Central African Republic

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

total:

0.03 cu km/yr (80%/16%/4%)

per capita:

7 cu m/yr (2000)

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

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

Law of the Sea

at birth:

1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.01 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

0.99 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.63 male(s)/female

total population:

0.98 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

degree of risk:

very high

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne disease:

malaria

respiratory disease:

meningococcal meningitis

water contact disease:

schistosomiasis

animal contact disease:

rabies (2009)

noun:

Central African(s)

adjective:

Central African

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

name:

Bangui

geographic coordinates:

4 22 N, 18 35 E

time difference:

UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

• 14 prefectures (prefectures, singular - prefecture), 2 economic prefectures* (prefectures economiques, singular - prefecture economique), and 1 commune**;
• Bamingui-Bangoran, Bangui**, Basse-Kotto, Haute-Kotto, Haut-Mbomou, Kemo, Lobaye, Mambere-Kadei, Mbomou, Nana-Grebizi*, Nana-Mambere, Ombella-Mpoko, Ouaka, Ouham, Ouham-Pende, Sangha-Mbaere*, Vakaga

chief of state:

President Francois BOZIZE (since 15 March 2003 coup)

head of government:

Prime Minister Faustin-Archange TOUADERA (since 22 January 2008)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers

elections:

• under the new constitution, the president elected to a five-year term (eligible for a second term);
• elections last held 13 March and 8 May 2005 (next to be held in 2010);
• prime minister appointed by the political party with a parliamentary majority

election results:

Francois BOZIZE elected president; percent of second round balloting - Francois BOZIZE (KNK) 64.6%, Martin ZIGUELE (MLPC) 35.4%

• Supreme Court or Cour Supreme;
• Constitutional Court (three judges appointed by the president, three by the president of the National Assembly, and three by fellow judges);
• Court of Appeal;
• Criminal Courts;
• Inferior Courts

chief of mission:

Ambassador Emmanuel TOUABOY

chancery:

1618 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 483-7800

FAX:

[1] (202) 332-9893

chief of mission:

Ambassador Frederick B. COOK

embassy:

Avenue David Dacko, Bangui

mailing address:

B. P. 924, Bangui

telephone:

[236] 61 02 00

FAX:

[236] 61 44 94

note: the embassy is currently operating with a minimal staff

• four equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, green, and yellow with a vertical red band in center;
• a yellow five-pointed star to the hoist side of the blue band

lowest 10%:

2.1%

highest 10%:

33% (2003)

general assessment:

• limited telephone service;
• fixed-line connections for well less than 1 per 100 persons coupled with mobile-cellular usage of only about 3 per 100 persons;
• most fixed-line and cellular telephone services are concentrated in Bangui

domestic:

network consists principally of microwave radio relay and low-capacity, low-powered radiotelephone communication

international:

country code - 236; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2008)

males age 16-49:

1,032,828

females age 16-49:

999,330 (2008 est.)

males age 16-49:

552,907

females age 16-49:

512,611 (2009 est.)

male:

55,484

female:

55,168 (2009 est.)

refugees (country of origin):

• 7,900 (Sudan);
• 3,700 (Democratic Republic of the Congo);
• note - UNHCR resumed repatriation of Southern Sudanese refugees in 2006

IDPs:

197,000 (ongoing unrest following coup in 2003) (2007)

current situation:

• Central African Republic is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation;
• the majority of victims are children trafficked within the country for sexual exploitation, domestic servitude, street vending, and forced agricultural, mine, market and restaurant labor;
• to a lesser extent, children are trafficked from the Central African Republic to Cameroon, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of Congo;
• rebels conscript children into armed forces within the country

tier rating:

• Tier 2 Watch List - Central African Republic is on the Tier 2 Watch List for the third consecutive year for its failure to show evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking in 2007;
• efforts to address trafficking through vigorous law enforcement measures and victim protection efforts were minimal, though awareness about trafficking appeared to be increasing in the country;
• the government does not actively investigate cases, work to identify trafficking victims among vulnerable populations, or rescue and provide care to victims;
• the government has not taken measures to reduce demand for commercial sex acts (2008)