Middle East / Africa
Country profile: Central Africa Republic
| Location: | Central Africa, north of Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Climate: | tropical; hot, dry winters; mild to hot, wet summers |
| Terrain: | vast, flat to rolling, monotonous plateau; scattered hills in northeast and southwest |
| Size: | 622984 sq. km total (Land area: 622984 sq. km ) |
| Population: | 4,434,873 |
| Languages: | French (official), Sangho (lingua franca and national language), tribal languages |
| Government: | republic |
| Capital city: | Bangui |
| Legal system: | based on French law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| Currency: | Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note |
| Licensing: |
Country profile
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. Unrest in neighboring nations, Chad, Sudan, and the DRC, continues to affect stability in the Central African Republic as well.
Energy production and consumption
| Oil | Gas | |
| Production: | ||
| Consumption: | 2,300 bbl/day (2005 est.) | |
| Exports: | ||
| Imports: | 2,201 bbl/day (2005 est.) | |
| Reserves: | ||
| Major fields: |
Other countries in this region
- Algeria,
- Angola,
- Bahrain,
- Benin,
- Botswana,
- Burundi,
- Cameroon,
- Chad,
- Comoros,
- Congo (Brazzaville),
- Congo (Democratic Rep.),
- Cote d'Ivoire,
- Djibouti,
- Egypt,
- Equatorial Guinea,
- Eritrea,
- Ethiopia,
- Gabon,
- Gambia,
- Ghana,
- Guinea (Republic),
- Guinea Bissau,
- Iran,
- Iraq,
- Israel,
- Jordan,
- Kenya,
- Kuwait,
- Lebanon,
- Liberia,
- Libya,
- Madagascar,
- Malawi,
- Mali,
- Mauritania,
- Mauritius,
- Morocco,
- Mozambique,
- Namibia,
- Niger,
- Nigeria,
- Oman,
- Palestine,
- Qatar,
- Rwanda,
- Sao Tome,
- Saudi Arabia,
- Senegal,
- Seychelles,
- Sierra Leone,
- Somalia,
- Somaliland,
- South Africa,
- South Sudan,
- Sudan,
- Syria,
- Tanzania,
- Togo,
- Tunisia,
- Uganda,
- United Arab Emirates,
- Western Sahara,
- Yemen,
- Zambia,
- Zanzibar,
- Zimbabwe
