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Central African Republic
Background :
The former French colony of Ubangi-Shari became the Central African Republic upon independence in 1960. After three tumultuous decades of misrule - mostly by military governments - civilian rule was established in 1993 and lasted for one decade. President Ange-Felix PATASSE's civilian government was plagued by unrest, and in March 2003 he was deposed in a military coup led by General Francois BOZIZE, who established a transitional government. Though the government has the tacit support of civil society groups and the main parties, a wide field of candidates contested the municipal, legislative, and presidential elections held in March and May of 2005 in which General BOZIZE was affirmed as president. The government still does not fully control the countryside, where pockets of lawlessness persist. Unrest in neighboring nations, Chad, Sudan, and the DRC, continues to affect stability in the Central African Republic as well.
Location :
Central Africa, north of Democratic Republic of the Congo
Geographic Coordinates Center :
7 00 N, 21 00 E (Latitude, Longtitude)
Geographic Coordinates Rectangle :
| West | 14.42 |
| North | 11.01 |
| East | 27.46 |
| South | 2.22 |
Map references :
Africa
Area :
| total | 622 984 | square km |
| land | 622 984 | square km |
| water | 0 | square km |
Land boundaries :
| total | 5 203 | km |
| Cameroon (cm) | 797 | km |
| Chad (td) | 1 197 | km |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | 1 577 | km |
| Republic of the Congo | 467 | km |
| Sudan (sd) | 1 165 | km |
Coastline :
0.00 km
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 | 335 | metres |
| highest point | 1 420 | metres |
Natural resources :
| diamonds | gold |
| hydropower | oil |
| timber | uranium |
Land use :
| arable land | 3.10 | % |
| permanent crops | 0.15 | % |
| other | 96.75 | % |
Irrigated land :
20 square km
Total renewable water resources :
144 cubic km
Natural hazards :
| floods | harmattan winds |
current issues :
tap water is not potable; poaching has diminished the country's reputation as one of the last great wildlife refuges; desertification; deforestation
international agreements :
| Biodiversity | Climate Change |
| Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol | Desertification |
| Endangered Species | Hazardous Wastes |
| Law of the Sea | Ozone Layer Protection |
| Tropical Timber 94 | Wetlands |
Population :
4 511 488
Indicators :
| Growth rate | 1.49 | % |
| Birth rate | 32.75 | births/1,000 population |
| Total fertility rate | 4.14 | children born/woman |
| Death rate | 17.84 | deaths/1,000 population |
Age structure :
| 0-14 years | 40.90 | % |
| 15-64 years | 55.00 | % |
| 65 years and over | 4.10 | % |
Median age :
| total | 18.80 | years |
| male | 18.50 | years |
| female | 19.10 | years |
Sex ratio :
| at birth | 1.03 | male(s)/female |
| under 15 years | 1.01 | male(s)/female |
| 15-64 years | 0.99 | male(s)/female |
| 65 years and over | 0.63 | male(s)/female |
| total population | 0.98 | male(s)/female |
Health :
| Infant mortality rate | 80.62 | deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth - total population | 44.47 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - male | 44.40 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - female | 44.54 | years |
| HIV-AIDS adult prevalence rate | 6.30 | % |
| HIV-AIDS people living with HIV-AIDS | 160 000 | |
| HIV-AIDS deaths | 11 000 |
Religions :
| indigenous beliefs | 35.00 | % |
| Protestant | 25.00 | % |
| Roman Catholic | 25.00 | % |
| Muslim | 15.00 | % |
Languages :
| French | |
| Sangho |
Literacy :
| total population | 48.60 | % |
| male | 64.80 | % |
| female | 33.50 | % |
Country name :
