Hassaballah Abdelhadi Ahmat SOUBIANE chancery: 2002 R Street NW,Washington, DC 20009 FAX: [1] (202) 265-1937 telephone: [1] (202) 462-4009
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Christopher E. GOLDTHWAIT embassy: Avenue B. P. 413, N'Djamena telephone: Flag description: three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red; 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
Economy Chad
Economy - overview: Chad's primarily agricultural economy will be boosted by major oilfield and pipeline projects that began in 2000. Over 80% of Chad's population relies on subsistence farming and stock raising for their livelihood. Cotton, cattle, and gum arabic provide the bulk of Chad's export earnings, but Chad will begin to export oil in 2004. Chad's economy has long been handicapped by its land-locked position, high energy costs, and a history of instability. Chad relies on foreign assistance and foreign capital for most public and private sector investment projects. A consortium led by two US companies is investing $3.7 billion to develop oil reserves estimated at 1 billion barrels in southern Chad.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $8.9 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 8% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,030 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 38% industry: 13% services: 49% (2001 est.)
Population below poverty line: 80% (2001 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3% (2000 est.)
Labor force: NA
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture more than 80% (subsistence farming, herding, and fishing)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $198 million expenditures: $218 million, including capital expenditures of $146 million (1998 est.)
Industries: cotton textiles, meatpacking, beer brewing, natron (sodium carbonate), soap, cigarettes, construction materials
Industrial production growth rate: 5% (1995)
Electricity - production: 92 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% other: 0% (2000) nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 85.56 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: cotton, sorghum, millet, peanuts, rice, potatoes, manioc (tapioca); cattle, sheep, goats, camels
Exports: $172 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: cotton, cattle, gum arabic
Exports - partners: Portugal 38%, Germany 12%, Thailand, Costa Rica,
South Africa, France, Nigeria (2001)
Imports: $223 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and transportation equipment, industrial goods, petroleum products, foodstuffs, textiles
Imports - partners: France 40%, Cameroon 13%, Nigeria 12%, India 5% (1999)
Debt - external: $1.1 billion (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $238.3 million (1995); note - $125 million committed by Taiwan (August 1997); $30 million committed by African Development Bank
Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States
Currency code: XAF
Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 742.79 (January 2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997); note - from 1 January 1999, the XAF is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XAF per euro
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Chad
Telephones - main lines in use: 10,260 (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 20,000 (2002)
Telephone system: general assessment: primitive system domestic: fair system of radiotelephone communication stations international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 5 (1998)
Radios: 1.67 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)
Televisions: 10,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .td
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 1,000 (2000)
Transportation Chad
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 33,400 km paved: 450 km note: probably no more than 8,000 km of the total receive maintenance, the remainder being desert tracks (2000) unpaved: 32,950 km
Waterways: 2,000 km
Ports and harbors: none
Airports: 49 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 7 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 42 1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 914 to 1,523 m: 20 under 914 m: 10 (2001)
Military Chad
Military branches: Armed Forces (including National Army, Air Force, and Gendarmerie), Rapid Intervention Force, National and Nomadic Guard (GNNT), Presidential Security Guard, Police
Military manpower - military age: 20 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,881,769 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 985,094 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 82,003 (2002 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $31 million (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.9% (FY01)
Transnational Issues Chad
Disputes - international: Lake Chad Commission urges signatories Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria to ratify delimitation
