National name: République Centrafricaine

President: Gen. François Bozizé (2003)

Prime Minister: Elie Doté (2005)

Total area: 240,533 sq mi (622,980 sq km)

Population (2006 est.): 4,303,356 (growth rate: 1.5%); birth rate: 33.9/1000; infant mortality rate: 85.6/1000; life expectancy: 43.5; density per sq mi: 18

Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Bangui, 810,000 (metro. area), 669,800 (city proper)

Monetary unit: CFA Franc

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

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

Religions: indigenous beliefs 35%, Protestant and Roman Catholic (both with animist influence) 25% each, Islam 15%

Literacy rate: 51% (2003 est.)

Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2005 est.): $4.479 billion; per capita $1,100. Real growth rate: 2.5%. Inflation: 3.6% (2001 est.). Unemployment: 8% (23% for Bangui) (2001 est.). Arable land: 3%. Agriculture: cotton, coffee, tobacco, manioc (tapioca), yams, millet, corn, bananas; timber. Labor force: n.a. Industries: gold and diamond mining, logging, brewing, textiles, footwear, assembly of bicycles and motorcycles. Natural resources: diamonds, uranium, timber, gold, oil, hydropower. Exports: $131 million f.o.b. (2004 est.): diamonds, timber, cotton, coffee, tobacco. Imports: $203 million f.o.b. (2004 est.): food, textiles, petroleum products, machinery, electrical equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals. Major trading partners: Belgium, Italy, Spain, U.S., France, Indonesia, China, Cameroon (2004).

Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 9,000 (2002); mobile cellular: 13,000 (2003). Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 1 (2002). Television broadcast stations: 1 (2001). Internet hosts: 6 (2002). Internet users: 5,000 (2002).

Transportation: Railways: 0 km. 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.).

International disputes: 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.

 

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