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Central Africa south of Libya. More than three times the size of California. Landlocked. Desert in the north, tropical in the south.
Figures unless otherwise stated are from the CIA Factbook.
Estimated per capita GDP:
2007 $1,600 (Ranks 189th)
GDP annual growth rate estimated for 2007: -1.3 percent. (Ranks 215th.)
Subsistence farming and livestock support 80 percent of Chad's population.
The Sahara desert covers much of Mali and it is steadily growing. Climate change is forcing nomadic tribes to settle near water. Farming techniques have been turning once fertile areas to dust.
Camel trains are being replaced by trucks.
Factbook (2005) "A consortium led by two US companies has been investing $3.7 billion to develop oil reserves estimated at 1 billion barrels in southern Chad. Oil production came on stream in late 2003."
According to the BBC in 2006, only 3 percent of the population has access to electricity.
Deaths: 16.39. Births: 41.61, down from 45.98 in 2005.
Estimated for July 2008: 10.11 million. Rate of growth: 2.195 percent per year.
Density per square kilometer of arable land: 273 persons.
More people leaving than arriving. A net loss of 3.27 per 1,000 population.
For 2008, infant deaths before the age of one per 1,000 live births: 100.36, up from 93.82 in 2005.
Average life expectancy estimated for 2008: 47.43 years, down from 47.94 in 2005
Living with HIV/AIDS, ages 15 to 49: 4.8 percent (2003) .
A report published by the BBC describes a poll of 50,000 families in 28 African countries, by the UN Economic Commission for Africa. There are complaints of "corruption, poor tax systems, run-down and unaccountable public services, weak parliaments and unreformed courts." Chad is among the four lowest ranking countries regarding trust in authorities by those polled.
SOURCES:
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/
BBC News
Copyright © 2008 by Frank E. Smitha. All rights reserved.