Background: in 1996 the Central African Republic experienced three mutinies by dissident elements of the armed forces which demanded back pay as well as political and military reforms.

Area
Total: 622,980 km²
Land: 622,980 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Texas

Land boundaries: Total 5,203 km, Cameroon 797 km, Chad 1,197 km, Congo 467 km, Sudan 1,165 km, Democratic Republic Congo 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
Extremes lowest point: Oubangui River 335 m
Extremes highest point: Mount Gaou 1,420 m

Natural resources:

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

Irrigated land: NA

Population:
Growth rate:

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

Ethnic groups:

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

Religions:
Note: Animistic beliefs and practices strongly influence the Christian majority

Population growth rate:

Birth rate:

Death rate:

Net migration rate:

Environment
Current issues: tap water is not potable; poaching has diminished reputation as one of last great wildlife refuges; desertification
Current issues Natural hazards: hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds affect northern areas; floods are common
International agreements: party to_Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified_Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the Sea
International agreements note: Landlocked; almost the precise center of Africa

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female
All ages:

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 45.86 years (1996 est.), 42.15 years (1995 est.)
Male: 45.03 years 91,996 est.), 40.68 years (1995 est.)
Female: 46.71 years (1996 est.), 43.67 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate:

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over that can read and write (1995 est.)
Total population: 60%
Male: 68.5%
Female: 52.4%

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;

Capital: Bangui

Administrative divisions: 14 prefectures (prefectures, singular_prefecture), 2 economic prefectures* (prefectures economiques, singular_prefecture economique), and 1 commune**; Bamingui-Bangoran, Bangui** Basse-Kotto, Gribingui*, Haute-Kotto, Haute-Sangha, Haut-Mbomou, Kemo-Gribingui, Lobaye, Mbomou, Nana-Mambere, Ombella-Mpoko, Ouaka, Ouham, Ouham-Pende, Sangha*, Vakaga

Independence: 13 August 1960 (from France)

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

Constitution: Passed by referendum 29 December 1994; adopted 7 January 1995

Legal system: Based on French law

Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Ange PATASSE (since 22 October 1993); elections last held 19 September 1993 (next scheduled for 1998); PATASSE received 52.45% of the votes and Abel GOUMBA received 45.62%
Head of government: Prime Minister Jean-Paul NGOUPANDE (since 6 June 1996); appointed by the president
Cabinet: Council of Ministers; appointed by the president

Legislative branch: Unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale):Elections last held 19 September 1993; results_percentage vote by party NA; seats_(85 total) MLPC 33, RDC 14, PLD 7, ADP 6, PSD 3, others 22
Note: The National Assembly is advised by the Economic and Regional Council (Conseil Economique et Regional); when they sit together they are called the Congress (Congres)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)

International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CCC, CEEAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, UDEAC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO

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

Economy overview: Subsistence agriculture, together with forestry, remains the backbone of the economy of the Central African Republic (CAR), with more than 70% of the population living in outlying areas. The agricultural sector generates half of GDP. Timber has accounted for about 13% of export earnings and the diamond industry for nearly 80%. Important constraints to economic development include the CAR's landlocked position, a poor transportation system, a largely unskilled work force, and a legacy of misdirected macroeconomic policies. A major plus is the large forest reserves, which the government is moving to protect from overexploitation. The 50% devaluation of the currencies of 14 Francophone African nations on 12 January 1994 had mixed effects on the CAR's economy. While diamond, timber, coffee, and cotton exports increased_leading GDP to increase by 5.5%_inflation rose to 45%, fueled by the rising prices of imports on which the economy depends; inflation dropped back rapidly in 1995. The CAR's poor resource base and primitive infrastructure will keep it dependent on multilateral donors and France for the foreseeable future.

Real gdp growth rate:

Real gdp per capita:

Agriculture products: Self-sufficient in food production except for grain; commercial crops_cotton, coffee, tobacco, timber; food crops_manioc, yams, millet, corn, bananas

Industries:

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 Commerce and services: 9%
By occupation Industry: 3%
By occupation Government: 3%
By occupation note: About 64,000 salaried workers (1985)

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

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

Fiscal year: Calendar year

Exports:
Commodities:
Partners:

Debt external:

Electricity
Capacity: 40,000 kW
Production: 100 million kWh
Consumption per capita: 29 kWh (1993)

Telephone system: 16,868 telephones (1992 est.); system is only fair
Local: NA
Intercity: network consists principally of micowave radio relay and low capacity, low powered radio communication
International: 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $30 million, 2.3% of GDP (1994)

Airports: 48
2438 to 3047 m: 1
15-24 to 2437 m: 2
Under 914 m: 11
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 9
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 24 (1995 est.)

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