"text":"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. 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."
}
},
"Geography":{
"Location":{
"text":"Central Africa, south of Libya"
},
"Geographic coordinates":{
"text":"15 00 N, 19 00 E"
},
"Map references":{
"text":"Africa"
},
"Area":{
"total":{
"text":"1.284 million sq km"
},
"land":{
"text":"1,259,200 sq km"
},
"water":{
"text":"24,800 sq km"
}
},
"Area - comparative":{
"text":"slightly more than three times the size of California"
"text":"Chad is the largest of Africa's 16 landlocked countries"
},
"note 2":{
"text":"not long ago - geologically speaking - what is today the Sahara was green savannah teeming with wildlife; during the African Humid Period, roughly 11,000 to 5,000 years ago, a vibrant animal community, including elephants, giraffes, hippos, and antelope lived there; the last remnant of the \"Green Sahara\" exists in the Lakes of Ounianga (oo-nee-ahn-ga) in northern Chad, a series of 18 interconnected freshwater, saline, and hypersaline lakes now protected as a World Heritage site"
},
"note 3":{
"text":"Lake Chad, the most significant water body in the Sahel, is a remnant of a former inland sea, paleolake Mega-Chad; at its greatest extent, sometime before 5000 B.C., Lake Mega-Chad was the largest of four Saharan paleolakes that existed during the African Humid Period; it covered an area of about 400,000 sq km (150,000 sq mi), roughly the size of today's Caspian Sea"
"text":"14.28 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.)"
},
"Net migration rate":{
"text":"-3.45 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2015 est.)"
},
"Urbanization":{
"urban population":{
"text":"22.5% of total population (2015)"
},
"rate of urbanization":{
"text":"3.42% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)"
}
},
"Major urban areas - population":{
"text":"N'DJAMENA (capital) 1.26 million (2015)"
},
"Sex ratio":{
"at birth":{
"text":"1.04 male(s)/female"
},
"0-14 years":{
"text":"1.03 male(s)/female"
},
"15-24 years":{
"text":"0.95 male(s)/female"
},
"25-54 years":{
"text":"0.83 male(s)/female"
},
"55-64 years":{
"text":"0.78 male(s)/female"
},
"65 years and over":{
"text":"0.71 male(s)/female"
},
"total population":{
"text":"0.93 male(s)/female (2015 est.)"
}
},
"Infant mortality rate":{
"total":{
"text":"88.69 deaths/1,000 live births"
},
"male":{
"text":"94.23 deaths/1,000 live births"
},
"female":{
"text":"82.93 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.)"
}
},
"Life expectancy at birth":{
"total population":{
"text":"49.81 years"
},
"male":{
"text":"48.64 years"
},
"female":{
"text":"51.03 years (2015 est.)"
}
},
"Total fertility rate":{
"text":"4.55 children born/woman (2015 est.)"
},
"Contraceptive prevalence rate":{
"text":"4.8% (2010)"
},
"Health expenditures":{
"text":"3.6% of GDP (2013)"
},
"Physicians density":{
"text":"0.04 physicians/1,000 population (2006)"
},
"Hospital bed density":{
"text":"0.4 beds/1,000 population (2005)"
},
"Drinking water source":{
"improved":{
"text":" ++ urban: 71.8% of population ++ rural: 44.8% of population ++ total: 50.8% of population"
},
"unimproved":{
"text":" ++ urban: 28.2% of population ++ rural: 55.2% of population ++ total: 49.2% of population (2015 est.)"
}
},
"Sanitation facility access":{
"improved":{
"text":" ++ urban: 31.4% of population ++ rural: 6.5% of population ++ total: 12.1% of population"
},
"unimproved":{
"text":" ++ urban: 68.6% of population ++ rural: 93.5% of population ++ total: 87.9% of population (2015 est.)"
}
},
"HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate":{
"text":"2.53% (2014 est.)"
},
"HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS":{
"text":"215,000 (2014 est.)"
},
"HIV/AIDS - deaths":{
"text":"11,700 (2014 est.)"
