Central African Republic Facts and Figures. BASIC FACTS Official name Capital Area Central African Republic Bangui 622,436 sq km 240,324 sq mi PEOPLE Population 4,434,873 (2008 estimate) Population growth Population growth rate 1.49 percent (2008 estimate) Projected population in 2025 5,486,686 (2025 estimate) Projected population in 2050 6,502,151 (2050 estimate) Population density 7.1 persons per sq km (2008 estimate) 18 persons per sq mi (2008 estimate) Urban/rural distribution Share urban 44 percent (2005 estimate) Share rural 56 percent (2005 estimate) Largest cities, with population Bangui 622,771 (2004) Berbérati 76,918 (2004) Bouar 40,353 (2004) Bambari 41,356 (2004) Bossangoa 36,478 (2004) Ethnic groups Baya 34 percent Banda 27 percent Mandjia 21 percent S ara 10 percent Mboum 4 percent M'Baka 4 percent Languages French (official), Sango Religious affiliations Christian 45 percent Roman Catholic 18 percent Protestant 14 percent Other Christians 23 percent Muslim 16 percent Indigenous beliefs 15 percent O ther 14 percent NOTE: Christians are strongly influenced by animistic beliefs and practices. HEALTH AND EDUCATION Life expectancy Total 44 years (2008 estimate) Female 44 years (2008 estimate) Male Infant mortality rate Population per physician Population per hospital bed 43.9 years (2008 estimate) 82 deaths per 1,000 live births (2008 estimate) 11,819 people (2004) 1,145 people (1990) Literacy rate Total 53.9 percent (2005 estimate) Female 43.2 percent (2005 estimate) Male 65.6 percent (2005 estimate) Education expenditure as a share of gross national product (GNP) Number of years of compulsory schooling Number of students per teacher, primary school 1.9 percent (1998-1999) 10 years (2002-2003) 74 students per teacher (2000-2001) GOVERNMENT Form of government Republic Voting qualifications Universal at age 21 Constitution A new constitution was passed by referendum in December 2004 Armed forces Total number of military personnel Military expenditures as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) 2,550 (2004) 2.3 percent (2003) ECONOMY Gross domestic product (GDP, in U.S.$) GDP per capita (U.S.$) $1,493.6 million (2006) $350.20 (2006) GDP by economic sector Agriculture, forestry, fishing 55.8 percent (2006) I ndustry 15.5 percent (2006) Services 28.7 percent (2006) Employment Number of workers 1,952,572 (2006) Workforce share of economic sector Agriculture, forestry, fishing 80 percent (1990) I ndustry 4 percent (1990) Services 16 percent (1990) Unemployment rate Not available National budget (U.S.$) Total revenue $122.7 million (2004) Total expenditure $105.6 million (2004) Monetary unit 1 Communaut* Financière Africaine (CFA) franc, consisting of 100 centimes Major trade partners for exports Belgium, Spain, Pakistan, Italy, and France Major trade partners for imports France, Spain, Pakistan, Cameroon, and Germany ENERGY, COMMUNICATIONS, AND TRANSPORTATION Electricity production Electricity from thermal sources 19.81 percent (2003 estimate) Electricity from hydroelectric sources 80.19 percent (2003 estimate) Electricity from nuclear sources 0 percent (2003 estimate) Electricity from geothermal, solar, and wind sources 0 percent (2003 estimate) Number of radios per 1,000 people 83 (1997) Number of telephones per 1,000 people 3 (2005) Number of televisions per 1,000 people 6 (2000 estimate) Number of Internet hosts per 10,000 people Daily newspaper circulation per 1,000 people Number of motor vehicles per 1,000 people Paved road as a share of total roads 0.01 (2003) 2 (1996) 0.5 (1997) 3 percent (1998) SOURCES Basic Facts and People sections Area data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Population, population growth rate, and population projections are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International Data Base (IDB) (www.census.gov). Urban and rural population data are from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), FAOSTAT database (www.fao.org). Largest cities population data and political divisions data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Ethnic divisions and religion data are largely from the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook and from various country censuses and reports. Language data are largely from the Ethnologue, Languages of the World, Summer Institute of Linguistics International (www.sil.org). Health and Education section Life expectancy and infant mortality data are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International database (IDB) (www.census.gov). Population per physician and population per hospital bed data are from the World Health Organization (WHO) (www.who.int). Education data are from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org). Government section Government, independence, legislature, constitution, highest court, and voting qualifications data are largely from various government Web sites, the latest Europa World Yearbook, and the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook. The armed forces data is from Military Balance. Economy section Gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, GDP by economic sectors, employment, and national budget data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). Monetary unit, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, exports, imports, and major trade partner information is from the statistical bureaus of individual countries, latest Europa World Yearbook, and various United Nations and International Monetary Fund (IMF) publications. Energy, Communication, and Transportation section Electricity information is from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) database (www.eia.doe.gov). Radio, telephone, television, and newspaper information is from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org). Internet hosts, motor vehicles, and road data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). Note Figures may not total 100 percent due to rounding. Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
