Map of Central African Republic | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide19891990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023 | More stats

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Background: The Central African Republic has been governed by one-party rule since 1986.


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Location: Central Africa, between Chad and Zaire

Geographic coordinates

Map reference: Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World

Area
Total: 622,980 km²
Land: 622,980 km²

Land boundaries: total 5,203 km, Cameroon 797 km, Chad 1,197 km, Congo 467 km, Sudan 1,165 km, Zaire 1,577 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none; landlocked

Climate: tropical; hot, dry winters; mild to hot, wet summers

Terrain: vast, flat to rolling, monotonous plateau; scattered hills in northeast and southwest

Elevation

Natural resources: diamonds, uranium, timber, gold, oil

Land use
Arable land: 3%
Permanent crops: 0%
Meadows and pastures: 5%
Forest and woodland: 64%
Other: 28%

Irrigated land: NA km²

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography


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Population: 3,073,979 (July 1993 est.)
Growth rate: 2.23% (1993 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Central African(s)
Adjective: Central African

Ethnic groups:

Languages: French (official), Sangho (lingua franca and national language), Arabic, Hunsa, Swahili

Religions:

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 2.23% (1993 est.)

Birth rate: 42.77 births/1000 population (1993 est.)

Death rate: 20.49 deaths/1000 population (1993 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (1993 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds affect northern areas; poaching has diminished reputation as one of last great wildlife refuges; desertification
Current issues note: landlocked; almost the precise center of Africa

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 138.7 deaths/1000 live births (1993 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 42.94 years
Male: 41.46 years
Female: 44.45 years (1993 est.)

Total fertility rate

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
Total population: 27%
Male: 33%
Female: 15%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Central African Republic
Conventional short form: none
Local long form: Republique Centrafricaine
Local short form: none
Former: Central African Empire
Abbreviation: CAR

Government type: republic; one-party presidential regime since 1986

Capital: Bangui

Administrative divisions:

Dependent areas

Independence: 13 August 1960 (from France)

National holiday: National Day, 1 December (1958) (proclamation of the republic)

Constitution: 21 November 1986

Legal system: based on French law

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal

Executive branch: president, prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale) advised by the Economic and Regional Council (Conseil Economique et Regional; when they sit together this is known as the Congress (Congres)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation:

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Jean-Pierre SOHAHONG-KOMBET
In the us chancery: 1618 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20,008
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Robert E. GRIBBIN
From the us embassy: Avenue David Dacko, Bangui
From the us mailing address: B. P. 924, Bangui
From the us telephone: 236 61-02-00, 61-25-78, 61-43-33, 61-02-10
From the us fax: 236 61-44-94

Flag description: four equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, green, and yellow with a vertical red band in center; there is a yellow five-pointed star on the hoist side of the blue band

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Subsistence agriculture, including forestry, is the backbone of the CAR economy, with more than 70% of the population living in the countryside. In 1988 the agricultural sector generated about 40% of GDP. Agricultural products accounted for about 60% of export earnings and the diamond industry for 30%. Important constraints to economic development include the CAR's landlocked position, a poor transportation system, and a weak human resource base. Multilateral and bilateral development assistance, particularly from France, plays a major role in providing capital for new investment.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: -3% (1990 est.)

Real gdp per capita ppp

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: accounts for 40% of GDP; self-sufficient in food production except for grain; commercial crops - cotton, coffee, tobacco, timber; food crops - manioc, yams, millet, corn, bananas

Industries: diamond mining, sawmills, breweries, textiles, footwear, assembly of bicycles and motorcycles

Industrial production growth rate: growth rate 4% (1990 est.), accounts for 14% of GDP

Labor force: 775,413 (1986 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 85%
By occupation commerceand services: 9%
By occupation industry: 3%
By occupation government:
By occupation 000salariedworkers;: 55% of population of working age (1985)

Unemployment rate: 30% (1988 est.) in Bangui

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues $175 million; expenditures $312 million, including capital expenditures of $122 million (1991 est.)

Public debt

Taxes and other revenues

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Current account balance

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $138 million (1991 est.)
Commodoties: diamonds, cotton, coffee, timber, tobacco
Partners: France, Belgium, Italy, Japan, US

Imports: $205 million (1991 est.)
Commodoties: food, textiles, petroleum products, machinery, electrical equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, industrial products
Partners: France, other EC countries, Japan, Algeria

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 274.06 (January 1993), 264.69 (1992), 282.11 (1991), 272.26 (1990), 319.01 (1989), 297.85 (1988)


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Electricity access

Electricity production

Electricity consumption

Electricity exports

Electricity imports

Electricity installed generating capacity

Electricity transmission distribution losses

Electricity generation sources

Petroleum

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones fixed lines

Telephones mobile cellular

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet country code

Internet users

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: exchange rate conversion - $23 million, 1.8% of GDP (1989 est.)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 66
Usable: 51
With permanentsurface runways: 3
With runways over 3659 m: 0
With runways 2440-3659 m: 2
With runways 1220-2439 m: 20

Airports with paved runways

Airports with unpaved runways

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: 800 km; traditional trade carried on by means of shallow-draft dugouts; Oubangui is the most important river

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs