Chad
|
| Basic Facts |
| Country name |
conventional long form: Republic of Chad
conventional short form: Chad local long form: Republique du Tchad/Jumhuriyat Tshad local short form: Tchad/Tshad |
| Gevernment type | republic |
| Capital |
name: N'Djamena
geographic coordinates: 12 07 N, 15 03 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| 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 |
| Currency | Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States |
| Internet country code | .td |
| Ports and terminals | Kheyrabad, Shir Khan |
| Agriculture products | cotton, sorghum, millet, peanuts, rice, potatoes, manioc (tapioca); cattle, sheep, goats, camels |
| Industries | oil, cotton textiles, meatpacking, beer brewing, natron (sodium carbonate), soap, cigarettes, construction materials |
| Geography |
| Location | Central Africa, south of Libya |
| Coordinates | 15 00 N, 19 00 E |
| Continent | Africa |
| Area |
total: 1.284 million sq km
land: 1,259,200 sq km water: 24,800 sq km |
| Boundaries |
total: 5,968 km
border countries: 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) |
| 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, uranium, natron, kaolin, fish (Lake Chad), gold, limestone, sand and gravel, salt |
| Natural hazards | hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds occur in north; periodic droughts; locust plagues |
| People |
| Population | 9,944,201 (July 2006 est.) |
| Ethnic groups | 200 distinct groups; in the north and center: Arabs, Gorane (Toubou, Daza, Kreda), Zaghawa, Kanembou, Ouaddai, Baguirmi, Hadjerai, Fulbe, Kotoko, Hausa, Boulala, and Maba, most of whom are Muslim; in the south: Sara (Ngambaye, Mbaye, Goulaye), Moundang, Moussei, Massa, most of whom are Christian or animist; about 1,000 French citizens live in Chad |
| Religions | Muslim 51%, Christian 35%, animist 7%, other 7% |
| Languages | French (official), Arabic (official), Sara (in south), more than 120 different languages and dialects |
