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Central African Republic |
Capital: Bangui
Languages: French (official), Arabic (official), Sara (in south), more than 120 different languages and dialects
Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States
Background: The former French colony of Ubangi-Shari became the Central African Republic upon independence in 1960. After three decades of mostly 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 the neighboring nations of Chad, Sudan, and the DRC continues to affect stability in the Central African Republic as well.
PEOPLE
Population: 9,885,661 (July 2007 est.); 4,844,927 (July 2010)
Life expectancy at birth:
2007
Total population: 47.2 years
Male: 46.17 years
Female: 48.27 years (2007 est.)
2010
Age structure:
0-14 years: 47.3% (male 2,366,496/female 2,308,155)
15-64 years: 49.8% (male 2,250,211/female 2,676,076)
65 years and over: 2.9% (male 120,666/female 164,057) (2007 est.)
2010
0-14 years: 40.9% (male 928,277/female 917,739)
15-64 years: 55% (male 1,235,940/female 1,244,958)
65 years and over: 4.1% (male 71,439/female 113,135) (2010 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.32% (2007 est.); 2.149% (2010 est.)
Population below poverty line: N/A
HIV/AIDS adult prevalence rate: 10.7% (2006 est.); 6.3% (2007 est.)
People living with HIV/AIDS: 250,000 (2006 est.); 160,000 (2007 est.)
Literacy - definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 47.5%
Male: 56%
Female: 39.3% (2003 est.)
Refugees and Internally Displaced People:
Refugees (country of origin): 234,000 (Sudan), 41,246 (Central African Republic)
IDPs: 100,000 (2006)
ECONOMY
Unemployment rate: N/A
Labour force by Occupation: N/A
Agricultural Products: cotton, sorghum, millet, peanuts, rice, potatoes, manioc (tapioca); cattle, sheep, goats, camels
Industries: oil, cotton textiles, meatpacking, beer brewing, natron (sodium carbonate), soap, cigarettes, construction materials
Exports – Commodities: machinery and transportation equipment, industrial goods, foodstuffs, textiles
Exports – Partners:
US 80.6%, China 10.4%, South Korea 2.3% (2006)
Belgium 32.57%, China 10.49%, Indonesia 10.36%, Morocco 10.24%, Democratic Republic of the Congo 6.87%, France 5.79% (2009)
Imports – Commodities: machinery and transportation equipment, industrial goods, foodstuffs, textiles
Imports – Partners:
France 18.7%, Cameroon 17.6%, US 12.6%, Germany 7.4%, Saudi Arabia 5%, Belgium 4.9% (2006)
South Korea 19.29%, France 11.95%, US 7.78%, Cameroon 7.39%, Netherlands 6.77% (2009)
ENVIRONMENT
Environment – Current issues: inadequate supplies of potable water; improper waste disposal in rural areas contributes to soil and water pollution; desertification
Natural hazards: hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds occur in north; periodic droughts; locust plagues
Source: CIA World Factbook
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