contributes to soil and water pollution; desertification

11,852,462 (July 2016 est.)

Sara (Ngambaye/Sara/Madjingaye/Mbaye) 25.9%, Arab 12.6%, Kanembu/Bornu/Buduma 8.3%, Wadai/Maba/Masalit/Mimi 7%, Gorane 6.8%, Masa/Musseye/Musgum 4.7%, Bulala/Medogo/Kuka 3.6%, Bidiyo/Migaama/Kenga/Dangleat 3.6%, Marba/Lele/Mesme 2.9%, Dadjo/Kibet/Muro 2.5%, Mundang 2.5%, Gabri/Kabalaye/Nanchere/Somrai 2.4%, Zaghawa/Bideyat/Kobe 2.3%, Fulani/Fulbe/Bodore 2%, Tupuri/Kera 2%, Tama/Assongori/Mararit 1.6%, Baguirmi/Barma 1.3%, Karo/Zime/Peve 1.3%, Mesmedje/Massalat/Kadjakse 1%, other Chadian ethnicities 2.5%, Chadians of foreign ethnicities 0.6%, foreign nationals 2.5% (Sudanese 2%) (2009 est.)

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

Muslim 58.4%, Catholic 18.5%, Protestant 16.1%, animist 4%, other 0.5%, none 2.4% (2009 est.)

Despite the start of oil production in 2003, 40% of Chad’s population lives below the poverty line. The population will continue to grow rapidly because of the country’s very high fertility rate and large youth cohort – more than 65% of the populace is under the age of 25 – although the mortality rate is high and life expectancy is low. Chad has the world’s third highest maternal mortality rate. Among the primary risk factors are poverty, anemia, rural habitation, high fertility, poor education, and a lack of access to family planning and obstetric care. Impoverished, uneducated adolescents living in rural areas are most affected. To improve women’s reproductive health and reduce fertility, Chad will need to increase women’s educational attainment, job participation, and knowledge of and access to family planning. Only about a quarter of women are literate, less than 5% use contraceptives, and more than 40% undergo genital cutting.

More than 300,000 refugees from Sudan and almost 70,000 from the Central African Republic strain Chad’s limited resources and create tensions in host communities. Thousands of new refugees fled to Chad in 2013 to escape worsening violence in the Darfur region of Sudan. The large refugee populations are hesitant to return to their home countries because of continued instability. Chad was relatively stable in 2012 in comparison to other states in the region, but past fighting between government forces and opposition groups and inter-communal violence have left nearly 60,000 of its citizens displaced in the eastern part of the country.

1.88% (2016 est.)

36.1 births/1,000 population (2016 est.)

14 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.)

-3.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.)

the population is unevenly distributed due to contrasts in climate and physical geography; the highest density is found in the southwest, particularly around Lake Chad and points south; the dry Saharan zone to the north is the least densely populated

N'DJAMENA (capital) 1.26 million (2015)

17.9

856 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)

4.45 children born/woman (2016 est.)

4.8% (2010)

3.6% of GDP (2014)

0.04 physicians/1,000 population (2006)

urban: 71.8% of population

rural: 44.8% of population

total: 50.8% of population

urban: 28.2% of population

rural: 55.2% of population

total: 49.2% of population (2015 est.)

urban: 31.4% of population

rural: 6.5% of population

total: 12.1% of population

urban: 68.6% of population

rural: 93.5% of population

total: 87.9% of population (2015 est.)

2.04% (2015 est.)

165,600 (2015 est.)

8,500 (2015 est.)

6.6% (2014)

28.8% (2015)

2.9% of GDP (2013)

presidential republic

23 regions (regions, singular - region); Barh el Gazel, Batha, Borkou, Chari-Baguirmi, Ennedi-Est, Ennedi-Ouest, Guera, Hadjer-Lamis, Kanem, Lac, Logone Occidental, Logone Oriental, Mandoul, Mayo-Kebbi Est, Mayo-Kebbi Ouest, Moyen-Chari, Ouaddai, Salamat, Sila, Tandjile, Tibesti, Ville de N'Djamena, Wadi Fira

11 August 1960 (from France)

Independence Day, 11 August (1960)

several previous; latest passed by referendum 31 March 1996, entered into force 8 April 1996; amended 2005 (2016)

mixed legal system of civil and customary law

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

Alliance for the Renaissance of Chad or ART (includes MPS, RDP, and Viva-RNDP)

Federation Action for the Republic or FAR [Ngarledjy YORONGAR]

National Rally for Development and Progress or Viva-RNDP [Dr. Nouradine Delwa Kassire COUMAKOYE]

National Union for Democracy and Renewal or UNDR [Saleh KEBZABO]

Party for Liberty and Development or PLD [Jean-Baptiste LAOKOLE]

Patriotic Salvation Movement or MPS [Idriss DEBY]

Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP [Lol Mahamat CHOUA]

Union for Renewal and Democracy or URD [Sande NGARYIMBE]

NA

ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, EITI (compliant country), FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINUSMA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red; the flag combines the blue and red French (former colonial) colors with the red and yellow of the Pan-African colors; blue symbolizes the sky, hope, and the south of the country, which is relatively well-watered; yellow represents the sun, as well as the desert in the north of the country; red stands for progress, unity, and sacrifice

goat (north), lion (south); national colors: blue, yellow, red

Chad’s landlocked location results in high transportation costs for imported goods and dependence on neighboring countries. Oil and agriculture are mainstays of Chad’s economy. Oil provides about 60% of export revenues, while cotton, cattle, livestock, and gum arabic provide the bulk of Chad's non-oil export earnings. The services sector contributes about one-third of GDP and has attracted foreign investment mostly through telecommunications and banking.

