Chad, Africa

March 21, 2011

Chad

Developing countries are set apart from their fellow developed countries. While there is no single internationally recognize definition for this term, an under developed economy is good indication that a country belongs to this category. The nation of Chad is a prime example. Its economic development has been hampered by of a weak political infrastructure and a hostile social infrastructure. As a result this nation relies heavily on foreign aid to subsidies its economy (CIA). By nature, a weak infrastructure impacts a country in a destabilizing trickle effect, for example impacting food security, quality of education, and ultimately resulting in a diminished quality of life. Because of this destructive cause and effect relationship, many countries, like Chad, remain in the developing state, while there more developed brothers and sisters evolve, socially, educationally, and technologically. By default, industrialized countries are more stable, and economically prosperous. Another factor that diminishes the quality of life is the inequality of gender. A weak political infrastructure and a hostile social infrastructure combined with the inequality of gender significantly impact the quality of life for the Chadian people.

To better appreciate the impact of these factors, it is important to have a better understanding of the geography and the history. Chad is located in north-central Africa. It is a landlocked nation located between Niger, Libya, Sudan, The Central African Republic, Cameroon, and Nigeria. The country's name is derived from Lake Chad, which lies on its' western border with Niger and Nigeria. Chad has a desert in the north that becomes the Sahara. The land area of Chad is about eighty-five percent of the size of Alaska (Infoplease). There are three distinct climate zones. The north is referred to as the Sahara zone because it is dry and hot with little rainfall. The middle region, the Sahlian zone, experiences more rainfall, and the southern zone receives the greatest rain fall, about 48 inches per year. As a whole the country is prone to drought and periodical the people suffer from famine. In this country the people are mostly semi nomadic pastoralists in the north, and in the south most people are able to practice intensive agriculture due to the semitropical climate (Ember, 439). In 2010 the population of Chad was estimated to be 10,543,264 with a density of 21 people per square mile (Infoplease). Chad's two official languages are French and Arabic although more than one hundred languages are spoken among two hundred different ethnic groups (Groelsema, 112). In the northern and central parts of Chad reside mostly Muslims. This group is comprised of Arabs, Gorane (Toubou, Daza, Kreda), Zaghawa, Kanembou, Ouaddai, Baguirmi, Hadjerai, Fulbe, Kotoko, Hausa, Boulala, and Maba. To the south resides mostly Christians or animists. This group accounts for the Sara (Ngambaye, Mbaye, Goulaye), Moundang, Moussei, and Massa peoples (Infoplease). Due to the fact that the majority of Chad's land mass is desert, only three percent of its' available space is arable. In accordance to the economic activities of many developing nations, eighty percent of Chad's workforce is employed in agriculture (CIA). Chad produces such crops as cotton (which accounts for sixty five percent of export revenue), sorghum, peanuts, rice, potatoes, and manioc. They also herd cattle, sheep, goats, and camels. Exporting livestock accounts for another twenty percent of the nations export revenue. It is also good to note that must of Chad's economy is conducted through undocumented trade of commodities like livestock (Ember, 444). Chad must import machinery and transportation equipment, industrial goods, foodstuffs, and textile because of their lack of industrialization. There are no ports, harbors, or railways in Chad. Therefore Chad's transportation of both imports and exports must be carried out by means of its road system. This road system is made up of 20,758 miles of mostly unpaved roads. In fact less than one percent of there roads are paved. The saving grace for this country is its' fifty-two airports.

The people of Chad have long since had a weak political infrastructure. This dates back to the 10th century when the Islamic faith was introduced (Ember, 441). While many converted to Islam, most resisted in favor of traditional beliefs. Inevitably, conflict arose causing factionalism among the two main religious groups. It is important to understand that up until 1900 the peoples of Chad existed as independent ethnic kingdoms or tribal groups. There was no larger political unit. These kingdoms operated as individual ethnic factions. In the 1900's France invaded Africa and colonized areas such as Chad. This established the boundaries and political unit that is recognized today as Chad (Ember, 411). Chadians resisted the French rule and France was unable to unify its' people or develop its' economy. The French introduced Christianity in the south, and along with these missions established the first schools. While the northern Chadians were neglected as a desert wasteland, they maintained the traditional ways of education (Groelsema, 111). By 1960 Chad gained its independence from France and became a republic. Since gaining independence, Chad has come under the rule of three leaders. All of their regimes have been marked by rebellion and violence. Ethnic political and religious