1996 Edition

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

Location

7 00 N, 21 00 E -- Central Africa, north of Zaire Flag ----

Area

comparative area

slightly smaller than Texas

land area

622,980 sq km

total area

622,980 sq km

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

international agreements

party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified - Desertification, Law of the Sea

natural hazards

hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds affect northern areas; floods are common

Geographic coordinates

7 00 N, 21 00 E

Geographic note

landlocked; almost the precise center of Africa

International disputes

none

Irrigated land

NA sq km

Land boundaries

border countries

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

total

5,203 km

Land use

arable land

3%

forest and woodland

64%

meadows and pastures

5%

other

28%

permanent crops

0%

Location

Central Africa, north of Zaire

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Natural resources

diamonds, uranium, timber, gold, oil

Terrain

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

highest point

Mount Gaou 1,420 m

lowest point

Oubangui River 335 m

Age structure

0-14 years: 44% (male 724,914; female 718,423) 15-64 years: 52% (male 839,118; female 877,069) 65 years and over: 4% (male 53,418; female 61,484) (July 1996 est.)

Birth rate

39.97 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate

17.64 deaths/1,000 population (1996 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

111.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

female

46.71 years (1996 est.)

male

45.03 years

total population

45.86 years

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1995 est.)

female

52.4%

male

68.5%

total population

60%

Nationality

adjective

Central African

noun

Central African(s)

Net migration rate

-1.53 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Population

3,274,426 (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate

2.08% (1996 est.)

Religions

indigenous beliefs 24%, Protestant 25%, Roman Catholic 25%, Muslim 15%, other 11%

note

animistic beliefs and practices strongly influence the Christian majority

Sex ratio

all ages

0.98 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

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

Total fertility rate

5.41 children born/woman (1996 est.)

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

passed by referendum 29 December 1994; adopted 7 January 1995

Data code

CT

Diplomatic representation in US

chancery

1618 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Henri KOBA

telephone

[1] (202) 483-7800, 7801

Executive branch

cabinet

Council of Ministers; appointed by the president

chief of state

President Ange PATASSE (since 22 October 1993) elected for a five-year term by universal suffrage; election last held 19 September 1993 (next to be held NA 1998); results - 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

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)

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

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (Cour Supreme), judges appointed by the president; Constitutional Court, judges appointed by the president

Legal system

based on French law

Legislative branch

unicameral

Name of country

abbreviation

CAR

conventional long form

Central African Republic

conventional short form

none

former

Central African Empire

local long form

Republique Centrafricaine

local short form

none

National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale)

elections last held 19 September 1993 (next to be held NA); results - percent of 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

Alliance for Democracy and Progress (ADP), Tchapka BREDE; Central African Democratic Assembly (RDC), Andre KOLINGBA; Civic Forum (FC), Gen. Timothee MALENDOMA; Liberal Democratic Party (PLD), Nestor KOMBO-NAGUEMON; Movement for the Liberation of the Central African People (MLPC), the party of the president, Ange Felix PATASSE; Movement for Democracy and Development (MDD), David DACKO; Marginal Movement for Democracy, Renaissance and Evolution (MDREC), Joseph BENDOUNGA; Patriotic Front for Progress (FFP), Abel GOUMBA; Social Democratic Party (PSD), Enoch Derant LAKOUE

Suffrage

21 years of age; universal

Type of government

republic;

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission

Ambassador Mosina H. JORDAN

embassy

Avenue David Dacko, Bangui

mailing address

B. P. 924, Bangui

telephone

[236] 61 02 00, 61 25 78, 61 02 10

Agriculture

cotton, coffee, tobacco, manioc (tapioca), yams, millet, corn, bananas; timber

Budget

expenditures

$NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

revenues

$NA

Currency

1 Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes

Economic aid

recipient

ODA, $NA

Economic 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.

Electricity

capacity

40,000 kW

consumption per capita

29 kWh (1993)

production

100 million kWh

Exchange rates

CFA francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 500.56 (January 1996), 499.15 (1995), 555.20 (1994), 283.16 (1993), 264.69 (1992), 282.11 (1991)

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

$154 million (f.o.b., 1994 est.)

commodities

diamonds, timber, cotton, coffee, tobacco

partners

France, Belgium, Italy, Japan, US, Spain, Iran

External debt

$904.3 million (1993 est.)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $2.5 billion (1995 est.)

GDP composition by sector

agriculture

50%

industry

14%

services

36% (1993)

GDP per capita

$800 (1995 est.)

GDP real growth rate

4.1% (1995 est.)

Imports

$215 million (f.o.b., 1994 est.)

commodities

food, textiles, petroleum products, machinery, electrical equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, industrial products

partners

France, other EC countries, Japan, Algeria, Cameroon, Namibia

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

45% (1994 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)

Unemployment rate

NA%

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)

Manpower availability

males age 15-49

737,330

males fit for military service

384,134 (1996 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0

Radios

NA

Telephone system

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)

Telephones

16,867 (1992 est.)

Television broadcast stations

1 (1987 est.)

Televisions

7,500 (1993 est.) Defense

Airports

total

48

with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m

2

with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m

1

with paved runways under 914 m

11

with unpaved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m

9

with unpaved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m

1

with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m

24 (1995 est.)

Highways

paved

427 km

total

23,738 km

unpaved

23,311 km (1991 est.)

Ports

Bangui, Nola

Railways

0 km

Waterways

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