The former French colony of Ubangi-Shari became the Central African Republic upon independence in 1960. After three tumultuous decades of misrule - mostly by military governments - civilian rule was established in 1993 and lasted for one decade.

President Ange-Felix Patasse's civilian government was plagued by unrest, and in March 2003 he was deposed in a military coup led by General Francois Bozize, who established a transitional government.

Though the government has the tacit support of civil society groups and the main parties, a wide field of candidates contested the municipal, legislative, and presidential elections held in March and May of 2005 in which General Bozize was affirmed as president.

The government still does not fully control the countryside, where pockets of lawlessness persist.

Source: CIA World Fact Book

Population: 4,369,038 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2007 est.)

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Age structure: 0-14 years: 41.6% (male 914,566/female 903,849) 15-64 years: 54.2% (male 1,174,520/female 1,195,364) 65 years and over: 4.1% (male 71,355/female 109,384) (2007 est.)

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Median age: total: 18.5 years male: 18.2 years female: 18.9 years (2007 est.)

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Population growth rate: 1.505% (2007 est.)

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Birth rate: 33.52 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)

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Death rate: 18.46 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)

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Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)

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Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.012 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.983 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.652 male(s)/female total population: 0.978 male(s)/female (2007 est.)

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Infant mortality rate: total: 83.97 deaths/1,000 live births male: 90.68 deaths/1,000 live births female: 77.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)

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Life expectancy at birth: total population: 43.74 years male: 43.69 years female: 43.79 years (2007 est.)

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Total fertility rate: 4.32 children born/woman (2007 est.)

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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 13.5% (2003 est.)

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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 260,000 (2003 est.)

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HIV/AIDS - deaths: 23,000 (2003 est.)

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Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2007)

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Nationality: noun: Central African(s) adjective: Central African

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Ethnic groups: Baya 33%, Banda 27%, Mandjia 13%, Sara 10%, Mboum 7%, M'Baka 4%, Yakoma 4%, other 2%

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Religions: indigenous beliefs 35%, Protestant 25%, Roman Catholic 25%, Muslim 15% note: animistic beliefs and practices strongly influence the Christian majority

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Languages: French (official), Sangho (lingua franca and national language), tribal languages

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Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 51% male: 63.3% female: 39.9% (2003 est.)

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. Timber has accounted for about 16% of export earnings and the diamond industry, for 40%. Important constraints to economic development include the CAR's landlocked position, a poor transportation system, a largely unskilled work force, and a legacy of misdirected macroeconomic policies. Factional fighting between the government and its opponents remains a drag on economic revitalization. Distribution of income is extraordinarily unequal. Grants from France and the international community can only partially meet humanitarian needs.

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GDP (purchasing power parity): $4.998 billion (2006 est.)

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GDP (official exchange rate): $1.55 billion (2006 est.)

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GDP - real growth rate: 3.5% (2006 est.)

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GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,200 (2006 est.)

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GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 55% industry: 20% services: 25% (2001 est.)

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Labor force: NA

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Unemployment rate: 8% (23% for Bangui) (2001 est.)

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Population below poverty line: NA%

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Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 0.7% highest 10%: 47.7% (1993)

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Distribution of family income - Gini index: 61.3 (1993)

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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.6% (2001 est.)

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Budget: revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA

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Agriculture - products: cotton, coffee, tobacco, manioc (tapioca), yams, millet, corn, bananas; timber

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Industries: gold and diamond mining, logging, brewing, textiles, footwear, assembly of bicycles and motorcycles

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Industrial production growth rate: 3% (2002)

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Electricity - production: 109 million kWh (2004)

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Electricity - consumption: 101.4 million kWh (2004)

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Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2004)

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Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2004)

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Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2004)

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Oil - consumption: 2,420 bbl/day (2004 est.)

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Oil - exports: NA bbl/day

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Oil - imports: NA bbl/day

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Oil - proved reserves: 0 bbl

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Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2004 est.)

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Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2004 est.)

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Exports: $131 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

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Exports - commodities: diamonds, timber, cotton, coffee, tobacco

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Exports - partners: Belgium 30.7%, Spain 10.7%, Indonesia 8%, France 7.8%, China 6.9%, Democratic Republic of the Congo 6%, Turkey 5%, Italy 4.7% (2006)

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Imports: $203 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

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Imports - commodities: food, textiles, petroleum products, machinery, electrical equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals

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Imports - partners: France 15.5%, Netherlands 15.2%, US 9.3%, Cameroon 9% (2006)

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Debt - external: $1.06 billion (2002 est.)

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Economic aid - recipient: ODA, $59.8 million; note - traditional budget subsidies from France (2002 est.)

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Currency (code): Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States

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Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002)

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Fiscal year: calendar year