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Guide
Introduction
| |
| 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 - a civilian government was installed in 1993. |
| Location: |
Central Africa, north of
Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
7 00 N, 21 00 E |
| Area: |
total: 622,984
sq km
land: 622,984 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
| Area
- comparative: |
slightly smaller than Texas |
| Land
boundaries: |
total: 5,203 km
border countries: Cameroon 797 km, Chad 1,197 km,
Democratic Republic of the Congo 1,577 km, Republic of the Congo 467 km,
Sudan 1,165 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
highest point: Mont Ngaoui 1,420 m |
| Natural
resources: |
diamonds, uranium, timber,
gold, oil, hydropower |
| Land
use: |
arable land: 3%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 5%
forests and woodland: 75%
other: 17% (1993 est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
hot, dry, dusty harmattan
winds affect northern areas; floods are common |
| Environment
- current issues: |
tap water is not potable;
poaching has diminished its reputation as one of the last great wildlife
refuges; desertification; deforestation |
| Environment
- international agreements: |
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 94
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea |
| Geography
- note: |
landlocked; almost the
precise center of Africa |
| Population: |
3,576,884
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into
account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in
lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2001
est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
43.23% (male 778,885; female 767,414)
15-64 years: 53% (male 929,717; female 965,947)
65 years and over: 3.77% (male 59,364; female 75,557) (2001
est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
1.85% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
37.05 births/1,000 population
(2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
18.53 deaths/1,000 population
(2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population
(2001 est.) |
| 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: 0.79 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
105.25 deaths/1,000 live
births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total population:
43.8 years
male: 42.17 years
female: 45.48 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
4.86 children born/woman
(2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
13.84% (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
240,000 (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- deaths: |
23,000 (1999 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun: Central
African(s)
adjective: Central African |
| Ethnic
groups: |
Baya 34%, Banda 27%, Sara
10%, Mandjia 21%, Mboum 4%, M'Baka 4%, Europeans 6,500 (including 1,500
French) |
| Religions: |
indigenous beliefs 24%,
Protestant 25%, Roman Catholic 25%, Muslim 15%, other 11%
note: animistic beliefs and practices strongly influence
the Christian majority |
| Languages: |
French (official), Sangho
(lingua franca and national language), Arabic, Hunsa, Swahili |
| Literacy: |
definition: age
15 and over can read and write
total population: 60%
male: 68.5%
female: 52.4% (1995 est.) |
| Country
name: |
conventional long form:
Central African Republic
conventional short form: none
local long form: Republique Centrafricaine
local short form: none
former: Ubangi-Shari, Central African Empire
abbreviation: CAR |
| Government
type: |
republic |
| 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: |
Republic Day, 1 December
(1958) |
| 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-Felix PATASSE (since 22 October 1993)
head of government: Prime Minister Martin ZIGUELE (since 1
April 2001)
cabinet: Council of Ministers
elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year
term; election last held 19 September 1999 (next to be held NA 2005);
prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Ange-Felix PATASSE reelected president;
percent of vote - Ange-Felix PATASSE 51.63%, Andre KOLINGBA 19.38%,
David DACKO 11.15% |
| Legislative
branch: |
unicameral National Assembly
or Assemblee Nationale (109 seats; members are elected by popular vote
to serve five-year terms; note - there were 85 seats in the National
Assembly before the 1998 election)
elections: last held 22-23 November and 13 December 1998
(next to be held NA 2003)
election results: percent of vote by party - MLPC 43%, RDC
18%, MDD 9%, FPP 6%, PSD 5%, ADP 4%, PUN 3%, FODEM 2%, PLD 2%, UPR 1%,
FC 1%, independents 6%; seats by party - MLPC 47, RDC 20, MDD 8, FPP 7,
PSD 6, ADP 5, PUN 3, FODEM 2, PLD 2, UPR 1, FC 1, independents 7
note: the National Assembly is advised by the Economic and
Regional Council or Conseil Economique et Regional; when they sit
together they are called the Congress or Congres |
| Judicial
branch: |
Supreme Court or Cour
Supreme; Constitutional Court (all judges appointed by the president);
Court of Appeal; Criminal Courts |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
Alliance for Democracy and
Progress or ADP [Francois PEHOUA]; Central African Democratic Assembly
or RDC [Andre KOLINGBA]; Civic Forum or FC [Gen. Timothee MALENDOMA];
Democratic Forum or FODEM [Charles MASSI]; Liberal Democratic Party or
PLD [Nestor KOMBO-NAGUEMON]; Movement for Democracy and Development or
MDD [David DACKO]; Movement for the Liberation of the Central African
People or MLPC [the party of the president, Ange-Felix PATASSE];
Patriotic Front for Progress or FPP [Abel GOUMBA]; People's Union for
the Republic or UPR [leader NA]; National Unity Party or PUN [Jean-Paul
