Location of Central African Republic. Source: Vardion/Wikipedia

Source: CIA World Factbook

The Central African Republic is a landlocked nation in central Africa.

The Central African Republic's major environmental issues include: tap water is not potable; poaching has diminished the country's reputation as one of the last great wildlife refuges; desertification; and deforestation. It is susceptible to hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds affect northern areas; and floods are common.

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 established a transitional government. Though the government has the tacit support of civil society groups and the main parties, a wide field of candidates contested the municipal, legislative, and presidential elections held in March and May of 2005 in which General Bozize was affirmed as president. The government still does not fully control the countryside, where pockets of lawlessness persist. Unrest in neighboring nations, Chad, Sudan, and the DRC, continues to affect stability in the Central African Republic as well.

Geography

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

Geographic Coordinates: 7 00 N, 21 00 E

Area: 622,984 km² (622,984 km² land and 0 km² water)

arable land: 3.1%
permanent crops: 0.15%
other: 96.75% (2005)

Land Boundaries: 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)

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

Climate: Tropical; hot, dry winters; mild to hot, wet summers

Government

Government Type: Republic

Capital: Bangui

Independence Date: 13 August 1960 (from France)

Legal System: based on French law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal

International Environmental Agreements

The Central African Republic is party to international agreements on: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 94, and Wetlands. It has signed, but not ratified the international Law of the Sea.

People and Society

Population: 4,434,873

Age Structure:

0-14 years: 41.3% (male 921,115/female 910,267)
15-64 years: 54.6% (male 1,203,280/female 1,217,956)
65 years and over: 4.1% (male 71,316/female 110,939) (2008 est.)

Population Growth Rate: 1.487% (2008 est.)

Birthrate: 33.13 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death Rate: 18.26 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net Migration Rate: NA

Life Expectancy at Birth: 43.97 years (2008 est.)

Total Fertility Rate: 4.23 children born/woman (2008 est.)

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

Literacy: 48.6% (male: 64.8% - female: 33.5% [2000 est.])

Water

Total Renewable Water Resources: 144.4 cu km (2003)

Freshwater Withdrawal: Total: 0.03 cu km/yr (80% domestic, 16% industrial, 4% agricultural). Per capita: 7 cu m/yr (2000)

Agriculture

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

Irrigated Land: 20 sq km (2003)

Resources

Natural Resources: diamonds, uranium, timber, gold, oil, hydropower.

Energy

Health

Prevalence Rate of HIV/AIDS in Adults: 13.5% (2003 est.)

Conflict

International Disputes: 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): 7,900 (Sudan); 3,700 (Democratic Republic of the Congo); note - UNHCR resumed repatriation of Southern Sudanese refugees in 2006. Internally Displaced Persons: 197,000 (ongoing unrest following coup in 2003) (2007)

Economy

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 more than half of GDP. Timber has accounted for about 16% of export earnings and the diamond industry, for 40%. 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. Distribution of income is extraordinarily unequal. Grants from France and the international community can only partially meet humanitarian needs.

GDP (Purchasing Power Parity): $3.099 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (Official Exchange Rate): $1.714 billion (2007 est.)

GDP-real growth rate: 4.2% (2007 est.)

GDP-per capital (PPP): $700 (2007 est.)

GDP-composition by sector:

agriculture: 55%
industry: 20%
services: 25% (2001 est.)

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

Exports: diamonds, timber, cotton, coffee, tobacco

Export Partners: Canada 38.9%, Belgium 15.6%, Indonesia 6.5%, Italy 5.3%, France 4.9%, Spain 4.7%, Democratic Republic of the Congo 4.6% (2006)

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

Import Partners: France 16.4%, Netherlands 12.9%, Cameroon 9.6%, US 6.3% (2006)

Economic Aid Recipient: ODA, $95.29 million; note - traditional budget subsidies from France (2005 est.)

Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF)

Ports and Terminals: Bangui, Nola, Salo, Nzinga

Further Reading

1. CIA World Factbook