Chad is a Central African country. Stretching from the Sahara desert to savannah areas, the country covers an area of 1,284,000 km2. It borders Libya to the north; Sudan to the east; the Central African Republic, to the south; Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest and Niger to the west. The largest cities are Ndjamena, the capital, with 617,800 residents (2004), Moundou (130,600 residents), Bongor (23,800 residents), Sarh (87,800 residents), Abéché (63,600 residents) and Doba (20,800 residents) All of these data are from 2004. There is a great climatic variation across the territory. The vegetation reflects the climatic variation: from the savanna that develops to the south, one passes to the steppe, which progressively gives way to the sand desert, where the vegetation only appears in the oases when there are more superficial water sheets. Existing animal species (elephants, lions, leopards and cheetahs) are found in the most humid areas.
The climate is humid tropical in the south of the country, progressively changing to dry tropical as you go further north. In the central region, the climate is semi-desert and, in the North, it is characterized by great aridity (Sahara desert).
Economy
Agriculture forms the economic base of Chad. The scarcity of arable soil, combined with irregularity and insufficient rainfall, makes this activity very precarious, which is why food crises in the country are frequent. The main agricultural products are sugar cane, cassava, yams, peanuts, corn, cotton, sweet potatoes, dates and rice. With the exception of cotton, which is the country’s main export, agricultural production is intended for domestic consumption. Cattle breeding is very important, but the lack of pastures conditions its development, so overgrazing contributes to the desertification of the soil. Chad’s main trading partners are France, Portugal, Cameroon and Germany.
Environmental indicator: no data (1999).
Population
The population is 9 944 201 residents (2006), which corresponds to a population density of 8 residents/km2. The birth and death rates are, respectively, 45.73% and 16.38% (2006). Average life expectancy is 47.52 years. The value of the Human Development Index (HDI) is 0.376 and the value of the Gender-adjusted Development Index (IDG) is 0.366 (2001). The most important ethnic groups are Bagirmi, Sudanese Arab, Teda, Mbum, Masalit, Tama and Mubi. The majority religion is Muslim, followed by Christian and, finally, by traditional beliefs. The official languages are Arabic and French, but a large part of the population speaks African dialects.
History
France started to occupy the territory at the end of the 19th century. After independence in 1960, the country experienced periods of great internal instability and even went to war with Libya. Between 1982 and 1995, Chad experienced a time of terror. The power struggle has led to successive massacres, causing thousands of deaths and refugees. In 1995, the action of unions and associations defending human rights managed to restore peace to the country. The country is currently experiencing a transitional political regime in which the prime minister governs with a legislative assembly. For Chad democracy and rights, please check getzipcodes.
Countryaah.com: Offers a full list of airports in the country of Chad, sorted by city location and acronyms.
Abbreviationfinder.org: Provides most commonly used abbreviations and initials containing the country name of Chad. Listed by popularity.
1UpTravel.com – Maps of Chad
Check out the city, country, shaded relief and political maps of this Central African country, lying south of Libya. Includes a city map of N’Djamena.
