Chad
Chad has three distinct geographical regions, dry plains and desert to the central and north of the country, mountains in the northwest, and lowlands in the south.
WARNING: The capital N'djamena has been declared a state of emergency as have some of the eastern regions of the country . Travel to the country is not advised. Click here for up-to-date information
Total Area:1.284 sq km
Land Borders: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Libya, Niger, Nigeria, Sudan
Population: 9,944,201
Life Expectancy: 48 years
HIV % Total Poulation:4.8%
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
Languages:French (official), Arabic (official), Sara (in south), more than 120 different languages and dialects
President:Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY Itno
GDP - Per Capita: $1,500
Chad, part of France's African holdings until 1960, endured three decades of civil warfare as well as invasions by Libya before a semblance of peace was finally restored in 1990. The government eventually drafted a democratic constitution, and held flawed presidential elections in 1996 and 2001. In 1998, a rebellion broke out in northern Chad, which sporadically flares up despite several peace agreements between the government and the rebels. In 2005 new rebel groups emerged in western Sudan and have made probing attacks into eastern Chad. Power remains in the hands of an ethnic minority. In June 2005, President Idriss DEBY held a referendum successfully removing constitutional term limits.