Nearly all of Chad’s fuel is provided by one domestic refinery, and unanticipated shutdowns occasionally result in shortages. The country regulates the price of domestic fuel, providing an incentive for black market sales.

Chad’s fiscal position is encumbered by declining oil prices, though high oil prices and strong local harvests supported the economy in recent years. Chad relies on foreign assistance and foreign capital for much public and private sector investment. Chad's investment climate remains challenging due to limited infrastructure, a lack of trained workers, extensive government bureaucracy, and corruption. Chad obtained a three-year extended credit facility from the IMF in 2014 and was granted debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative in April 2015.

$30.47 billion (2015 est.)

$29.94 billion (2014 est.)

$28.01 billion (2013 est.)

$10.89 billion (2015 est.)

1.8% (2015 est.)

6.9% (2014 est.)

5.7% (2013 est.)

$2,600 (2015 est.)

$2,700 (2014 est.)

$2,500 (2013 est.)

21.1% of GDP (2015 est.)

23% of GDP (2014 est.)

19.9% of GDP (2013 est.)

cotton, sorghum, millet, peanuts, sesame, corn, rice, potatoes, onions, cassava (manioc, tapioca), cattle, sheep, goats, camels

oil, cotton textiles, brewing, natron (sodium carbonate), soap, cigarettes, construction materials

-8% (2015 est.)

5.268 million (2015 est.)

NA%

46.7% (2011 est.)

43.3 (2011 est.)

14% of GDP (2015 est.)

-4.7% of GDP (2015 est.)

33.5% of GDP (2015 est.)

33% of GDP (2014 est.)

calendar year

4.6% (2015 est.)

1.7% (2014 est.)

4.25% (31 December 2009)

4.75% (31 December 2008)

15.5% (31 December 2015 est.)

15.5% (31 December 2014 est.)

$1.604 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$1.788 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$1.976 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$1.751 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

$1.034 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$1.153 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$NA

-$1.392 billion (2015 est.)

-$1.242 billion (2014 est.)

$3.965 billion (2015 est.)

$4.179 billion (2014 est.)

oil, livestock, cotton, sesame, gum arabic, shea butter

US 58.5%, India 13.3%, Japan 11.3%, China 4.1% (2015)

$3.071 billion (2015 est.)

$3.319 billion (2014 est.)

machinery and transportation equipment, industrial goods, foodstuffs, textiles

France 16.5%, China 14.2%, Cameroon 11%, US 6.4%, India 6%, Belgium 5.7%, Italy 4.8% (2015)

$382.9 million (31 December 2015 est.)

$1.089 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$2.802 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$2.857 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$NA (31 December 2010)

$4.5 billion (2006 est.)

$NA

Cooperation Financiere en Afrique Centrale francs (XAF) per US dollar -

591.45 (2015 est.)

494.42 (2014 est.)

494.42 (2013 est.)

510.53 (2012 est.)

471.87 (2011 est.)

200 million kWh (2014 est.)

200 million kWh (2014 est.)

0 kWh (2013 est.)

0 kWh (2013 est.)

41,000 kW (2014 est.)

100% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

120,000 bbl/day (2015 est.)

105,000 bbl/day (2013 est.)

0 bbl/day (2013 est.)

1.5 billion bbl (1 January 2016 es)

0 bbl/day (2013 est.)

2,200 bbl/day (2014 est.)

0 bbl/day (2013 est.)

2,215 bbl/day (2013 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

0 cu m (1 January 2014 es)

300,000 Mt (2013 est.)

1 state-owned TV station; state-owned radio network, Radiodiffusion Nationale Tchadienne (RNT), operates national and regional stations; about 10 private radio stations; some stations rebroadcast programs from international broadcasters (2007)

.td

59 (2013)

oil 582 km (2013)

(Chari and Legone Rivers are navigable only in wet season) (2012)

Chadian National Army (Armee Nationale du Tchad, ANT): Ground Forces (l'Armee de Terre, AdT), Chadian Air Force (l'Armee de l'Air Tchadienne, AAT), National Gendarmerie, National and Nomadic Guard of Chad (GNNT) (2013)

20 is the legal minimum age for compulsory military service, with a 3-year service obligation; 18 is the legal minimum age for voluntary service; no minimum age restriction for volunteers with consent from a parent or guardian; women are subject to 1 year of compulsory military or civic service at age 21; while provisions for military service have not been repealed, they have never been fully implemented (2015)

NA% (2012)

2.28% of GDP (2011)