Access to THE WORLD FACTBOOK 1993 provided courtesy of The Libraries of the University of Missouri-St. Louis Match 49 DB Rec# - 55,796 Dataset-WOFACT Source :CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY Source key :CI Program :WORLD FACTBOOK Program key :CI WOFACT Update sched. :Annually ID number :CI WOFACT 048 Title :CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC Data type :TEXT End year :1994 Date of record:02/16/1994 Keywords 3 : | CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC Text : CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC GEOGRAPHY Location: Central Africa, between Chad and Zaire Map references: Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World Area: total area: 622,980 km2 land area: 622,980 km2 Land boundaries: total 5,203 km, Cameroon 797 km, Chad 1,197 km, Congo 467 km, Sudan 1,165 km, Zaire 1,577 km Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) Maritime claims: none; landlocked International disputes: none Climate: tropical; hot, dry winters; mild to hot, wet summers Terrain: vast, flat to rolling, monotonous plateau; scattered hills in northeast and southwest Natural resources: diamonds, uranium, timber, gold, oil Land use: arable land: 3% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 5% forest and woodland: 64% other: 28% Irrigated land: NA km2 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: 3,073,979 (July 1993 est.) Population growth rate: 2.23% (1993 est.) Birth rate: 42.77 births/1,000 population (1993 est.) Death rate: 20.49 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.) Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.) Infant mortality rate: 138.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 42.94 years male: 41.46 years female: 44.45 years (1993 est.) Nationality: noun: Central African(s) adjective: Central African Ethnic divisions: Baya 34%, Banda 27%, Sara 10%, Mandjia 21%, Mboum 4%, M'Baka 4%, Europeans 6,500 (including 3,600 French) Religions: indigenous beliefs 24%, Protestant 25%, Roman Catholic 25%, Muslim 15%, other 11% note: animistic beliefs and practices strongly influence the Christian majority Languages: French (official), Sangho (lingua franca and national language), Arabic, Hunsa, Swahili Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990) total population: 27% male: 33% female: 15% Labor force: 775,413 (1986 est.) by occupation: agriculture 85%, commerce and services 9%, industry 3%, government 3% note: about 64,000 salaried workers; 55% of population of working age (1985) GOVERNMENT Names: conventional long form: Central African Republic conventional short form: none local long form: Republique Centrafricaine local short form: none former: Central African Empire Abbreviation: CAR Digraph: CT Type: republic; one-party presidential regime since 1986 Capital: Bangui Administrative divisions: 14 prefectures (prefectures, singular - prefecture), 2 economic prefectures* (prefectures economiques, singular - prefecture economique), and 1 commune**; Bamingui-Bangoran, Bangui** Ouham-Pende, Sangha*, Vakaga Independence: 13 August 1960 (from France) Constitution: 21 November 1986 Legal system: based on French law National holiday: National Day, 1 December (1958) (proclamation of the republic) Political parties and leaders: Central African Democratic Party (RDC), the government party, Laurent GOMINA-PAMPALI; Council of Moderates Coalition includes; Union of the People for Economic and Social Development (UPDS), Katossy SIMANI; Liberal Republican Party (PARELI), Augustin M'BOE; Central African Socialist Movement (MSCA), Michel BENGUE; Concerted Democratic Forces (CFD), a coalition of 13 parties, including; Alliance for Democracy and Progress (ADP), Francois PEHOUA; Central African Republican party (PRC), Ruth ROLLAND; Social Democratic Party (PSD), Enoch DERANT-LAKOUE; Civic Forum (FC), Gen. Timothee MALENDOMA; Liberal Democratic Party (PLD), Nestor KOMBOT-NAGUEMON Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal Elections: President: last held 25 October 1992; widespread irregularities at some polls led to dismissal of results by Supreme Court; elections are rescheduled for 17 October 1993 National Assembly: last held 25 October 1992; widespread irregularities at some polls led to dismissal of results by Supreme Court; elections are rescheduled for 17 October 1993 Executive branch: president, prime minister, 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: President Andre-Dieudonne KOLINGBA (since 1 September 1981) Head of Government: Prime Minister Enoch DERANT-LAKOUE (since 2 March 1993) Member of: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CCC, CEEAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, UDEAC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO Diplomatic representation in US: chief of mission: Ambassador Jean-Pierre SOHAHONG-KOMBET chancery: 1618 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 US diplomatic representation: chief of mission: Ambassador Robert E. GRIBBIN embassy: Avenue David Dacko, Bangui mailing address: B. P. 924, Bangui telephone: 236 61-02-00, 61-25-78, 61-43-33, 61-02-10 FAX: 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 ECONOMY Overview: Subsistence agriculture, including forestry, is the backbone of the CAR economy, with more than 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 system, and a weak human resource base. Multilateral and bilateral development assistance, particularly from France, plays a major role in providing capital for new investment. National product: GDP - exchange rate conversion - $1.3 billion (1990 est.) National product real growth rate: -3% (1990 est.) National product per capita: $440 (1990 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): -3% (1990 est.) Unemployment rate: 30% (1988 est.) in Bangui Budget: revenues $175 million; expenditures $312 million, including capital expenditures of $122 million (1991 est.) Exports: $138 million (1991 est.) commodities: diamonds, cotton, coffee, timber, tobacco partners: France, Belgium, Italy, Japan, US Imports: $205 million (1991 est.) commodities: food, textiles, petroleum products, machinery, electrical equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, industrial products partners: France, other EC countries, Japan, Algeria External debt: $859 million (1991) Industrial production: growth rate 4% (1990 est.); accounts for 14% of GDP 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 (FY70-90), $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 Currency: 1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 274.06 (January 1993), 264.69 (1992), 282.11 (1991), 272.26 (1990), 319.01 (1989), 297.85 (1988) Fiscal year: calendar year 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 Airports: total: 66 usable: 51 with permanent-surface runways: 3 with runways over 3,659 m: 0 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 2 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 20 Telecommunications: fair system; network relies primarily on radio relay links, with low-capacity, low-powered radiocommunication also used; broadcast stations - 1 AM, 1 FM, 1 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station Defense forces Branches: Central African Army (including Republican Guard), Air Force, National Gendarmerie, Police Force Manpower availability: males age 15-49 685,575; fit for military service 358,836 (1993 est.) Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $23 million, 1.8% of GDP (1989 est.) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- This section of THE WORLD FACTBOOK 1993 produced by the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was derived from the US Dept. of Commerce Economics and Statistics Division's NATIONAL TRADE DATA BANK CD-ROM, July, 1994, SuDoc No. C 1.88:994/7/v.1-2 / R. Muns, UM-St. Louis Libraries Local Filename: WF940047.TXT