},
"Major infectious diseases":{
"degree of risk":{
"text":"very high"
},
"food or waterborne diseases":{
"text":"bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever"
},
"vectorborne diseases":{
"text":"malaria and dengue fever"
},
"water contact disease":{
"text":"schistosomiasis"
},
"respiratory disease":{
"text":"meningococcal meningitis"
},
"animal contact disease":{
"text":"rabies (2013)"
}
},
"Obesity - adult prevalence rate":{
"text":"6.6% (2014)"
},
"Children under the age of 5 years underweight":{
"text":"30.3% (2010)"
},
"Education expenditures":{
"text":"2.3% of GDP (2011)"
},
"Literacy":{
"definition":{
"text":"age 15 and over can read and write French or Arabic"
},
"total population":{
"text":"40.2%"
},
"male":{
"text":"48.5%"
},
"female":{
"text":"31.9% (2015 est.)"
}
},
"School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)":{
"total":{
"text":"7 years"
},
"male":{
"text":"9 years"
},
"female":{
"text":"6 years (2011)"
}
},
"Child labor - children ages 5-14":{
"total number":{
"text":"1,475,960"
},
"percentage":{
"text":"48% (2010 est.)"
}
}
},
"Government":{
"Country name":{
"conventional long form":{
"text":"Republic of Chad"
},
"conventional short form":{
"text":"Chad"
},
"local long form":{
"text":"Republique du Tchad/Jumhuriyat Tshad"
},
"local short form":{
"text":"Tchad/Tshad"
}
},
"Government type":{
"text":"republic"
},
"Capital":{
"name":{
"text":"N'Djamena"
},
"geographic coordinates":{
"text":"12 06 N, 15 02 E"
},
"time difference":{
"text":"UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)"
}
},
"Administrative divisions":{
"text":"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"
},
"Independence":{
"text":"11 August 1960 (from France)"
},
"National holiday":{
"text":"Independence Day, 11 August (1960)"
},
"Constitution":{
"text":"several previous; latest passed by referendum 31 March 1996, entered into force 8 April 1996; amended 2005 (2010)"
},
"Legal system":{
"text":"mixed legal system of civil and customary law"
},
"International law organization participation":{
"text":"has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction"
},
"Suffrage":{
"text":"18 years of age; universal"
},
"Executive branch":{
"chief of state":{
"text":"President Idriss DEBY Itno, Lt. Gen. (since 4 December 1990)"
},
"head of government":{
"text":"Prime Minister Kalzeube Pahimi DEUBET (since 21 November 2013)"
},
"cabinet":{
"text":"Council of Ministers; members appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister"
},
"elections/appointments":{
"text":"president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (no term limits); election last held on 25 April 2011 (next to be held by 2016); prime minister appointed by the president"
},
"election results":{
"text":"Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY Itno reelected president; percent of vote - Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY (MPS) 83.6%, Albert Pahimi PADACKE (Viva-RNDP) 8.6%, Nadji MADOU 7.8%"
}
},
"Legislative branch":{
"description":{
"text":"unicameral National Assembly (188 seats; 118 directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote and 70 directly elected in single-seat constituencies by absolute majority vote with a second round if needed; members serve 4-year terms)"
"text":"percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - MPS 117, UNDR 10, RDP 9, URD 8, RNDT/Le Reveil 8, Viva-RNDP 5, FAR 4, PUR 2, UDR 2, PDSA 2, CTPD 2, other minor parties 19"
"text":"Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and 15 judges or councilors and divided into 3 chambers); Constitutional Council (consists of 3 judges and 6 jurists)"
},
"judge selection and term of office":{
"text":"Supreme Court chief justice selected by the president; councilors - 8 designated by the president and 7 by the speaker of the National Assembly; chief justice and councilors appointed for life; Constitutional Council judges - 2 appointed by the president and 1 by the speaker of the National Assembly; jurists - 3 each by the president and by the speaker of the National Assembly; judge term NA"
},
"subordinate courts":{
"text":"High Court of Justice; Courts of Appeal; tribunals; justices of the peace"
