Central African Republic

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

total:

0.07 cu km/yr (83%/17%/1%)

per capita:

17.42 cu m/yr (2005)

• 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

0-14 years:

1.01 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.01 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

1 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.66 male(s)/female

total population:

0.98 male(s)/female (2014 est.)

degree of risk:

very high

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases:

malaria and dengue fever

respiratory disease:

meningococcal meningitis

water contact disease:

schistosomiasis

animal contact disease:

rabies (2013)

total number:

532,518

percentage:

47 % (2006 est.)

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

• several previous;
• latest ratified by referendum 5 December 2004, effective 27 December 2004;
• amended 2010;
• note - the transitional parliament has begun work on a new constitution which should be ready for citizens feedback in early 2015 (2010)

highest court(s):

Supreme Court (consists of NA judges); Constitutional Court (consists of 9 judges, at least 3 of which are women)

judge selection and term of office:

• Supreme Court judges appointed by the president;
• Constitutional Court judge appointments - 2 by the president, 1 by the speaker of the National Assembly, 2 elected by their peers, 2 are advocates elected by their peers, and 2 are law professors elected by their peers;
• judges serve 7-year non-renewable terms

subordinate courts:

high courts; magistrates' courts

• Alliance for Democracy and Progress or ADP [Clement BELIBANGA]
• Central African Democratic Rally or RDC [Louis-Pierre GAMBA]
• Civic Forum or FC
• Democratic Forum for Modernity or FODEM [Saturnin NDOMBY]
• Liberal Democratic Party or PLD
• Londo Association or LONDO
• Movement for Democracy and Development or MDD
• MaMovement for the Liberation of the Central African People or MLPC [Martin ZIGUELE ]
• National Convergence or KNK [Francois BOZIZE]
• National Unity Party or PUN
• New Alliance for Progress or NAP [Jean-Jacques DEMAFOUTH]
• Patriotic Front for Progress or FPP [Alexandre Philippe GOUMBA]
• People's Union for the Republic or UPR [Pierre Sammy MAKFOY]
• Social Democratic Party or PSD [Enoch LAKOUE]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Stanislas MOUSSA-KEMBE (since 24 August 2009)

chancery:

1618 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 483-7800

FAX:

[1] (202) 332-9893

chief of mission:

Ambassador Laurence D. WOHLERS (since September 2010)

embassy:

Avenue David Dacko, Bangui

mailing address:

B. P. 924, Bangui

telephone:

[236] 21 61 02 00

FAX:

[236] 21 61 44 94

note: the embassy temporarily suspended operations in December, 2012

• 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

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) (2011)

• 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):

10,992 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (2013)

IDPs:

551,600 (clashes between army and rebel groups since 2005; tensions between ethnic groups) (2014)

current situation:

• Central African Republic (CAR) is a source and destination country for children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking and possibly women subjected to forced prostitution;
• most victims appear to be CAR citizens exploited within the country, and that a smaller number are transported back and forth between the CAR and Cameroon, Chad, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, and South Sudan;
• children are forced into domestic servitude, commercial sexual exploitation, agricultural labor, mining, and street vending;
• armed groups operating in the CAR, including the Lord's Resistance Army, continue to recruit and use children for military activities, while village self-defense units use children as combatants, lookouts, and porters

tier rating:

• Tier 3 - Central African Republic does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so;
• the government does not investigate or prosecute any suspected cases of human trafficking, including the use of child soldiers;
• the government also fails to identify, provide protection to, or refer to service providers any trafficking victims;
• in collaboration with an NGO, the government has convened a working group to develop a national action plan to combat human trafficking (2013)