Manpower availability:males age 15–49 701,728; fit for military service 367,264
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $23 million, 1.8% of GDP (1989 est.)
@Chad, Geography
Location:
Central Africa, between the Central African Republic and Libya
Map references:
Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
1.284 million sq km
land area:
1,259,200 sq km
comparative area:
slightly more than three times the size of California
Land boundaries:
total 5,968 km, 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:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none; landlocked
International disputes:
the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled in February 1994 that
the 100,000 sq km Aozou Strip between Chad and Libya belongs to Chad,
and that Libya must withdraw from it by 31 May 1994; Libya had
withdrawn its forces in response to the ICJ ruling, but as of June
1994 still maintained an airfield in the disputed area; demarcation of
international boundaries in Lake Chad, the lack of which has led to
border incidents in the past, is completed and awaiting ratification
by Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria
Climate:
tropical in south, desert in north
Terrain:
broad, arid plains in center, desert in north, mountains in northwest,
lowlands in south
Natural resources:
petroleum (unexploited but exploration under way), uranium, natron,
kaolin, fish (Lake Chad)
Land use:
arable land:
2%
permanent crops:
0%
meadows and pastures:
36%
forest and woodland:
11%
other:
51%
Irrigated land:
100 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
desertification
natural hazards:
hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds occur in north; periodic droughts;
subject to locust plagues
international agreements:
party to - Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban, Wetlands; signed, but
not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping
Note:
landlocked; Lake Chad is the most significant water body in the Sahel
@Chad, People
Population:
5,466,771 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.15% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
42.12 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
20.59 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
131.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
40.79 years
male:
39.7 years
female:
41.94 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
5.33 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Chadian(s)
adjective:
Chadian
Ethnic divisions:
north and center:
Muslims (Arabs, Toubou, Hadjerai, Fulbe, Kotoko, Kanembou, Baguirmi,
Boulala, Zaghawa, and Maba)
south:
non-Muslims (Sara, Ngambaye, Mbaye, Goulaye, Moundang, Moussei, Massa)
nonindigenous 150,000, of whom 1,000 are French
Religions:
Muslim 50%, Christian 25%, indigenous beliefs, animism 25%
Languages:
French (official), Arabic (official), Sara (in south), Sango (in
south), more than 100 different languages and dialects are spoken
