 |
dancing lessons from god |
Home
|
unusual travel arrangements for independent travellers
|
|
ChadChad{{otheruses}} The '''Republic of Chad''' ('''تشاد''') is a land-locked nation in central Africa. It borders Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest and Niger to the west. Due to its distance from the sea and its largely desert climate, the country is sometimes refered to as the 'dead heart of Africa.' In the north, it contains the Tibesti Mountains, the largest mountain chain in the Sahara desert. Formerly part of the Federation of French Equatorial Africa, the country is named after Lake Chad. {| border=1 align=right cellpadding=4 cellspacing=0 width=300 style="margin: 0 0 1em 1em; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;" |+<big><big>'''Jumhuriyat Tashad<br>République du Tchad'''</big></big> |- | style="background:#efefef;" align="center" colspan="2" | {| border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" | align="center" width="140px" | Image:Chad flag large.png|125px|Flag of Chad | align="center" width="140px" | Image:chad_coa.jpg|Chad: Coat of Arms |- | align="center" width="140px" | Flag of Chad|In Detail | align="center" width="140px" | Coat of Arms of Chad|Full size |} |- | align="center" colspan=2 | <small>''National motto: Unité - Travail - Progrès<br>(French language|French: Unity - Work - Progress)''</small> |- | align=center colspan=2 | image:LocationChad.png |- | '''Official languages''' | French language|French, Arabic language|Arabic |- | '''Capital''' | N'Djamena |- | '''President of Chad|President''' | Idriss Déby |- | '''Prime Minister of Chad|Prime Minister''' | Pascal Yoadimnadji |- | '''Area'''<br /> - Total <br /> - % water | List of countries by area|Ranked 20th <br /> 1 E12 m2|1,284,000 km² <br /> 1.9% |- | '''Population''' <br /> - Total (2003) <br /> - Population density|Density | List of countries by population|Ranked 82nd <br /> 9,253,493 <br /> 7.2/km² |- | '''Independence''' <br /> - Current govt. <br /> - Constitution | 11 August 1960 <br /> 2 December 1990 <br /> 31 March 1996 |- | '''Currency''' | CFA franc (XAF) |- | '''Time zone''' | Coordinated Universal Time|UTC +1 |- | '''National anthem''' | ''La Tchadienne'' |- | '''Top-level domain|Internet TLD''' | [http://www.iana.org/root-whois/td.htm .td] |- | '''List of country calling codes|Calling Code''' | 235 |} == History == ''Main article: History of Chad'' Like most of the world, the area that today is Chad started out as a disconnected group of tribes. Humanoid skulls and cave paintings have been found there. Eventually, these tribes were overtaken by kingdoms. Chad was controlled by some weak local kingdoms until it was overtaken by the larger, but still completely African Kanem-Bornu Empire. Later, foreigners started having a bigger influence on Chad. Starting in the Middle Ages, Chad became a crossroads between the Muslim traders and the native tribes. In 1891 Chad became a French colony. In World War II|WWII, Chad was the first France|French colony to join the Allies. In 1960, Chad peacefully became an independent country. In 1965, a civil war began as tax revolt from the Muslim north. This was a long and painful war. It lasted until 1996, at which time a constitution was written and Idriss Déby was elected president. == Politics == {{election chad}} A strong executive branch headed by President Deby of the Patriotic Salvation Movement dominates the Chadian political system. Deby was elected constitutionally in 1996 and 2001, but international observers noted irregularites in the election process. Deby has been president since 1990, but a constitution wasn't written until 1996. The president of Chad is limited to two terms (not counting before the constitution was written), however a change in the constitution may allow Idriss Deby to run for office again in 2006. The president is elected by universal suffrage for those over 18. The president has the power to appoint the prime minister and the Council of State (or cabinet), and exercises considerable influence over appointments of judges, generals, provincial officials and heads of Chad’s parastatal firms. Chad's legislative branch consists of a unicameral National Assembly. Its judicial branch consists of a Supreme Court, a Court of Appeal, criminal courts, and magistrate courts. == Prefectures == ''Main article: Prefectures of Chad'' Chad has 