| conventional long form | Central African Republic |
| local long form | Republique Centrafricaine |
| former | Ubangi-Shari, Central African Empire |
Country Codes :
| ISO 3166 | CF |
| ISO Numeric | 140 |
| ISO3 | CAF |
| FIPS | CT |
| ccTLD | cf |
| English | Central African Republic |
Administrative divisions :
14 prefectures (prefectures, singular - prefecture), 2 economic prefectures* (prefectures economiques, singular - prefecture economique), and 1 commune**; Bamingui-Bangoran, Bangui**, Basse-Kotto, Haute-Kotto, Haut-Mbomou, Kemo, Lobaye, Mambere-Kadei, Mbomou, Nana-Grebizi*, Nana-Mambere, Ombella-Mpoko, Ouaka, Ouham, Ouham-Pende, Sangha-Mbaere*, Vakaga
Capital :
| name | Bangui |
| geographic coordinates | 4 22 N, 18 35 E |
| time difference | 1.00 |
International organization participation :
| ACCT | ACP |
| AU | AfDB |
| BDEAC | CEMAC |
| FAO | FZ |
| G-77 | IAEA |
| IBRD | ICAO |
| ICCt | ICRM |
| IDA | IFAD |
| IFC | IFRCS |
| ILO | IMF |
| IOC | ITSO |
| ITU | ITUC |
| Interpol | MIGA |
| NAM | OIC (observer) |
| OIF | OPCW |
| UN | UNCTAD |
| UNESCO | UNIDO |
| UNWTO | UPU |
| WCO | WFTU |
| WHO | WIPO |
| WMO | WTO |
Independence :
1960-08-13
National holiday :
Republic Day
1958-12-01
Executive branch :
| President Francois BOZIZE | Prime Minister Faustin-Archange TOUADERA |
GDP - Gross Domestic product :
| PPP - Purchasing Power Parity | 3 299 000 000 | $ |
| Official Exchange Rate | 1 983 000 000 | |
| RGR - Real Growth rate | 2.40 | % |
| PPP - per capita | 700 | $ |
GDP Composition by sector :
| agriculture | 55.00 | % |
| industry | 20.00 | % |
| services | 25.00 | % |
Other Indicators :
| Labor force | 1 926 000 | people |
| Unemployment rate | 8.00 | % |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index | 61.30 | |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 0.90 | % |
| Current account balance | - 77 000 000 | $ |
| Debt external | 1 153 000 000 | $ |
| Military expenditures | 1.10 | % of GDP |
Household income or consumption by percentage share :
| lowest 10% | 2.10 | % |
| highest 10% | 33.00 | % |
Budget :
| revenues | 334 000 000 | $ |
| expenditures | 362 000 000 | $ |
Agriculture - products :
| bananas | cassava |
| coffee | corn |
| cotton | millet |
| timber | timber |
| tobacco | yams |
Industries :
| assembly of bicycles and motorcycles | brewing |
| footwear | gold and diamond mining |
| logging | textiles |
Energy :
| Electricity Production | 115 000 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Consumption | 107 000 000 | kWh |
| Oil Consumption | 2 000 | bbl/day |
| Oil Imports | 2 203 | bbl/day |
Value :
146 700 000 $
Partners :
| Japan (jp) | 40.20 | % |
| Belgium (be) | 9.70 | % |
| China (cn) | 8.10 | % |
| Morocco (ma) | 5.90 | % |
| Indonesia (id) | 5.60 | % |
| France (fr) | 4.30 | % |
| Italy (it) | 4.00 | % |
Commodities :
| coffee | cotton |
| diamonds | timber |
| tobacco |
Value :
237 300 000 $
Partners :
| South Korea | 20.20 | % |
| France (fr) | 13.60 | % |
| Cameroon (cm) | 7.70 | % |
| Netherlands (nl) | 5.70 | % |
| United States (us) | 5.30 | % |
Commodities :
| chemicals | electrical equipment |
| food | machinery |
| motor vehicles | petroleum products |
| pharmaceuticals | textiles |
Currency-code :
XAF
Currency-name :
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc
Communications :
| Telephons Main lines in use | 12 000 | |
| Telephons Mobile, Cellular | 154 000 | |
| FM Radio broadcast stations | 5 | |
| Television broadcast stations | 1 | |
| Internet Country code (ccTLD) | cf | |
| Internet Hosts | 21 | |
| Internet Users | 19 000 |
Transportation :
| Airports with paved runways | 2 | |
| Roadways - total | 24 307 | km |
| Waterways | 2 800 | km |
Flag
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