Islamic countries

Islamic countries

REPUBLIC OF CHAD
RÉPUBLIQUE DU TCHAD

General Information

Total Land Area:	1,259,200 km²
Land boundaries:	5,968 km
Coastline:	0 km (Landlocked)
Capital:	N’Djamena
Other Large Cities:	Moundou, Sarh, Abéché
Official Language:	French and Arabic
National Currency Unit:	Communauté Financière Africaine Franc (XAF)
National Day:	August 11

Location and Geography

Chad is the largest country of former French Equatorial Africa. It is a landlocked country with one of the world’s lowest population densities. It is situated in the heart of Africa and has borders with Cameroon in the South-west, Niger and Nigeria in the West, the Central African Republic in the South, Libya in the North and Sudan in the East. Chad’s topography is generally flat except for a range of hills along the Eastern border and relatively high, barren mountains in the far North-west. Most of the country’s drainage system flows into Lake Chad which lacks an outlet. The climate is hot and arid in the Northern desert regions, and wet and tropical in the South.

Demography

Population:	8.44 million (2002)
Crude Birth Rate:	45 per thousand people (2002)
Crude Death Rate:	16 per thousand people (2002)
Infant Mortality Rate:	117 per thousand (2002)
Life Expectancy:	Male: 47 years, Female: 50 years (2002)
Urban Population:	24.0 percent (2002)
Adult Literacy:	44.20 percent (2001)

Economy

The economy of Chad is dominated by agriculture which creates employment and generates most of the export revenues. Cotton and groundnuts are the two major crops. Other important crops are sorghum, millet, dry beans, sesame, potatoes, and rice. The industrial sector is small and its industrial production is limited and based on food processing, textiles, brewing and leather. There are significant reserves of uranium in the Aozou strip located in the extreme Northern desert area. However, the only minerals extracted are soda and rock salt.

GDP at Current Market Prices:	2013 million US$ (2002)
Per Capita GDP:	238 US$ (2002)
Share of Sectors in GDP:	38.0% Agriculture, 17.0% Industry, 45.0% Services, (2002)
Total Exports:	66 million US$ (2002)
Total Imports:	451 million US$ (2002)
Major Exports Items:	Cotton, livestock, meat, hides, skin and textiles
Major Imports Items:	Machinery and transportation equipment, industrial goods and petroleum products
Major Trading Partners:	US, France, Portugal and Germany