14 prefectures: *Batha *Biltine *Borkou-Ennedi-Tibesti *Chari-Baguirmi *Guéra *Kanem *Lac Prefecture|Lac *Logone Occidental *Logone Oriental *Mayo-Kebbi *Moyen-Chari *Ouaddaï *Salamat *Tandjilé == Geography == Image:Cd-map.png|thumb|Map of Chad ''Main article: Geography of Chad'' Chad is a land-locked country in north central Africa measuring 1,284,000 square kilometers (496,000 sq. mi.), roughly three times the size of Texas. Chad is in central Africa, south of Libya. Chad has 5,968 km of border against Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Niger, Nigeria, and Sudan. Chad has four climactic zones: it has broad, arid plains in center, desert in north, dry mountains in northwest, and tropical lowlands in south. Only 3% of Chad is arable land and none of it has permanent crops. Environmental hazards in Chad include hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds occur in north, periodic droughts, and locust plagues. Lake Chad, which is in Chad and Cameroon, was once the second-largest lake in Africa but has shrunk dramatically during the last few decades and is now down to less than 10% of its former size. == Economy == ''Main article: Economy of Chad'' Chad's primarily agricultural economy will continue to be boosted by major petroleum|oilfield and pipeline projects that began in 2000. Over 80% of Chad's population relies on subsistence farming and stock raising for its livelihood. Cotton, cattle, and gum arabic provide the bulk of Chad's export earnings, but Chad will begin to export oil in 2004. Chad's economy has long been handicapped by its landlocked position, high energy costs, and a history of instability. Chad relies on foreign assistance and foreign capital for most public and private sector investment projects. A consortium led by two US companies has been investing $3.7 billion to develop oil reserves estimated at 1 billion barrels (0.2 km³) in southern Chad. Oil production is scheduled to come on stream in late 2003. == Demographics == ''Main article: Demographics of Chad'' There are more than 200 ethnic groups in Chad. Those in the north and east are generally Muslim; most southerners are Christianity|Christians or animists. Through their long religious and commercial relationships with Sudan and Egypt, many of the peoples in Chad's eastern and central regions have become more or less Arabized, speaking Arabic language|Arabic and engaging in many other Arab cultural practices as well. More than three-quarters of the Chadian population is rural. == Culture == ''Main article: Culture of Chad'' Chad is a very culturally diverse nation. Among the manifestations of this diversity is the extremely large number of languges spoken there. Although the only official languages in Chad are Arabic language|Arabic and French language|French, there are also more than 100 tribal languages spoken. The largest ethnic group in Chad, the Christian/animist Sara peoples living in the south, only makes up 20% of the population. In central Chad, people are mostly nomadic and pastoralist. The mountainous north has a sparse, mostly Muslim population of mixed backgrounds. Each society in Chad (smaller than the groups described above) has developed their own religion, music, and folklore. ''See also:'' music of Chad, List of African writers (by country)#Chad|List of writers from Chad == Miscellaneous topics == *Association of Baptist Churches of Chad *Communications in Chad *Foreign relations of Chad *Islam in Chad *Military of Chad *Transportation in Chad *Holidays in Chad *Darfur conflict == External links == *[http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/cd.html CIA World Factbook page on Chad] — much of the information on Chad comes from here. *[http://www.ryanspencerreed.com/ Photojournalist's Account] — Images of Sudan's displaced in Eastern Chad {{Africa}} Category:Chad Category:African Union member states ar:تشاد bn:চাদ ca:Txad da:Tchad de:Tschad et:Tšaad es:Chad eo:Ĉado fr:Tchad ko:차드 io:Chad id:Chad ia:Tchad it:Ciad he:צ'אד lv:Čada lt:Čadas ms:Chad nl:Tsjaad nds:Tschad ja:チャド no:Tsjad pl:Czad (państwo) pt:Chade ru:Чад scn:Ciad sk:Čad sl:Čad sr:Чад fi:Tšad sv:Tchad th:ประเทศชาด uk:Чад zh:乍得 First page | Prev | Next | Last page | This article on Chad is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Chad". if you like cool drinks you may be interested in:
Hope you enjoyed reading about Chad |
|
