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Reference
Central African Republic Facts and Figures from Encarta
Basic Facts
Official name Central African Republic
Capital Bangui
Area 622,436 sq km
240,324 sq mi
Central African Republic
People
Population 3,683,538 (2003 estimate)
Population growth
Population growth rate 1.62 percent (2003 estimate)
Projected population in 2025 4,781,672 (2025 estimate)
Projected population in 2050 6,177,593 (2050 estimate)
Population density 5.9 persons per sq km (2003 estimate)
15 persons per sq mi (2003 estimate)
Urban/rural distribution
Share urban 42 percent (2001 estimate)
Share rural 58 percent (2001 estimate)
Largest cities, with population
Bangui 622,000 (1999)
Berbérati 47,000 (1994)
Bouar 43,000 (1994)
Bambari 41,000 (1994)
Bossangoa 33,000 (1994)
Ethnic groups
Baya 34 percent
Banda 27 percent
Mandjia 21 percent
Sara 10 percent
Mboum 4 percent
M'Baka 4 percent
Languages
French (official), Sango
Religious affiliations
Christian 45 percent
Roman Catholic 18 percent
Protestant 14 percent
Other Christians 23 percent
Muslim 16 percent
Indigenous beliefs 15 percent
Other 14 percent
NOTE: Christians are strongly influenced by animistic beliefs and practices.
Health and Education
Life expectancy
Total 41.7 years (2003 estimate)
Female 43.3 years (2003 estimate)
Male 40.2 years (2003 estimate)
Infant mortality rate 93 deaths per 1,000 live births (2003 estimate)
Population per physician 31,326 people (1999)
Population per hospital bed 1,145 people (1990)
Literacy rate
Total 51 percent (2003 estimate)
Female 39.9 percent (2003 estimate)
Male 63.3 percent (2003 estimate)
Education expenditure as a share of gross national product (GNP) 1.9 percent (1998-1999)
Number of years of compulsory schooling 6 years (1998)
Number of students per teacher, primary school 99 students per teacher (1998)
Government
Form of government Republic
Voting qualifications Universal at age 21
Constitution Approved December 1994; adopted January 1995
Armed forces
Total number of military personnel 2,550 (2001)
Military expenditures as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) 1.6 percent (2001)
Economy
Gross domestic product (GDP, in U.S.$) $967.5 million (2001)
GDP per capita (U.S.$) $260 (2001)
GDP by economic sector
Agriculture, forestry, fishing 55.4 percent (2001)
Industry 20.9 percent (2001)
Services 23.7 percent (2001)
Employment
Number of workers 1,820,176 (2001)
Workforce share of economic sector
Agriculture, forestry, fishing 80 percent (1990)
Industry 4 percent (1990)
Services 16 percent (1990)
Unemployment rate Not available
National budget (U.S.$)
Total revenue $175 million (1991 estimate)
Total expenditure $312 million (1991 estimate)
Monetary unit
1 Communaut* Financière Africaine (CFA) franc, consisting of 100 centimes
Major trade partners for exports
Belgium, Kazakhstan, Spain, Pakistan, and Portugal
Major trade partners for imports
France, Cameroon, Belgium, Japan, and Congo
Energy, Communications, and Transportation
Electricity production
Electricity from thermal sources 19.80 percent (2001 estimate)
Electricity from hydroelectric sources 80.20 percent (2001 estimate)
Electricity from nuclear sources 0 percent (2001 estimate)
Electricity from geothermal, solar, and wind sources 0 percent (2001 estimate)
Number of radios per 1,000 people 83 (1997)
Number of telephones per 1,000 people 2 (2001)
Number of televisions per 1,000 people 6 (2000 estimate)
Number of Internet hosts per 10,000 people 0.02 (2001)
Daily newspaper circulation per 1,000 people 2 (1996)
Number of motor vehicles per 1,000 people 0.5 (1997)
Paved road as a share of total roads 3 percent (1998)
Sources
Basic Facts and People sections
Area data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Population, population growth rate, and population projections are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International Data Base (IDB) (www.census.gov). Urban and rural population data are from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), FAOSTAT database (www.fao.org). Largest cities population data and political divisions data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Ethnic divisions and religion data are largely from the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook and from various country censuses and reports. Language data are largely from the Ethnologue, Languages of the World, Summer Institute of Linguistics International (www.sil.org).
Health and Education section
Life expectancy and infant mortality data are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International database (IDB) (www.census.gov). Population per physician and population per hospital bed data are from the World Health Organization (WHO) (www.who.int). Education data are from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org).
Government section
Government, independence, legislature, constitution, highest court, and voting qualifications data are largely from various government Web sites, the latest Europa World Yearbook, and the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook. The armed forces data is from Military Balance.
Economy section
Gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, GDP by economic sectors, employment, and national budget data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). Monetary unit, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, exports, imports, and major trade partner information is from the latest Europa World Yearbook and various International Monetary Fund (IMF) publications.
Energy, Communication, and Transportation section
Electricity information is from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) database (www.eia.doe.gov). Radio, telephone, television, and newspaper information is from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org). Internet hosts, motor vehicles, and road data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org).
Note
Figures may not total 100 percent due to rounding.