NGOUPANDE]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Enoch LAKOUE] |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
NA |
| International
organization participation: |
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CCC,
CEEAC, CEMAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC
(observer), OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTrO |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Emmanuel TOUABOY
chancery: 1618 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 483-7800
FAX: [1] (202) 332-9893 |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Robert C. PERRY
embassy: Avenue David Dacko, Bangui
mailing address: B. P. 924, Bangui
telephone: [236] 61 02 00
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 |
| 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 16% of export earnings and the diamond
industry for nearly 54%. 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. The 50% devaluation of the currencies of 14 Francophone
African nations on 12 January 1994 had mixed effects on the CAR's
economy. Diamond, timber, coffee, and cotton exports increased, leading
an estimated rise of GDP of 7% in 1994 and nearly 5% in 1995. Military
rebellions and social unrest in 1996 were accompanied by widespread
destruction of property and a drop in GDP of 2%. The IMF approved an
Extended Structure Adjustment Facility in 1998 and the World Bank
extended further credits in 1999 and approved a $10 million loan in
early 2001. The government has set targets of 3.5% GDP growth in 2001
and 2002. As of January 2001, many civil servants were owed as much as
30 months pay, leading them to go on strike and further damaging the
economy. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power parity -
$6.1 billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
3.5% (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power parity -
$1,700 (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture: 53%
industry: 20%
services: 27% (1999 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%: 0.7%
highest 10%: 47.7% (1993) |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
3% (2000 est.) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
6% (1993) |
| Budget: |
revenues: $638
million
expenditures: $1.9 billion, including capital expenditures
of $888 million (1994 est.) |
| Industries: |
diamond mining, sawmills,
breweries, textiles, footwear, assembly of bicycles and motorcycles |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
NA% |
| Electricity
- production: |
102 million kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
20.59%
hydro: 79.41%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
94.9 million kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
cotton, coffee, tobacco,
manioc (tapioca), yams, millet, corn, bananas; timber |
| Exports: |
$166 million (f.o.b., 2000) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
diamonds, timber, cotton,
coffee, tobacco |
| Exports
- partners: |
Benelux 64%, Cote d'Ivoire,
Spain, China, Egypt, France (1999) |
| Imports: |
$154 million (f.o.b., 2000) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
food, textiles, petroleum
products, machinery, electrical equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals,
pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, industrial products |
| Imports
- partners: |
France 35%, Cameroon 13%,
Benelux, Cote d'Ivoire, Germany, Japan (1999) |
| Debt
- external: |
$790 million (1999 est.) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$172.2 million (1995); note -
traditional budget subsidies from France |
| Currency: |
Communaute Financiere
Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the
Central African States |
| Exchange
rates: |
Communaute Financiere
Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 699.21 (January 2001), 711.98
(2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997), 511.55 (1996); note
- from 1 January 1999, the XAF is pegged to the euro at a rate of
655.957 XAF per euro |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
10,000 (1997) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
570 (1997) |
| Telephone
system: |
general assessment:
fair system
domestic: network consists principally of microwave radio
relay and low-capacity, low-powered radiotelephone communication
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat
(Atlantic Ocean) |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 1, FM 3, shortwave 1
(1998) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
NA |
| Televisions: |
18,000 (1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.cf |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
1 (2000) |
| Internet
users: |
1,000 (2000) |
| Highways: |
total: 23,810 km
paved: 429 km
unpaved: 23,381 km (2000) |
| Waterways: |
900 km
note: traditional trade carried on by means of
shallow-draft dugouts; Oubangui is the most important river, navigable
all year to craft drawing 0.6 m or less; 282 km navigable to craft
drawing as much as 1.8 m |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Bangui, Nola |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with 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 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
Central African Armed Forces
(includes Army, Air Force, Presidential Guard, National Gendarmerie,
Police Force) |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age 15-49:
824,139 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age 15-49:
430,922 (2001 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$29 million (FY96) |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
2.2% (FY96) |
| Disputes
- international: |
none |
|
