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 Telecommunications: fair system; network relies primarily on radio relay links, with low-capacity, low-powered radiocommunication also used; 6,000 telephones; stations—1 AM, 1 FM, 1 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station

Defense Forces

Branches: Army, Air Force

Military manpower: males 15-49, 642,207; 335,863 fit for military service

Defense expenditures: 1.8% of GDP, or $23 million (1989 est.)  Chad



Geography

Total area: 1,284,000 km²; land area: 1,259,200 km²

Comparative area: slightly more than three times the size of California

Land boundaries: 5,968 km total; 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

Coastline: none—landlocked

Maritime claims: none—landlocked

Disputes: Libya claims and occupies a small portion of the Aozou Strip in far north; exact locations of the Chad-Niger-Nigeria and Cameroon-Chad-Nigeria tripoints in Lake Chad have not been determined since the boundary has not been demarcated, border incidents have resulted

Climate: tropical in south, desert in north

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

Natural resources: small quantities of crude oil (unexploited but exploration beginning), uranium, natron, kaolin, fish (Lake Chad)

Land use: 2% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 36% meadows and pastures; 11% forest and woodland; 51% other; includes NEGL% irrigated

Environment: hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds occur in north; drought and desertification adversely affecting south; subject to plagues of locusts

Note: landlocked; Lake Chad is the most significant water body in the Sahel

People

Population: 5,017,431 (July 1990), growth rate 2.1% (1990)

Birth rate: 42 births/1,000 population (1990)

Death rate: 22 deaths/1,000 population (1990)

Net migration rate: NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1990)

Infant mortality rate: 136 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)

Life expectancy at birth: 38 years male, 40 years female (1990)

Total fertility rate: 5.3 children born/woman (1990)

Nationality: noun—Chadian(s); adjective—Chadian

Ethnic divisions: some 200 distinct ethnic groups, most of whom are Muslims (Arabs, Toubou, Fulbe, Kotoko, Hausa, Kanembou, Baguirmi, Boulala, and Maba) in the north and center and non-Muslims (Sara, Ngambaye, Mbaye, Goulaye, Moudang, Moussei, Massa) in the south; some 150,000 nonindigenous, of whom 1,000 are French

Religion: 44% Muslim, 33% Christian, 23% indigenous beliefs, animism

Language: French and Arabic (official); Sara and Sango in south; more than 100 different languages and dialects are spoken

Literacy: 25.3%

Labor force: NA; 85% agriculture (engaged in unpaid subsistence farming, herding, and fishing)

Organized labor: about 20% of wage labor force

Government

Long-form name: Republic of Chad

Type: republic

Capital: N'Djamena

Administrative divisions: 14 prefectures (préfectures, singular—préfecture); Batha, Biltine, Borkou-Ennedi-Tibesti, Chari-Baguirmi, Guéra, Kanem, Lac, Logone Occidental, Logone Oriental, Mayo-Kébbi, Moyen-Chari, Ouaddaï, Salamat, Tandjilé

Independence: 11 August 1960 (from France)

Constitution: 22 December 1989

Legal system: based on French civil law system and Chadian customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

National holiday: National Day (founding of the Third Republic), 7 June (1982)

Executive branch: president, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

Legislative branch: unicameral National Consultative Council (Conseil National Consultatif)

Judicial branch: Court of Appeal

Leaders: Chief of State and Head of Government—President Hissein HABRÉ (since 19 June 1982)

Political parties and leaders: National Union for Independence and Revolution (UNIR) established June 1984 with Habré as President; numerous dissident groups 59