Country Profile: Central African Republic

News

Dec 18, 2008: The CIA Factbook writes that the government "does not fully control the countryside, where pockets of lawlessness persist." It adds that "unrest in neighboring nations, Chad, Sudan, and the DRC, continues to affect stability in the Central African Republic as well." The BBC writes of bands of bandits roaming the countryside, killing people. "In the last couple of years," according to the BBC, "tens of thousands of people in the CAR's countryside have fled their homes in terror at bandit raids."

Geography

Central Africa. South of Chad. North of Democratic Republic of the Congo. Landlocked. Tropical, Slightly smaller than Texas. Capital: Bangui.

History

A former colony of France (Ubangi-Shari). Became independent in 1960. Three decades of mostly military misrule. Civilian rule from 1993 to March 2003.

Economy

Figures unless otherwise stated are from the CIA Factbook.

Factbook: "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. "

Estimated per capita GDP (2009 U.S. dollars)

2009: $700 (ranks tenth from the bottom)
2008: $700
2007: $700

Military expenditures as a percentage of GDP

2006: 1.1%

Population

Living in an urban area: 39

July 2009: 4.511 million. Growth rate: 1.491% (ranks 89th)
July 2008: 4.435 million
July 2005: 3.8 million

Persons per square kilometer of arable land: 1967.6 (2005).

Health

Infant mortality (deaths before the age of one year per 1,000 live births)

2009: 80.62 (ranks 19th)
2008: 82.36
2007: 83.97

Average life expectancy at birth

2009: 44.47 years (ranks 218th)
2008: 43.97 years
2005: 41

Living with HIV/AIDS, ages 15 to 49: 13.5 percent (2003)

SOURCES:
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/