Chad (continued)
(most significant opponents have returned to the government since mid-1986)
Suffrage: universal at age NA
Elections: President—last held 10 December 1989 (next to be held December 1996); results—President Habré was reelected without opposition
Communists: no front organizations or underground party; probably a few Communists and some sympathizers
Other political or pressure groups: NA
Member of: ACP, AfDB, CEAO, Conference of East and Central African States, EAMA, ECA, EC (associate), FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, IDA, IDB—Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ITU, Lake Chad Basin Commission, NAM, OAU, OCAM, OIC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Mahamat Ali ADOUM; Chancery at 2002 R Steet NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone (202) 462-4009; US—Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires, Julius WALKER; Embassy at Avenue Felix Eboue, N'Djamena (mailing address is B. P. 413, N'Djamena); telephone [235] (51) 32-69 or 35-13, 28-62, 23-29, 32-29, 30-94, 28-47
Flag: three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red; similar to the flag of Andorra which has a national coat of arms featuring a quartered shield centered in the yellow band; also similar to the flag of Romania which has a national coat of arms featuring a mountain landscape centered in the yellow band; design was based on the flag of France
Economy
Overview: The climate, geographic
location, and lack of infrastructure and natural
resources potential make Chad one of
the most underdeveloped countries in the
world. Its economy is slowly recovering
from the ravaging effects of prolonged
civil war, conflict with Libya, drought,
and food shortages. In 1986 real GDP
returned to its 1977 level, with cotton, the
major cash crop, accounting for 43% of
exports. Over 80% of the work force is
employed in subsistence farming and
fishing. Industry is based almost entirely
on the processing of agricultural products,
including cotton, sugarcane, and cattle.
Chad is still highly dependent on foreign
aid, with its economy in trouble and many
regions suffering from shortages.
GDP: $902 million, per capita $190; real growth rate 7.0% (1988)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): -3.0% (1987)
Unemployment rate: NA
Budget: revenues $61 million; expenditures $85 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1988 est.)
Exports: $432 million (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—cotton 43%, cattle 35%, textiles 5%, fish; partners—France, Nigeria, Cameroon
Imports: $214 million (c.i.f., 1988); commodities—machinery and transportation equipment 39%, industrial goods 20%, petroleum products 13%, foodstuffs 9%; partners—US, France
External debt: $360 million (December 1989)
Industrial production: growth rate -7.0% (1986)
Electricity: 38,000 kW capacity; 70 million kWh produced, 14 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: cotton textile mills, slaughterhouses, brewery, natron (sodium carbonate)
Agriculture: accounts for 45% of GDP; largely subsistence farming; cotton most important cash crop; food crops include sorghum, millet, peanuts, rice, potatoes, manioc; livestock—cattle, sheep, goats, camels; self-sufficient in food in years of adequate rainfall
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $178 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $1.2 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $28 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $71 million
Currency: Communauté Financière Africaine franc (plural—francs); 1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: Communauté Financière Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1—287.99 (January 1990), 319.01 (1989), 297.85 (1988), 300.54 (1987), 346.30 (1986), 449.26 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Highways: 31,322 km total; 32 km bituminous;
7,300 km gravel and laterite;
remainder unimproved
Inland waterways: 2,000 km navigable
Civil air: 3 major transport aircraft
Airports: 71 total, 55 usable; 4 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 24 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: fair system of radiocommunication stations for intercity links; 5,000 telephones; stations—3 AM, 1 FM, limited TV service; many facilities are inoperative; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Air Force, paramilitary
Gendarmerie, Presidential Guard
Military manpower: males 15-49, 1,163,312; 603,923 fit for military service; 50,255 reach military age (20) annually
Defense expenditures: 3.5% of GDP (1987)
