233 lines
19 KiB
Plaintext
233 lines
19 KiB
Plaintext
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CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 622,980 km2; land area: 622,980 km2
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Comparative area: slightly smaller than Texas
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Land boundaries: 5,203 km total; Cameroon 797 km, Chad 1,197 km,
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Congo 467 km, Sudan 1,165 km, Zaire 1,577 km
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Coastline: none--landlocked
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Maritime claims: none--landlocked
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Climate: tropical; hot, dry winters; mild to hot, wet summers
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Terrain: vast, flat to rolling, monotonous plateau; scattered hills
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in northeast and southwest
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Natural resources: diamonds, uranium, timber, gold, oil
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Land use: arable land 3%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and
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pastures 5%; forest and woodland 64%; other 28%
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Environment: hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds affect northern areas;
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poaching has diminished reputation as one of last great wildlife refuges;
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desertification
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Note: landlocked; almost the precise center of Africa
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PEOPLE
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Population: 2,952,382 (July 1991), growth rate 2.6% (1991)
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Birth rate: 44 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 18 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 138 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 45 years male, 49 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 5.6 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: noun--Central African(s); adjective--Central African
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Ethnic divisions: about 80 ethnic groups, the majority of which
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have related ethnic and linguistic characteristics; Baya 34%, Banda 27%,
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Sara 10%, Mandjia 21%, Mboum 4%, M'Baka 4%; 6,500 Europeans, of whom
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3,600 are French
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Religion: indigenous beliefs 24%, Protestant 25%, Roman Catholic
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25%, Muslim 15%, other 11%; animistic beliefs and practices strongly
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influence the Christian majority
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Language: French (official); Sangho (lingua franca and national
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language); Arabic, Hunsa, Swahili
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Literacy: 27% (male 33%, female 15%) age 15 and over can
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read and write (1990 est.)
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Labor force: 775,413 (1986 est.); agriculture 85%, commerce and
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services 9%, industry 3%, government 3%; about 64,000 salaried workers;
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55% of population of working age (1985)
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Organized labor: 1% of labor force
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: Central African Republic (no short-form name);
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abbreviated CAR
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Type: republic, one-party presidential regime since 1986
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Capital: Bangui
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Administrative divisions: 14 prefectures (prefectures,
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singular--prefecture) and 2 economic prefectures* (prefectures
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economiques, singular--prefecture economique); Bamingui-Bangoran,
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Basse-Kotto, Gribingui*, Haute-Kotto, Haute-Sangha, Haut-Mbomou,
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Kemo-Gribingui, Lobaye, Mbomou, Nana-Mambere, Ombella-Mpoko, Ouaka,
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Ouham, Ouham-Pende, Sangha*, Vakaga; note--there may be a new
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autonomous commune of Bangui
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Independence: 13 August 1960 (from France; formerly Central African
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Empire)
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Constitution: 21 November 1986
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Legal system: based on French law
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National holiday: National Day (proclamation of the republic),
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1 December (1958)
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Executive branch: president, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
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Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee
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Nationale) advised by the Economic and Regional Council (Conseil
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Economique et Regional); when they sit together this is known
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as the Congress (Congres)
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Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)
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Leaders:
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Chief of State and Head of Government--President
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Andre-Dieudonne KOLINGBA (since 1 September 1981)
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Political parties and leaders: only party--Centrafrican Democrtic
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Rally Party (RDC), Andre-Dieudonne KOLINGBA
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Suffrage: universal at age 21
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Elections:
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President--last held 21 November 1986 (next to be held November
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1993);
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results--President KOLINGBA was reelected without opposition;
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National Assembly--last held 31 July 1987 (next to be
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held July 1992);
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results--RDC is the only party;
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seats--(52 total) RDC 52
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Communists: small number of Communist sympathizers
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Member of: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CCC, CEEAC, ECA, FAO, FZ,
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G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL,
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IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, UDEAC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
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UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO
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Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Jean-Pierre SOHAHONG-KOMBET;
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Chancery at 1618 22nd Street NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202)
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483-7800 or 7801;
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US--Ambassador Daniel H. SIMPSON; Embassy at Avenue du President
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David Dacko, Bangui (mailing address is B. P. 924, Bangui);
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telephone 61-02-00 or 61-25-78, 61-43-33
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Flag: four equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, green, and
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yellow with a vertical red band in center; there is a yellow five-pointed
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star on the hoist side of the blue band
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ECONOMY
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Overview: The Central African Republic (CAR) had a per capita
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income of roughly $440 in 1990. Subsistence agriculture, including
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forestry, is the backbone of the economy, with over 70% of the population
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living in the countryside. In 1988 the agricultural sector generated
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about 40% of GDP. Agricultural products accounted for about 60% of export
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earnings and the diamond industry for 30%. Important constraints to
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economic development include the CAR's landlocked position, a poor
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transportation infrastructure, and a weak human resource base.
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Multilateral and bilateral development assistance plays a major role in
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providing capital for new investment.
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GDP: $1.3 billion, per capita $440; real growth rate 2.0%
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(1990 est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): - 4.2% (1988 est.)
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Unemployment rate: 30% in Bangui (1988 est.)
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Budget: revenues $132 million; current expenditures $305 million,
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including capital expenditures of $NA million (1989 est.)
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Exports: $148 million (f.o.b., 1989 est.);
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commodities--diamonds, cotton, coffee, timber, tobacco;
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partners--France, Belgium, Italy, Japan, US
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Imports: $239 million (c.i.f., 1989 est.);
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commodities--food, textiles, petroleum products, machinery,
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electrical equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals,
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consumer goods, industrial products;
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partners--France, other EC, Japan, Algeria, Yugoslavia
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External debt: $671 million (December 1989)
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Industrial production: 0.8% (1988); accounts for 12% of GDP
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Electricity: 35,000 kW capacity; 84 million kWh produced,
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30 kWh per capita (1989)
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Industries: diamond mining, sawmills, breweries, textiles,
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footwear, assembly of bicycles and motorcycles
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Agriculture: accounts for 40% of GDP; self-sufficient in food
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production except for grain; commercial crops--cotton, coffee, tobacco,
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timber; food crops--manioc, yams, millet, corn, bananas
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Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $49
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million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
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(1970-88), $1.4 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $6 million;
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Communist countries (1970-88), $38 million
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Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc
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(plural--francs); 1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes
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Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF)
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per US$1--256.54 (January 1991), 272.26 (1990), 319.01 (1989), 297.85
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(1988), 300.54 (1987), 346.30 (1986), 449.26 (1985)
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Fiscal year: calendar year
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Highways: 22,000 km total; 458 km bituminous, 10,542 km improved
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earth, 11,000 unimproved earth
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Inland waterways: 800 km; traditional trade carried on by means of
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shallow-draft dugouts; Oubangui is the most important river
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Civil air: 2 major transport aircraft
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Airports: 66 total, 49 usable; 4 with permanent-surface runways;
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none with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 22 with
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runways 1,220-2,439 m
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Telecommunications: fair system; network relies primarily on radio
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relay links, with low-capacity, low-powered radiocommunication also used;
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6,000 telephones; stations--1 AM, 1 FM, 1 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT
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earth station
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Branches: Central African Armed Forces, Air Force, National
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Gendarmerie, Police Force
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Manpower availability: males 15-49, 659,802; 345,049 fit for
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military service
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Defense expenditures: $23 million, 1.8% of GDP (1989 est.)
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