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Central African Republic

Central African Republic

The Central African Republic is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the east, the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the south, and Cameroon in the west.

Country Name

  • conventional long form: Central African Republic
  • conventional short form: none
  • local long form: Republique Centrafricaine
  • local short form: none
  • former: Ubangi-Shari, Central African Empire
  • abbreviation: CAR

Nationality

  • noun: Central African(s)
  • adjective: Central African

Capital

  • name: Bangui
  • geographic coordinates: 4 22 N, 18 35 E
  • time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Independence

  • 13 August 1960 (from France)

Population

  • 4,434,873
  • note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)

Growth rate

  • 1.487% (2008 est.)

HIV Adult Prevelence

  • 13.5% (2003 est.

Ethinic Groups

  • Baya 33%
  • Banda 27%
  • Mandjia 13%
  • Sara 10%
  • Mboum 7%
  • M'Baka 4%
  • Yakoma 4%
  • other 2%

Religion

  • indigenous beliefs 35%
  • Protestant 25%
  • Roman Catholic 25%
  • Muslim 15%
  • note: animistic beliefs and practices strongly influence the Christian majority

Language

  • French (official)
  • Sangho (lingua franca and national language)
  • tribal languages

Location

  • Central Africa, north of Democratic Republic of the Congo

Area Comparative

  • slightly smaller than Texas

Land Bounderies

  • total: 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

Climate

  • tropical
  • hot, dry winters
  • mild to hot, wet summers

Natural Resourses

  • diamonds
  • uranium
  • timber
  • gold
  • oil
  • hydropower

Economy overview

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 real Growth rate

  • 4.2% (2007 est.)

GDP per Capita

  • $700 (2007 est.)

Enviormental Current Issues

  • tap water is not potable
  • poaching has diminished the country's reputation as one of the last great wildlife refuges
  • desertification
  • deforestation

Government Type

  • Republic

Background

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

For more info please contact:
African Studies
(310) 825-3686
africa@international.ucla.edu