What are the Key Facts of Chad?

Where is Chad?

Chad is a landlocked country that is located in north-central Africa. It shares its borders with Central African Republic (1,556 km or 967 mi) to the south, Sudan (1,403 km or 872 mi) to the east, Niger (1,196 km or 743 mi) to the west, Cameroon (1,116 km or 693 mi) to the southwest, Libya (1,050 km or 652 mi) to the north, and Nigeria (85 km or 53 mi) to the southwest.

What is the Geography of Chad?

Chad is spread across an area of 1.284 million sq. km (496,000 sq. mi), out of which 1,259,200 sq. km (486,180 sq. mi) is land area and 24,800 sq. km (9,575 sq. mi) is area covered by water. While the country has a total 6,406 km (3,981 mi) land boundary, it has no coastline. The country is also called “Dead Heart of Africa” because of the relatively harsh climate and presence of the Sahara desert’s harshest parts. Here is Chad Physical Map showing all physical feature of the country.

There are two major physical structures found in Chad: a wide basin located in the northern parts, and plateau/hills in the eastern parts. Ennedi Plateau and Tibesti Mountains can be found in the eastern parts of the country. The mean elevation of Chad is 543 m (1,782 ft). While the highest point is Emi Koussi (at 3,445 m or 11,302 ft), the lowest point is Djourab (at 160 m or 525 ft). Other major mountains are Pic Toussidé, Tarso Yéga, Binim, Silagni, etc.

The country got its name from Lake Chad. The Lake Chad Basin unifies the geography of Chad. The Lake Chad Basin is spread across an area of 17,806 sq. km (6,875 sq. mi), making it the second-largest wetland of Africa.

At the same time, heavy seasonal fluctuations can be seen in the wetland area. The region is characterized by tall grasses and extensive marshes, making it favorable for large mammals, reptiles, and birds. Major rivers of Chad are Chari and Logone.

The inter-tropical front, a tropical weather system, passes through the country from south to north every year. It brings a wet season along with it. In the south, this wet season lasts from May to October. In the Sahel region, the wet season continues from May to October.

Nevertheless, when the local rainfall variation is considered, there are 3 major geographical zones in Chad: Sahara, Sahelian belt, and Sudanese zone. The Saharan belt in Chad gets an annual rainfall of below 50 mm (2 in). That’s the reason why palm grove survives in this Saharan belt. The Sahelian belt is located in the center of Chad. It receives yearly precipitation of 300-600 mm (11.8-23.6 in). The Sudanese geographical zone consists of steppe of thorny bushes, which then extends to East Sudanian savanna to the south. This zone receives a total rainfall of more than 900 mm (35.4 in) every year.

What is the Economy of Chad?

The nominal GDP of Chad in 2018 was just US$11.30 billion and it was increasing at a rate of 2.64% the same year. Human Development Index of the United Nations has ranked it as one of the poorest nations of the world. Geographic remoteness is one of the main reasons due to which the economy is so backward. A large portion of the population (around 40%) lives in poverty.

The major contributors of Chad’s economy are agriculture and petroleum. Around 60% of the economy’s export revenue comes from petroleum. A drop in petroleum prices has adversely affected the economic condition of the country. Other main exports of the country include livestock, cattle, cotton, and others. Telecommunications and banking are the two major foreign investments in Chad. The service sector is limited and its contribution is limited to just 1/3rd of the GDP.

The major problems of the economy are limited infrastructure, widespread corruption, extensive bureaucracy, and lack of trained workforce.

What is the Transportation System of Chad?

Chad has a moderately developed transport infrastructure, which is again adversely affected by civil unrest in the country. Roadways and airways are the two main transport facilities in the country. There are 40,000 km (24,855 mi) of roadways present in Chad. While 25,000 km (15,534 mi) of roadways are national and regional roads, around 15,000 km (9,321 mi) are local roads. Most of these roads are unpaved ones. Just 206 km (129 mi) roads in the country are paved. 59 airports are there in Chad, out of which 9 have paved runways and 50 have unpaved runways. In the wet season, Chari and Legone Rivers are used for water transport.

What International Organizations is Chad part of?

WTO, IMF, ACP, UN, AfDB, UNESCO, AU, UNCTAD, BDEAC, Interpol, CEMAC, NAM, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITSO, ITU, MIGA, MINUSMA, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UNIDO, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, ITUC (NGOs), EITI (compliant country), UN Security Council (temporary)