Land use: arable land 3%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and
pastures 5%; forest and woodland 64%; other 28%
Environment: hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds affect northern areas;
poaching has diminished reputation as one of last great wildlife refuges;
desertification
Note: landlocked; almost the precise center of Africa
PEOPLE
Population: 2,952,382 (July 1991), growth rate 2.6% (1991)
Birth rate: 44 births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate: 18 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
Infant mortality rate: 138 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
Life expectancy at birth: 45 years male, 49 years female (1991)
Total fertility rate: 5.6 children born/woman (1991)
Ethnic divisions: about 80 ethnic groups, the majority of which
have related ethnic and linguistic characteristics; Baya 34%, Banda 27%,
Sara 10%, Mandjia 21%, Mboum 4%, M'Baka 4%; 6,500 Europeans, of whom
3,600 are French
Religion: indigenous beliefs 24%, Protestant 25%, Roman Catholic
25%, Muslim 15%, other 11%; animistic beliefs and practices strongly
influence the Christian majority
Language: French (official); Sangho (lingua franca and national
language); Arabic, Hunsa, Swahili
Literacy: 27% (male 33%, female 15%) age 15 and over can
read and write (1990 est.)
Labor force: 775,413 (1986 est.); agriculture 85%, commerce and
services 9%, industry 3%, government 3%; about 64,000 salaried workers;
55% of population of working age (1985)
Organized labor: 1% of labor force
GOVERNMENT
Long-form name: Central African Republic (no short-form name);
abbreviated CAR
Type: republic, one-party presidential regime since 1986
Capital: Bangui
Administrative divisions: 14 prefectures (prefectures,
singular--prefecture) and 2 economic prefectures* (prefectures
economiques, singular--prefecture economique); Bamingui-Bangoran,
Basse-Kotto, Gribingui*, Haute-Kotto, Haute-Sangha, Haut-Mbomou,
Kemo-Gribingui, Lobaye, Mbomou, Nana-Mambere, Ombella-Mpoko, Ouaka,
Ouham, Ouham-Pende, Sangha*, Vakaga; note--there may be a new
autonomous commune of Bangui
Independence: 13 August 1960 (from France; formerly Central African
Empire)
Constitution: 21 November 1986
Legal system: based on French law
National holiday: National Day (proclamation of the republic),
1 December (1958)
Executive branch: president, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee
Nationale) advised by the Economic and Regional Council (Conseil
Economique et Regional); when they sit together this is known
as the Congress (Congres)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government--President
Andre-Dieudonne KOLINGBA (since 1 September 1981)
Political parties and leaders: only party--Centrafrican Democrtic
Rally Party (RDC), Andre-Dieudonne KOLINGBA
Suffrage: universal at age 21
Elections:
President--last held 21 November 1986 (next to be held November
1993);
results--President KOLINGBA was reelected without opposition;
National Assembly--last held 31 July 1987 (next to be
held July 1992);
results--RDC is the only party;
seats--(52 total) RDC 52
Communists: small number of Communist sympathizers
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Jean-Pierre SOHAHONG-KOMBET;
Chancery at 1618 22nd Street NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202)
483-7800 or 7801;
US--Ambassador Daniel H. SIMPSON; Embassy at Avenue du President
David Dacko, Bangui (mailing address is B. P. 924, Bangui);
telephone 61-02-00 or 61-25-78, 61-43-33
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
ECONOMY
Overview: The Central African Republic (CAR) had a per capita
income of roughly $440 in 1990. Subsistence agriculture, including
forestry, is the backbone of the economy, with over 70% of the population
living in the countryside. In 1988 the agricultural sector generated
about 40% of GDP. Agricultural products accounted for about 60% of export
earnings and the diamond industry for 30%. Important constraints to
economic development include the CAR's landlocked position, a poor
transportation infrastructure, and a weak human resource base.
Multilateral and bilateral development assistance plays a major role in
providing capital for new investment.
GDP: $1.3 billion, per capita $440; real growth rate 2.0%
(1990 est.)
partners--France, other EC, Japan, Algeria, Yugoslavia
External debt: $671 million (December 1989)
Industrial production: 0.8% (1988); accounts for 12% of GDP
Electricity: 35,000 kW capacity; 84 million kWh produced,
30 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: diamond mining, sawmills, breweries, textiles,
footwear, assembly of bicycles and motorcycles
Agriculture: accounts for 40% of GDP; self-sufficient in food
production except for grain; commercial crops--cotton, coffee, tobacco,
timber; food crops--manioc, yams, millet, corn, bananas
Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $49
million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
(1970-88), $1.4 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $6 million;
Communist countries (1970-88), $38 million
Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc
(plural--francs); 1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes
COMMUNICATIONS
Highways: 22,000 km total; 458 km bituminous, 10,542 km improved
earth, 11,000 unimproved earth
Inland waterways: 800 km; traditional trade carried on by means of
shallow-draft dugouts; Oubangui is the most important river
Civil air: 2 major transport aircraft
Airports: 66 total, 49 usable; 4 with permanent-surface runways;
none with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 22 with
runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: fair system; network relies primarily on radio
relay links, with low-capacity, low-powered radiocommunication also used;
6,000 telephones; stations--1 AM, 1 FM, 1 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT
earth station
DEFENSE FORCES
Branches: Central African Armed Forces, Air Force, National
Gendarmerie, Police Force
Manpower availability: males 15-49, 659,802; 345,049 fit for
military service
Defense expenditures: $23 million, 1.8% of GDP (1989 est.)