"text":"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]"
"text":"Ambassador Mahamat Nasser HASSANE (since 21 May 2014)"
},
"chancery":{
"text":"2401 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008"
},
"telephone":{
"text":"[1] (202) 652-1312"
},
"FAX":{
"text":"[1] (202) 758-0431"
}
},
"Diplomatic representation from the US":{
"chief of mission":{
"text":"Ambassador James KNIGHT (since 6 September 2013)"
},
"embassy":{
"text":"Avenue Felix Eboue, N'Djamena"
},
"mailing address":{
"text":"B. P. 413, N'Djamena"
},
"telephone":{
"text":"[235] 2251-70-09"
},
"FAX":{
"text":"[235] 2251-56-54"
}
},
"Flag description":{
"text":"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",
"note":{
"text":"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 symbol(s)":{
"text":"goat (north), lion (south); national colors: blue, yellow, red"
},
"National anthem":{
"name":{
"text":"\"La Tchadienne\" (The Chadian)"
},
"lyrics/music":{
"text":"Louis GIDROL and his students/Paul VILLARD"
},
"note":{
"text":"adopted 1960"
}
}
},
"Economy":{
"Economy - overview":{
"text":"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. Chad relies on foreign assistance and foreign capital for much public and private sector investment. The services sector contributes about one-third of GDP and has attracted foreign investment mostly through telecommunications and banking. Chad’s fiscal position is encumbered by declining oil prices, though high oil prices and strong local harvests supported the economy in recent years. Nearly all of Chad’s fuel is provided by one domestic refinery, and unanticipated shut-downs occasionally result in shortages. The country regulates the price of domestic fuel, providing an incentive for black market sales. 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."
"text":"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)"
},
"Radio broadcast stations":{
"text":"AM 2, FM 4, shortwave 5 (2001)"
},
"Television broadcast stations":{
"text":"1 (2001)"
},
"Internet country code":{
"text":".td"
},
"Internet users":{
"total":{
"text":"273,900"
},
"percent of population":{
"text":"2.4% (2014 est.)"
}
}
},
"Transportation":{
"Airports":{
"text":"59 (2013)"
},
"Airports - with paved runways":{
"total":{
"text":"9"
},
"over 3,047 m":{
"text":"2"
},
"2,438 to 3,047 m":{
"text":"4"
},
"1,524 to 2,437 m":{
"text":"2"
},
"under 914 m":{
"text":"1 (2013)"
}
},
"Airports - with unpaved runways":{
"total":{
"text":"50"
},
"over 3,047 m":{
"text":"1"
},
"2,438 to 3,047 m":{
"text":"2"
},
"1,524 to 2,437 m":{
"text":"14"
},
"914 to 1,523 m":{
"text":"22"
},
"under 914 m":{
"text":" ++ 11 (2013)"
}
},
"Pipelines":{
"text":"oil 582 km (2013)"
},
"Roadways":{
"total":{
"text":"40,000 km"
},
"note":{
"text":"consists of 25,000 km of national and regional roads and 15,000 km of local roads; 206 km of urban roads are paved (2011)"
}
},
"Waterways":{
"text":"(Chari and Legone Rivers are navigable only in wet season) (2012)"
}
},
"Military":{
"Military branches":{
"text":"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)"
},
"Military service age and obligation":{
"text":"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)"
},
"Manpower available for military service":{
"males age 16-49":{
"text":"2,090,244"
},
"females age 16-49":{
"text":"2,441,321 (2010 est.)"
}
},
"Manpower fit for military service":{
"males age 16-49":{
"text":"1,183,242"
},
"females age 16-49":{
"text":"1,395,811 (2010 est.)"
}
},
"Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually":{
"male":{
"text":"128,723"
},
"female":{
"text":"128,244 (2010 est.)"
}
},
"Military expenditures":{
"text":"NA% (2012) ++ 2.28% of GDP (2011) ++ NA% (2010)"
}
},
"Transnational Issues":{
"Disputes - international":{
"text":"since 2003, ad hoc armed militia groups and the Sudanese military have driven hundreds of thousands of Darfur residents into Chad; Chad wishes to be a helpful mediator in resolving the Darfur conflict, and in 2010 established a joint border monitoring force with Sudan, which has helped to reduce cross-border banditry and violence; only Nigeria and Cameroon have heeded the Lake Chad Commission's admonition to ratify the delimitation treaty, which also includes the Chad-Niger and Niger-Nigeria boundaries"
