The Republic of Chad is a landlocked country in north central Africa. It covers an area of 1.28m sq metres, has a total population of 9.7 million and is bordered by Libya, Sudan, the Central African Republic, Cameroon, Nigeria and Niger. Due to its distance from the sea and its largely desert climate, the country is sometimes referred to as the 'dead heart of Africa'.

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Chad is one of the ten poorest countries in the world - a condition hindered by its landlocked geography and desert climate in the northern half of the country. 80% of the population -some 6 million people  survive on less than $1 a day. Various civil wars during thirty of its forty years of independence from France since 1960 have exacerbated the situation. Political stability and economic development has been hindered by tensions between the Muslim population in the north and non-muslims in the south, as well as conflicts within each population. The country is governed by an elected President, Idris Deby, who took power in a military coup in 1990 and was elected for a five year term in June 2001.

The country has limited natural resources. Over 80% of Chad's population relies on subsistence farming and stock raising for its livelihood however only 3% of its land is arable - the rest is either desert or wetlands - and none of it has permanent crops. Environmental hazards include hot, dry, dusty winds in the north and periodic droughts and locust plagues. Lake Chad, which was once the second largest lake in Africa, has shrunk dramatically during the last 40 years and is now less than a tenth of its original size.

Chad has a 1:30,000 doctor to patient ratio and a child mortality rate of 20% (1 in 5 children will die before they reach the age of 5). The maternal mortality rate (the lifetime chance of a women dying in pregnancy or childbirth) is 1 in 11. Only 16% of births are attended by a skilled health worker. Life expectancy for men is 44 years and women is 47 years.