1983 Edition

Agriculture

main crops — corn, beans, manioc, sweet potatoes; barely self-sufficient in food

commercial — cotton, coffee, peanuts, sesame, wood; main food crops — manioc, corn, peanuts, rice, potatoes

Airfields

6 total, 6 usable; 4 with permanentsurface runways; 1 with runways 2,4403,659 m, 4 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

54 total, 45 usable; 3 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 18 with runways 1,2202,439 m

Branches

National People's Assembly, 56 members; the official party is the supreme political institution

People's Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARP); Army, Navy, and Air Force are separate components of FARP

Gen. AndreDieudonne Kolingba is Chief of State and President of the Military Committee for National Recovery, which replaced the Council of Ministers; no legislature; separate judiciary

Army, Air Force

Budget

$17.1 million public revenue, $22.1 million current expenditures (1980 est.)

(1982) revenues $102 million; current expenditures $111 million; development expenditures $18 million

Capital

Praia

Bangui

Civil air

2 major transport aircraft

3 major transport aircraft

Communists

a few Communists, some sympathizers

Elections

National Assembly election held December 1980, the first since independence Political parties and leaders: only legal party, African Party for Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV), led by Aristides Pereira, secretary general; PAICV established in January 1981 to replace the former ruling party in both Cape Verde and Guinea Bissau, the African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde (PAIGC), in protest of the November 1980 coup in Guinea-Bissau

no scheduled presidential, legislative, or municipal elections Political parties and leaders: political parties were banned in September 1981 Communists.- no Communist party; small number of Communist sympathizers

Electric power

8,000 kW capacity (1983); 10 million kWh produced (1983); 35 kWh per capita

46,000 kW capacity (1983); 65 million kWh produced (1983), 25 kWh per capita

Ethnic divisions

approximately 80 ethnic groups, the majority of which have related ethnic and linguistic characteristics; 34% Baya, 28% Banda, 10% Sara, 9% Mandjia, 9% Mboum, 7% M'Baka; 6,500 Europeans, of whom 3,600 are French

Exports

$4.0 million (f.o.b., 1980); fish, bananas, salt, flour

$111.5 million (f.o.b., 1982); cotton, coffee, diamonds, timber

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications

calendar year Communications

Fishing

catch 8,331 metric tons (1979 est); largely undeveloped but provides major source of export earnings

GDP

$658 million (1982 est), $273 per capita, 0.4% real growth

GNP

$142 million (1980 prov.); $473 per capita income(1980); 0.0% growth rate(1978)

Government leader

Gen. Andre-Dieudonne KOLINGBA, Chief of State and President of the Military Committee for National Recovery

Government leaders

Aristides PEREIRA, President; Pedro PIRES, Prime Minister

Highways

21,950 km total; 454 km bituminous, 10,196 km improved earth, 11,300 unimproved earth

Imports

$64.5 million (c.i.f., 1980); petroleum products, corn, rice, machinery, textiles

$149.7 million (f.o.b., 1982 est); textiles, petroleum products, machinery, electrical equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, Pharmaceuticals

Inland waterways

7,080 km; traditional trade carried on by means of shallow-draft dugouts on the extensive system of rivers and streams

Labor force

1,320,000(1983); 88% agriculture, 4% industry and commerce, 4% services, 4% government; approximately 64,000 salaried workers

Land boundaries

4,981 km People

Language

French (official); Sangho, lingua franca and national language

Legal system

based on constitution

based on French law; constitution, which was approved in February 1981 referendum, was suspended after September 1981 military takeover; judiciary, Supreme Court, court of appeals, criminal court, and numerous lower courts

Literacy

est. 33%

Major industries

salt mining

sawmills, brewery, diamond mining and splitting

Major trade partners

Portugal, UK, Japan, African neighbors

exports — France, Belgium, Japan, US; imports — France and other EC countries, Japan, Algeria, Yugoslavia

Member of

FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, ILO.IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, IPU, ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO Economy

AfDB, Conference of East and Central African States, EAMA, EGA, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IFAD, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ITU, NAM, OAU, OCAM, UDEAC, UEAC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO Economy

Military budget

for fiscal year including 31 December 1980, $15 million; about 5% of central government budget Land 626,780 km2; 80%-85% meadow, fallow, vacant arable land, urban, or waste; 10%-15% cultivated; 5% dense forest

for fiscal year ending 31 December 1983; $12.2 million; about 14.5% of central government budget

Military manpower

males 15-49, 82,000; 48,000 fit for military service

males 15-49, 570,000; 295,000 fit for military service

Monetary conversion rate

72.644 escudos= US$1 (Feburary 1984)

422.25 Communaute Financiere Africaine (CFA) francs=US$l (February 1984)

National holiday

Independence Day, 5 July

Independence Day, 13 August; National Day, 1 December

Nationality

noun — Central African(s); adjective — -Central African

Official name

Central African Republic

Organized labor

1 % of labor force

Political subdivisions

10 islands

14 prefectures, 47 subprefectures

Population

2,585,000 (July 1984), average annual growth rate 2.8%

Ports

1 major (Mindelo), 3 minor

Railroads

none

Religion

25% Protestant, 25% Roman Catholic, 24% indigenous beliefs, 10% Muslim; animistic beliefs and practices strongly influence the Christian majority

Suffrage

universal over age 15

universal over age 21

Supply

mainly dependent on France, but has received equipment from Israel, Italy, USSR, FRG, South Korea, and PRC

Telecommunications

interisland radiorelay system, HF radio to mainland Portugal and Guinea-Bissau, about 1,740 telephones (0.6 per 100 popl.); 2 FM and 2 AM stations; 1 small TV station; 2 coaxial submarine cables; 1 Atlantic Ocean satellite ground station Defense Forces

facilities are meager; network is composed of low-capacity, low-powered radio-communication stations and radio-relay links; 6,000 telephones (0.2 per 100 popl.); 1 AM station, 1 FM station, and 1 TV station; satellite ground station under construction Defense Forces

Type

republic, under military rule since September 1981