Geography
Location:
Central Africa, between Chad and Zaire
Map references:
Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
622,980 sq km
land area:
622,980 sq km
comparative area:
slightly smaller than Texas
Land boundaries:
total 5,203 km, Cameroon 797 km, Chad 1,197 km, Congo 467 km, Sudan
1,165 km, Zaire 1,577 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none; landlocked
International disputes:
none
Climate:
tropical; hot, dry winters; mild to hot, wet summers
Terrain:
vast, flat to rolling, monotonous plateau; scattered hills in
northeast and southwest
Natural resources:
diamonds, uranium, timber, gold, oil
Land use:
arable land:
3%
permanent crops:
0%
meadows and pastures:
5%
forest and woodland:
64%
other:
28%
Irrigated land:
NA sq km
Environment:
current issues:
poaching has diminished reputation as one of last great wildlife
refuges; desertification
natural hazards:
hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds affect northern areas
international agreements:
party to - Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Law of the Sea
Note:
landlocked; almost the precise center of Africa
Population:
3,142,182 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.16% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
42.3 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
20.69 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
137.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
42.54 years
male:
41.07 years
female:
44.06 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
5.42 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Central African(s)
adjective:
Central African
Ethnic divisions:
Baya 34%, Banda 27%, Sara 10%, Mandjia 21%, Mboum 4%, M'Baka 4%,
Europeans 6,500 (including 3,600 French)
Religions:
indigenous beliefs 24%, Protestant 25%, Roman Catholic 25%, Muslim
15%, other 11%
note:
animistic beliefs and practices strongly influence the Christian
majority
Languages:
French (official), Sangho (lingua franca and national language),
Arabic, Hunsa, Swahili
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
27%
male:
33%
female:
15%
Labor force:
775,413 (1986 est.)
by occupation:
agriculture 85%, commerce and services 9%, industry 3%, government 3%
note:
about 64,000 salaried workers; 55% of population of working age (1985)
@Central African Republic, Government
Names:
conventional long form:
Central African Republic
conventional short form:
none
local
