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 - civilian rule was established in 1993 and lasted for one decade. President Ange-Felix PATASSE's civilian government was plagued by unrest, and in March 2003 he was deposed in a military coup led by General Francois BOZIZE, who has since established a transitional government. Though the government has the tacit support of civil society groups and the main parties, a wide field of affiliated and independent candidates will contest the municipal, legislative, and presidential elections scheduled for February 2005. The government still does not fully control the countryside, where pockets of lawlessness persist.

Geography

Location: Central Africa, north of Democratic Republic of the Congo

Geographic coordinates: 7 00 N, 21 00 E

Map references: Africa

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: 3.1%;  permanent crops: 0.14%;  other: 96.76% (2001)

Irrigated land: NA sq km

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

Environment - current issues: tap water is not potable; poaching has diminished the country's reputation as one of the last great wildlife refuges; desertification; deforestation

Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 94

signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography - note: landlocked; almost the precise center of Africa

People

Population: 3,799,897

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 2005 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 42.5% (male 813,596/female 802,728); 15-64 years: 54% (male 1,010,696/female 1,041,903);65 years and over: 3.4% (male 54,345/female 76,629)(2005 est.)

Median age: total: 18.12 years; male: 17.75 years; female: 18.5 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.49% (2005 est.)

Birth rate: 35.17 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Death rate: 20.27 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female;  under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female;  65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female

total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate: total: 91 deaths/1,000 live births; male: 97.84 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 83.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 41.01 years;  male: 39.21 years

female: 42.86 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.5 children born/woman (2005 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 13.5% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 260,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: 23,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne disease: malaria

respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2004)

Nationality: noun: Central African(s)

adjective: Central African

Ethnic groups: Baya 33%, Banda 27%, Mandjia 13%, Sara 10%, Mboum 7%, M'Baka 4%, Yakoma 4%, other 2%

Religions: indigenous beliefs 35%, Protestant 25%, Roman Catholic 25%, Muslim 15%

note: animistic beliefs and practices strongly influence the Christian majority

Languages: French (official), Sangho (lingua franca and national language), tribal languages

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write;  total population: 51%

male: 63.3%;  female: 39.9% (2003 est.)

Government

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

Capital: Bangui

Administrative divisions: 14 prefectures (prefectures, singular - prefecture), 2 economic prefectures* (prefectures economiques, singular - prefecture economique), and 1 commune**; Bamingui-Bangoran, Bangui**, Basse-Kotto, Haute-Kotto, Haut-Mbomou, Kemo, Lobaye, Mambere-Kadei, Mbomou, Nana-Grebizi*, Nana-Mambere, Ombella-Mpoko, Ouaka, Ouham, Ouham-Pende, Sangha-Mbaere*, Vakaga

Independence: 13 August 1960 (from France)

National holiday: Republic Day, 1 December (1958)

Constitution: passed by referendum 5 December 2004

Legal system: based on French law

Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: President Francois BOZIZE (since 15 March 2003 coup)

head of government: Prime Minister Elie DOTE (since 13 June 2005) note - Celestin GAOMBALET resigned 11 June 2005;  cabinet: Council of Ministers

elections: president elected to five year term with a two-term limit; next presidential elections scheduled for 10 April 2005; prime minister appointed by the political party with a parliamentary majority

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (109 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms

elections: last held 22-23 November and 13 December 1998 (next to be held 13 March 2005)

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

Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Constitutional Court (3 judges appointed by the president, 3 by the president of the National Assembly, and 3 by fellow judges); Court of Appeal; Criminal Courts; Inferior Courts

Economy

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 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. Factional fighting between the government and its opponents remains a drag on economic revitalization, with GDP growth at only 0.5% in 2004. Distribution of income is extraordinarily unequal. Grants from France and the international community can only partially meet humanitarian needs.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $4.248 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 0.5% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,100 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 55%;  industry: 20%

services: 25% (2001 est.)

Labor force: NA

Unemployment rate: 8% (23% for Bangui) (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA (1993)

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 0.7%

highest 10%: 47.7% (1993)

Distribution of family income - Gini index: 61.3 (1993)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.6% (2001 est.)

Budget: revenues: NA

expenditures: NA, including capital expenditures of NA

Agriculture - products: cotton, coffee, tobacco, manioc (tapioca), yams, millet, corn, bananas; timber

Industries: gold and diamond mining, logging, brewing, textiles, footwear, assembly of bicycles and motorcycles

Industrial production growth rate: 3% (2002)

Electricity - production: 106 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - consumption: 98.58 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2002)

Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption: 2,400 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports: NA

Oil - imports: NA

Exports: $172 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities: diamonds, timber, cotton, coffee, tobacco

Exports - partners: Belgium 41%, Italy 8.9%, Spain 8.5%, Indonesia 7.6%, France 6.3%, US 5.3% (2004)

Imports: $136 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Imports - commodities: food, textiles, petroleum products, machinery, electrical equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals

Imports - partners: France 19.4%, US 16.3%, Cameroon 8.3%, Belgium 5.6% (2004)

Debt - external: $881.4 million (2000 est.)

Economic aid - recipient: ODA $73 million; note - traditional budget subsidies from France (2000 est.)

Currency (code): 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 - 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications

Telephones - main lines in use: 9,000 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 13,000 (2003)

Telephone system: general assessment: fair system

domestic: network consists principally of microwave radio relay and low-capacity, low-powered radiotelephone communication

international: country code - 236; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 1 (2002)

Television broadcast stations: 1 (2001)

Internet country code: .cf

Internet hosts: 6 (2002)

Internet users: 5,000 (2002)

Transportation

Highways: total: 23,810 km;  paved: 643 km;   unpaved: 23,167 km (1999 est.)

Waterways: 2,800 km (primarily on the Oubangui and Sangha rivers) (2004)

Ports and harbors: Bangui, Nola, Salo, Nzinga

Airports: 50 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 3;   2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 47;   2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 10;  914 to 1,523 m: 23

under 914 m: 13 (2004 est.)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: about 30,000 refugees fleeing the 2002 civil conflict in the CAR still reside in southern Chad; periodic skirmishes over water and grazing rights among related pastoral populations along the border with southern Sudan persist

Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 36,479 (Sudan) 1,864 (Chad) 6,484 (Democratic Republic of the Congo)

IDPs: 200,000 (unrest following coup in 2003) (2004)