h unpaved runways:
total: 49
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 10
914 to 1,523 m: 23
under 914 m: 15 (1998 est.)

Military

Military branches: Central African Armed Forces (includes
Republican Guard and Air Force), Presidential Guard, National
Gendarmerie, Police Force

Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 782,678 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 409,044 (1999 est.)

Military expenditures--dollar figure: $29 million (1996)

Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 2.2% (1996)

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: none

======================================================================

@Chad
----

Introduction

Background: In 1960, Chad gained full independence from France.
In December 1990, after Chad had endured three decades of ethnic
warfare as well as invasions by Libya, former northern guerrilla
leader Idriss DEBY seized control of the government. His
transitional government eventually suppressed or came to terms with
most political-military groups, settled the territorial dispute with
Libya on terms favorable to Chad, drafted a democratic constitution
which was ratified by popular referendum in 1996, held multiparty
national presidential elections in 1996 (DEBY won with 69% of the
vote), and held multiparty elections for the National Assembly in
1997 (DEBY's Patriotic Salvation Movement won a majority of the
seats). But by the end of 1998, DEBY was beset with numerous
problems including heavy casualties in the Democratic Republic of
the Congo where Chadian troops had been deployed to support
embattled President KABILA, a new rebellion in northern Chad, and
further delays in the Doba Basin oil project in the south.

Geography

Location: Central Africa, south of Libya

Geographic coordinates: 15 00 N, 19 00 E

Map references: Africa

Area:
total: 1.284 million sq km
land: 1,259,200 sq km
water: 24,800 sq km

Area--comparative: slightly more than three times the size of
California

Land boundaries:
total: 5,968 km
border countries: Cameroon 1,094 km, Central African Republic 1,197
km, Libya 1,055 km, Niger 1,175 km, Nigeria 87 km, Sudan 1,360 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: tropical in south, desert in north

Terrain: broad, arid plains in center, desert