1985 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1985 (Internet Archive)
Geography
Agriculture
commercial — cotton, gum arabic, livestock, peanuts, fish; food crops — millet, sorghum, rice, sweet potatoes, yams, cassava, dates; imports food
Area
1,284,000 km2; four-fifths the size of Alaska; 35% pasture; 17% arable; 2% forest and scrub; 46% other use and waste
Branches
presidency; Council of Ministers; National Consultative Council
Capital
N'Djamena
Communists
no front organizations or underground party; probably a few Communists and some sympathizers
Elections
none planned Political parties and leaders: National Union for Independence and Revolution (UNIR) established June 1984 with Habre as president; numerous dissident groups
Electric power
25,000 kW capacity (1984); 43 million kWh produced (1984), 8 kWh per capita
Ethnic divisions
some 200 distinct ethnic groups, including Muslims (Arabs, Toubou, Fulani, Kotoko, Hausa, Kanembou, Baguirmi, Boulala, and Maba) in the north and center and non-Muslims (Sara, MayoKebbi, and Chari) in the south; some 150,000 nonindigenous, 3,000 of them French
Exports
$45.8 million (1983); cotton 75%, meat, fish, animal products
Fishing
catch 1 15,000 metric tons(1982 est.)
GDP
$500 million (1980), $110 per capita (1980); estimated real annual growth rate 0.6% (1971-81)
Government leaders
Hissein HABRE, President (since June 1982)
Imports
$84.0 million (1983); cement, petroleum, flour, sugar, tea, machinery, textiles, motor vehicles
Labor force
85% agriculture (engaged in unpaid subsistence farming, herding, and fishing)
Land boundaries
5,987 km People
Language
French official; Chadian Arabic is lingua franca in north, Sara and Sangho in south; more than 100 different languages and dialects are spoken
Legal system
based on French civil law system and Chadian customary law; constitution adopted 1962; constitution suspended and National Assembly dissolved April 1975; Fundamental Act, a quasi-constitution decreed in October 1982, provides juridical framework whereby decrees are promulgated by the president; judicial review of legislative acts in theory a power of the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Literacy
about 20%
Major industries
agricultural and livestock processing plants (cotton textile mill, slaughterhouses, brewery), natron
Major trade partners
imports — 50% Nigeria, 13% Netherlands Antilles, 8% France, 7% Cameroon, 5% Gabon; exports — 37% Nigeria, 10% Portugal, 9% France, 8% FRG, 6%
Member of
AfDB, CEAO, Conference of East and Central African States, EAMA, ECA, EEC (associate), FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, IDA, IDB— Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ITU, Lake Chad Basin Commission, NAM, OAU, OCAM, QIC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO Economy During the last decade droughts and plagues of locusts have caused widespread food shortages, and years of civil war have devasted the economy; reliable current economic data are unavailable
National holiday
13 April
Nationality
noun — Chadian(s); adjective — Chadian
Official name
Republic of Chad
Organized labor
about 20% of wage labor force Government
Other political or pressure groups
the development of a stable government continues to be hampered by prolonged tribal and regional antagonisms; ex-President Goukouni Weddeye heads a rebel government, with Libyan backing, that has driven Habre's forces out of the northern third of Chad
Political subdivisions
14 prefectures
Population
5,246,000 (July 1985), average annual growth rate 2.5%
Religion
52% Muslim, 43% indigenous beliefs, 5% Christian
Suffrage
universal over age 18
Type
republic