Official Name: Republique Centrafricaine (Central African Republic)
Currency: Franc
Current Exchange Rate: |
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Hemisphere: Northern
Continent: Africa
Location: In central Africa. Neighbors: Chad on N, Cameroon on W, Congo- Brazzaville and Congo- Kinshasa (formerly Zaire) on S, Sudan on E.
Area: 240,324 sq mi, 622, 436 sq km
Form of Government: Multiparty republic with one legislative body (National Assembly 105)
Population: (2007) 4,343,000
Population Density: (2007) persons per sq mi 18.1, persons per sq km 7.0
Principal Language(s): French (official), Sangho (national), tribal languages
Religions: Indigenous beliefs 35%, Protestant 25%, Roman Catholic 25%, Muslim 15%
Capital: Bangui
Capital Population: 622,771
Capital Average Temperature: Maximum: 25.7 degrees Celsius, 78.3 degrees Fahrenheit
Major Cities: Bimbo 124,176, Berberati 76,981, Carnot 45,421, Bambari 41,356
Topography: Mostly rolling plateau, average altitude 2,000 ft with rivers draining S to the Congo and N to Lake Chad. Open, well-watered savanna covers most of the area, with an arid area in NE, and tropical rain forest in SW
Economy: G.D.P. $3.101 billion
G.D.P. per Capita: $ 700
Vital Statistics: Birth rate per 1,000 population (2006): 33.9 (world avg. 20.3) . Death rate per 1,000 population (2006); 18.7 (world avg. 8.6) Total fertility rate (avg. births per childbearing woman 2006) 4.41. Life expectancy at birth (2006) male 43.5 years; female 43.6 years
Government Website: www.state.gov/p/af/ci/ct/
Reference Sources: The World Almanac 2009, The New York Times Almanac 2009, Time Almanac 2009, World Climate website.
