The 1990 CIA World Factbook. United States. Central Intelligence Agency

59,000 kW capacity; 213 million kWh produced, 8,960 kWh per capita (1989)

      Industries: tourism, banking, insurance and finance, real estate and construction

      Agriculture: minor production of vegetables, fruit, livestock; turtle farming

      Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70–87), $26.7 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970–87), $32.2 million

      Currency: Caymanian dollar (plural—dollars); 1 Caymanian dollar

       (CI$) = 100 cents

      Exchange rates: Caymanian dollars (CI$) per US$1—0.835 (fixed rate)

      Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March

      - Communications

       Highways: 160 km of main roads

      Ports: George Town, Cayman Brac

      Merchant marine: 32 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 355,055 GRT/576,622 DWT; includes 1 passenger-cargo, 8 cargo, 8 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 4 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 chemical tanker, 1 specialized tanker, 1 liquefied gas carrier, 8 bulk; note—a flag of convenience registry

      Airports: 3 total; 3 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 2,439 m; 2 with runways 1,220–2,439 m

      Telecommunications: 35,000 telephones; telephone system uses 1 submarine coaxial cable and 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station to link islands and access international services; stations—2 AM, 1 FM, no TV

      - Defense Forces

       Note: defense is the responsibility of the UK

      ——————————————————————————

       Country: Central African Republic

       - Geography

       Total area: 622,980 km2; land area: 622,980 km2

      Comparative area: slightly smaller than Texas

      Land boundaries: 5,203 km total; Cameroon 797 km, Chad 1,197 km,

       Congo 467 km, Sudan 1,165 km, Zaire 1,577 km

      Coastline: none—landlocked

      Maritime claims: none—landlocked

      Climate: tropical; hot, dry winters; mild to hot, wet summers

      Terrain: vast, flat to rolling, monotonous plateau; scattered hills in northeast and southwest

      Natural resources: diamonds, uranium, timber, gold, oil

      Land use: 3% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 5% meadows and pastures; 64% forest and woodland; 28% other

      Environment: hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds affect northern areas; poaching has diminished reputation as one of last great wildlife refuges; desertification

      Note: landlocked; almost the precise center of Africa

      - People

       Population: 2,877,365 (July 1990), growth rate 2.6% (1990)

      Birth rate: 44 births/1,000 population (1990)

      Death rate: 18 deaths/1,000 population (1990)

      Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)

      Infant mortality rate: 141 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)

      Life expectancy at birth: 45 years male, 48 years female (1990)

      Total fertility rate: 5.6 children born/woman (1990)

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

      Ethnic divisions: about 80 ethnic groups, the majority of which have related ethnic and linguistic characteristics; 34% Baya, 27% Banda, 10% Sara, 21% Mandjia, 4% Mboum, 4% M'Baka; 6,500 Europeans, of whom 3,600 are French

      Religion: 24% indigenous beliefs, 25% Protestant, 25% Roman Catholic, 15% Muslim, 11% other; animistic beliefs and practices strongly influence the Christian majority

      Language: French (official); Sangho (lingua franca and national language); Arabic, Hunsa, Swahili

      Literacy: 40.2%

      Labor force: 775,413 (1986 est.); 85% agriculture, 9% commerce and services, 3% industry, 3% government; about 64,000 salaried workers; 55% of population of working age (1985)

      Organized labor: 1% of labor force

      - Government Long-form name: Central African Republic (no short-form name); abbreviated CAR

      Type: republic, one-party presidential regime since 1986

      Capital: Bangui

      Administrative divisions: 14 prefectures (prefectures, singular—prefecture) and 2 economic prefectures* (prefectures economiques, singular—prefecture economique); Bamingui-Bangoran, Basse-Kotto, Gribingui*, Haute-Kotto, Haute-Sangha, Haut-Mbomou, Kemo-Gribingui, Lobaye, Mbomou, Nana-Mambere, Ombella-Mpoko, Ouaka, Ouham, Ouham-Pende, Sangha*, Vakaga; note—there may be a new autonomous commune of Bangui

      Independence: 13 August 1960 (from France; formerly Central African

       Empire)

      Constitution: 21 November 1986

      Legal system: based on French law

      National holiday: National Day (proclamation of the republic), 1 December (1958)

      Executive branch: president, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

      Legislative branch: bicameral Congress consists of an upper house or Economic and Regional Council (Conseil Economique et Regional) and a lower house or National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale)

      Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)

      Leaders:

       Chief of State and Head of Government—President Andre-Dieudonne

       KOLINGBA (since 1 September 1981)

      Political parties and leaders: only party—Centrafrican Democrtic

       Rally Party (RDC), Andre-Dieudonne Kolingba

      Suffrage: universal at age 21

      Elections:

       President—last held 21 November 1986 (next to be held November

       1993);

       results—President Kolingba was reelected without opposition;

      National Assembly—last held 31 July 1987 (next to be held July 1992); results—RDC is the only party; seats—(total) RDC 52

      Communists: small number of Communist sympathizers

      Member of: ACP, AfDB, CCC, Conference of East and Central African

       States, EAMA, ECA, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IFAD,

       ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ITU, NAM, OAU, OCAM, UDEAC, UEAC, UN,

       UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

      Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Jean-Pierre SOHAHONG-KOMBET;

       Chancery at 1618 22nd Street NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202)

       483–7800 or 7801;

       US—Ambassador Daniel H. SIMPSON; Embassy at Avenue du President

       David Dacko, Bangui (mailing address is B. P. 924, Bangui);

       telephone 61–02-00 or 61–25-78, 61–43-33

      Flag: four equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, green, and yellow with a vertical red band in center; there is a yellow five-pointed star on the hoist side of the blue band

      - Economy Overview: The Central African Republic (CAR) is one of the poorest countries in Africa, with a per capita income of roughly $450 in 1988. Subsistence agriculture, including forestry, is the backbone of the economy, with over 70% of the population living in the countryside. In 1988 the agricultural