1986 Edition

Agriculture

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

Airfields

3 total; 3 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways 1220-2439 m

67 total, 59 usable; 4 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 21 with runways 1, 220-2,439 m

Branches

police force Set rr|lonil mip VII Land 622,984 km2; slightly smaller than Texas; 80-85% meadow, fallow, vacant arable land, urban, or waste; 10-15% cultivated; 5% dense forest

Gen. Andre-Dieudonne Kolingba is Chief of State and President of the Provisional Organization of Public Powers, which replaced the Council of Ministers; no legislature; separate judiciary

Army, Air Force

Budget

current revenue $41.6 million; current expenditure $31 million (1983)

(1984) revenues $93.3 million; current expenditures $90.8 million; official foreign debt $223 million (1984)

Capital

Bangui

Civil air

3 major transport aircraft

Communists

no Communist party; small number of Communist sympathizers

Elections

none scheduled Political parties and leaders: political parties banned in September 1981

Electric power

46,000 kW capacity (1985); 80 million kWh produced (1985), 29 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

$114.6 million (f.o.b., 1984); cotton, coffee, diamonds, timber

Fiscal year

1 April-31 March Communications

calendar year Communications

GDP

$764 million (1984), $280 per capita, -8.7% real growth (1984)

Government leader

Gen. AndreDieudonne KOLINGBA, Chief of State and President of the Provisional Organization of Public Powers (since September 1985; head of government since September 1981)

Highways

160 km of main roads

20,800 km total; 454 km bituminous, 7,656 km improved earth, 12,690 km unimproved earth

Imports

$139.6 million (f.o.b., 1984 est); textiles, petroleum products, machinery, electrical equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, Pharmaceuticals

Infant mortality rate

142/1,000(1985)

Inland waterways

800 km; traditional trade carried on by means of shallow-draft dugouts

Labor force

1,320,000(1983); 90% agriculture, 4% industry and commerce, 4% services, 4% government; approximately 64,000 salaried workers

Land boundaries

4,981 km People

Language

French (official); Sango is the lingua franca and the national language

Legal system

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

Life expectancy

47

Literacy

est. 33%

Major industries

sawmills, brewery, diamond mining and splitting

Major trade partners

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

Member of

Af DB, Conference of East and Central African States, KAMA, 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 ending 31 December 1983; $12.2 million; about 14.5% of central government budget : '• . •

Military manpower

males 15-49, 603,000; 312,000 fit for military service

Monetary conversion rate

1 Cayman dollar=US$1.20(1985est.)

475 Communaute Financiere Af ricaine (CFA) francs=US$l (1985)

National holiday

Independence Day, 13 August; National Day, 1 December

Nationality

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

Natural resources

diamonds, uranium, timber

Official name

Central African Republic

Organized labor

1% of labor force Government

Political subdivisions

14 prefectures, 47 subprefectures

Population

2,744,000 (July 1986), average annual growth rate 3.0%

Ports

1 major (George Town), 1 minor

Railroads

none

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 21

Telecommunications

telephone system links islands and to worldwide services via submarine coaxial cable and new satellite ground station; 2 AM and 2 FM radio stations Defense Forces Defense is the responsibility of the United Kingdom

facilities are meagef; network is composed of low-capacity, lowpowered radiocommunication stations and radio-relay links; 6,000 telephones (0.2 per 100 pop!.); 1 AM station, 1 FM station, 1 TV station; 1 Atlantic Ocean satellite ground station Defense Forces

Type

republic, under military rule since September 1981; the president shuffled the government in September 1985 and dissolved the Military Committee for National Recovery; the president now rules through the Provisional Organization of Public Powers