Central African Republic

COUNTRY FLAG

COAT OF ARMS
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LOCATION MAP

AREA MAP
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INFORMATION

Capital: Bangui

Government: Semi-Presidential Republic

Current President: Faustin-Archange Touadéra

Economy:

  • Subsistence agriculture, together with forestry, remains the backbone of the economy, with about 60% of the population living in outlying areas.
  • The agricultural sector generates more than half of GDP.
  • Timber accounts for 16% of export earnings and the diamond industry, 40%.

Population: 4,709,000 (2014)

Land Size: 622,984 sq km (240,535 sq miles)

Major Ethic Groups:

  • Baya: 33%
  • Banda: 27%
  • Mandjia: 13%
  • Sara: 10%
  • Mboum: 7%
  • M’Baka: 4%
  • Yakoma: 4%
  • Other: 2%
 Religions:

  • Indigenous beliefs: 35%
  • Protestant: 25%
  • Roman Catholic: 25%
  • Muslim: 15%

Language(s):

  • French (official)
  • Sangho (lingua franca and national language)
  • Gbaya
  • Banda

Links:

RECENT NEWS

  • Sat - Apr 21, 2018: Central African Republic - UN Defends Role in Bangui Clashes - AllAfrica News: Central African Republic
    [Deutsche Welle] More than 20 people died in clashes when UN troops conducted an operation in the volatile PK5 neighborhood of Bangui earlier this month. DW spoke to the head of the mission.
  • Sat - Apr 21, 2018: Bemba Seeks Access to Confidential ICC Records On His Financial Status - AllAfrica News: Central African Republic
    [Bemba Trial Website] Jean-Pierre Bemba is seeking to gain access to all confidential records related to his assets and financial status that are in the possession of the Registry of the International Criminal Court (ICC). The records were filed in the Congolese opposition leader's main trial in which he was convicted and handed an 18-year prison term. However, Melinda Taylor, who represents him in a separate trial over witness tampering, says these records are needed in preparing sentencing submissions.
  • Mon - Apr 16, 2018: Hospitals Under Pressure After Clashes in Bangui - AllAfrica News: Central African Republic
    [Thomson Reuters Foundation] It is the worst violence seen in the capital since 2015
  • Mon - Apr 16, 2018: 'I Just Want to Live Like a Normal Man'- What's Stopping CAR Disarming? - AllAfrica News: Central African Republic
    [African Arguments] Speaking to combatants in the Central African Republic reveals their true motivations for taking up arms.
  • Thu - Apr 12, 2018: Peacekeeper Killed in Central African Republic - AllAfrica News: Central African Republic
    [New Times] One Rwandan peacekeeper was killed and eight others wounded in Bangui, Central African Republic (CAR) during an exchange of fire with armed elements on Tuesday, April 10.