1995 Edition

Area

total area: 622,980 sq km land area: 622,980 sq km comparative area: slightly smaller than Texas

Climate

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

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Environment

current issues: tap water is not potable; poaching has diminished reputation as one of last great wildlife refuges; desertification 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 disputes

none

Irrigated land

NA sq km

Land boundaries

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

Land use

arable land: 3% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 5% forest and woodland: 64% other: 28%

Location

Central Africa, north of Zaire

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

none; landlocked

Natural resources

diamonds, uranium, timber, gold, oil

Note

landlocked; almost the precise center of Africa

Terrain

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

Age structure

0-14 years: 43% (female 690,290; male 694,153) 15-64 years: 53% (female 886,421; male 825,268) 65 years and over: 4% (female 64,846; male 48,781) (July 1995 est.)

Birth rate

41.84 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate

20.89 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Ethnic divisions

Baya 34%, Banda 27%, Sara 10%, Mandjia 21%, Mboum 4%, M'Baka 4%, Europeans 6,500 (including 3,600 French)

Infant mortality rate

135.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Labor force

775,413 (1986 est.) by occupation: agriculture 85%, commerce and services 9%, industry 3%, government 3% note: about 64,000 salaried workers (1985)

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 42.15 years male: 40.68 years female: 43.67 years (1995 est.)

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.) total population: 38% male: 52% female: 25%

Nationality

noun: Central African(s) adjective: Central African

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Population

3,209,759 (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate

2.1% (1995 est.)

Religions

indigenous beliefs 24%, Protestant 25%, Roman Catholic 25%, Muslim 15%, other 11% note: animistic beliefs and practices strongly influence the Christian majority

Total fertility rate

5.37 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Abbreviation

CAR

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

Capital

Bangui

Constitution

21 November 1986

Digraph

CT

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission: Ambassador Henri KOBA (appointed 19 September 1994) chancery: 1618 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 483-7800, 7801

Executive branch

chief of state: President Ange PATASSE (since 22 October 1993); election 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 (vacant) (Dr. Jean-Luc MANDABA resigned on 11 April 1995) cabinet: Council of Ministers; appointed by the president

FAX

[1] (202) 332-9893

[236] 61 44 94

Flag

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

Independence

13 August 1960 (from France)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)

Legal system

based on French law

Legislative branch

unicameral

Member of

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CCC, CEEAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-77, GATT, 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

Names

conventional long form: Central African Republic conventional short form: none local long form: Republique Centrafricaine local short form: none former: Central African Empire

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)

National holiday

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

Political parties and leaders

Movement for the Liberation of the Central African People (MLPC), the party of the new president, Ange Felix PATASSE; Movement for Democracy and Development (MDD), David DACKO; Marginal Movement for Democracy, Renaissance and Evolution (MDREC), Joseph BENDOUNGA; Central African Democratic Assembly (RDC), Andre KOLINGBA; Patriotic Front for Progress (FFP), Abel GOUMBA; Civic Forum (FC), Gen. Timothee MALENDOMA

Suffrage

21 years of age; universal

Type

republic;

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission: Ambassador Robert E. GRIBBIN III embassy: Avenue David Dacko, Bangui mailing address: B. P. 924, Bangui telephone: [236] 61 02 00, 61 25 78, 61 02 10

Agriculture

self-sufficient in food production except for grain; commercial crops - cotton, coffee, tobacco, timber; food crops - manioc, yams, millet, corn, bananas

Budget

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

Currency

1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes

Economic aid

recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-90), $52 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-90), $1.6 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $6 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $38 million

Electricity

capacity: 40,000 kW production: 100 million kWh consumption per capita: 29 kWh (1993)

Exchange rates

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 529.43 (January 1995), 555.20 (1994), 283.16 (1993), 264.69 (1992), 282.11 (1991), 272.26 (1990) note: beginning 12 January 1994, the CFA franc was devalued to CFAF 100 per French franc from CFAF 50 at which it had been fixed since 1948

Exports

$123.5 million (f.o.b., 1992) commodities: diamonds, timber, cotton, coffee, tobacco partners: France, Belgium, Italy, Japan, US

External debt

$859 million (1991)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Imports

$165.1 million (f.o.b., 1992) commodities: food, textiles, petroleum products, machinery, electrical equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, industrial products partners: France, other EC countries, Japan, Algeria

Industrial production

growth rate 4% (1990 est.); accounts for 14% of GDP

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

40% (1994 est.)

National product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $2.2 billion (1994 est.)

National product per capita

$700 (1994 est.)

National product real growth rate

5.5% (1994 est.)

Overview

Subsistence agriculture, together with forestry, remains the backbone of the CAR economy, with more than 70% of the population living in outlying areas. The agricultural sector generates about half of GDP. Timber has accounted for about 26% of export earnings and the diamond industry for 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. 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 CAR's economy. While diamond, timber, coffee, and cotton exports increased - leading GDP to increase by 5.5% - inflation rose to 40%, fueled by the rising prices of imports on which the economy depends. CAR's poor resource base and primitive infrastructure will keep it dependent on multilateral donors and France for the foreseeable future.

Unemployment rate

30% (1988 est.) in Bangui

Radio

broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 radios: NA

Telephone system

NA telephones; 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

Television

broadcast stations: 1 televisions: NA

Airports

total: 61 with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 with paved runways under 914 m: 19 with unpaved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 9 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 29

Highways

total: 22,000 km paved: bituminous 458 km unpaved: improved earth 10,542 km; unimproved earth 11,000 km

Inland waterways

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

Ports

Bangui, Nola

Railroads

0 km

Branches

Central African Army (includes Republican Guard), Air Force, National Gendarmerie, Police Force

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $30 million, 2.3% of GDP (1994) ________________________________________________________________________ CHAD

Manpower availability

males age 15-49 718,487; males fit for military service 375,950 (1995 est.)