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

noun:

Central African(s)

adjective:

Central African

at birth:

1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.01 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.67 male(s)/female

total population:

0.98 male(s)/female (2011 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)

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; (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website)

elections:

• president elected for a five-year term (eligible for a second term);
• elections last held on 23 January 2011 (next to be held in 2016);
• prime minister appointed by the president

election results:

• Francois BOZIZE elected to a second term as president;
• percent of vote - Francois BOZIZE (KNK) 64.4%, Ange-Felix PATASSE 21.4%, Martin ZIGUELE (MLPC) 6.8%, Emile Gros Raymond NAKOMBO (RDC) 4.6%, Jean-Jacques DEMAFOUTH (NAP) 2.8%

• 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 Stanislas MOUSSA-KEMBE

chancery:

1618 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 483-7800

FAX:

[1] (202) 332-9893

chief of mission:

Ambassador Laurence WOHLERS

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;
• banner combines the Pan-African and French flag colors;
• red symbolizes the blood spilled in the struggle for independence, blue represents the sky and freedom, white peace and dignity, green hope and faith, and yellow tolerance;
• the star represents aspiration towards a vibrant future

name:

"Le Renaissance" (The Renaissance)

lyrics/music:

Barthelemy BOGANDA/Herbert PEPPER

note: adopted 1960; Barthelemy BOGANDA, who wrote the anthem's lyrics, was the first prime minister of the autonomous French territory

lowest 10%:

2.1%

highest 10%:

33% (2003)

general assessment:

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

domestic:

• limited telephone service with less than 1 fixed-line connection per 100 persons;
• spurred by the presence of multiple mobile-cellular service providers, cellular usage is increasing from a low base;
• most fixed-line and mobile-cellular telephone services are concentrated in Bangui

international:

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

• government-owned network, Radiodiffusion Television Centrafricaine, provides domestic TV broadcasting;
• licenses for 2 private TV stations are pending;
• state-owned radio network is supplemented by a small number of privately-owned broadcast stations as well as a few community radio stations;
• transmissions of at least 2 international broadcasters are available (2007)

males age 16-49:

1,149,856

females age 16-49:

1,145,897 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49:

655,875

females age 16-49:

661,308 (2010 est.)

male:

54,843

female:

53,999 (2010 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, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo;
• rebels continue to abduct and exploit enslaved Sudanese, Congolese, Central African, and Ugandan children for use as cooks, porters, concubines, and combatants

tier rating:

• Tier 3 - Central African Republic does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking;
• the government, which has limited human and physical capital, did not investigate and prosecute trafficking offenses, identify or provide protective services to trafficking victims, or take steps to raise public awareness about the dangers of human trafficking;
• the revised Central African penal code, enacted in January 2010, outlaws all forms of trafficking in persons, but awareness of this statute remains low (2011)