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. Elections held in 2005 affirmed General BOZIZE as president; he was reelected in 2011 in voting widely viewed as severely flawed. The government still does not fully control the countryside, where pockets of lawlessness persist. The militant group the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) continues to affect stability in the Central African Republic, and several rebel groups joined together in early December 2012 and launched a series of attacks that left them in control of numerous towns in the northern and central parts of the country. The rebels - who are unhappy with BOZIZE's government - agreed to participate in peace talks in early January 2013.

Central Africa, north of Democratic Republic of the Congo

slightly smaller than Texas

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

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

diamonds, uranium, timber, gold, oil, hydropower

hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds affect northern areas; floods are common

tap water is not potable; poaching has diminished the country's reputation as one of the last great wildlife refuges; desertification; deforestation

landlocked; almost the precise center of Africa

Baya 33%, Banda 27%, Mandjia 13%, Sara 10%, Mboum 7%, M'Baka 4%, Yakoma 4%, other 2%

French (official), Sangho (lingua franca and national language), tribal languages

indigenous beliefs 35%, Protestant 25%, Roman Catholic 25%, Muslim 15%

5,057,208 (July 2012 est.)

36.13 births/1,000 population (2012 est.)

14.71 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.)

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.)

BANGUI (capital) 702,000 (2009)

890 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)

4.57 children born/woman (2012 est.)

0.08 physicians/1,000 population (2004)

1.2 beds/1,000 population (2006)

urban: 43% of population

rural: 28% of population

total: 34% of population

urban: 57% of population

rural: 72% of population

total: 66% of population

14 prefectures (prefectures, singular - prefecture), 2 economic prefectures* (prefectures economiques, singular - prefecture economique), and 1 commune**; Bamingui-Bangoran, Bangui**, Basse-Kotto, Haute-Kotto, Haut-Mbomou, Kemo, Lobaye, Mambere-Kadei, Mbomou, Nana-Grebizi*, Nana-Mambere, Ombella-Mpoko, Ouaka, Ouham, Ouham-Pende, Sangha-Mbaere*, Vakaga

13 August 1960 (from France)

Republic Day, 1 December (1958)

ratified by popular referendum 5 December 2004; effective 27 December 2004

civil law system based on the French model

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (105 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Constitutional Court (three judges appointed by the president, three by the president of the National Assembly, and three by fellow judges); Court of Appeal; Criminal Courts; Inferior Courts

Alliance for Democracy and Progress or ADP [Jacques MBOLIEDAS]; Central African Democratic Rally or RDC [Andre KOLINGBA]; Civic Forum or FC [Gen. Timothee MALENDOMA]; Democratic Forum for Modernity or FODEM [Charles MASSI]; Liberal Democratic Party or PLD [Nestor KOMBO-NAGUEMON]; Londo Association or LONDO; Movement for Democracy and Development or MDD [David DACKO]; Movement for the Liberation of the Central African People or MLPC [Martin ZIGUELE ]; National Convergence or KNK; National Unity Party or PUN [Jean-Paul NGOUPANDE]; New Alliance for Progress or NAP [Jean-Jacques DEMAFOUTH]; Patriotic Front for Progress or FPP [Abel GOUMBA]; People's Union for the Republic or UPR [Pierre Sammy MAKFOY]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Enoch LAKOUE]

Monam (combating gender-base violence)

ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, EITI (compliant country), FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

four equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, green, and yellow with a vertical red band in center; a yellow five-pointed star to the hoist side of the blue band; banner combines the Pan-African and French flag colors; red symbolizes the blood spilled in the struggle for independence, blue represents the sky and freedom, white peace and dignity, green hope and faith, and yellow tolerance; the star represents aspiration towards a vibrant future

Subsistence agriculture, together with forestry, remains the backbone of the economy of the Central African Republic (CAR), with about 60% of the population living in outlying areas. The agricultural sector generates more than half of GDP. Timber and diamonds account for most export earnings, followed by cotton. Important constraints to economic development include the CAR's landlocked position, a poor transportation system, a largely unskilled work force, and a legacy of misdirected macroeconomic policies. Factional fighting between the government and its opponents remains a drag on economic revitalization. Since 2009 the IMF has worked closely with the government to institute reforms that have resulted in some improvement in budget transparency, but other problems remain. The government's additional spending in the run-up to the election in 2011 worsened CAR's fiscal situation. Distribution of income is extraordinarily unequal. Grants from France and the international community can only partially meet humanitarian needs. In 2012 the World Bank approved $125 million in funding for transport infrastructure and regional trade, focused on the route between CAR's capital and the port of Douala in Cameroon. After a two year lag in donor support, the IMF's first review of CAR's extended credit facility for 2012-2015 praised improvements in revenue collection but warned of weak management of spending.

$3.847 billion (2012 est.)

$3.695 billion (2011 est.)

$3.578 billion (2010 est.)

$2.168 billion (2012 est.)

1.926 million (2007)

15.5% of GDP (2012 est.)

-0.8% of GDP (2012 est.)

4.25% (31 December 2009)

4.75% (31 December 2008)

15% (31 December 2012 est.)

15% (31 December 2011 est.)

$372.8 million (31 December 2012 est.)

$329.7 million (31 December 2011 est.)

$459.7 million (31 December 2012 est.)

$406.6 million (31 December 2011 est.)

$510.6 million (31 December 2012 est.)

$444.7 million (31 December 2011 est.)

cotton, coffee, tobacco, manioc (tapioca), yams, millet, corn, bananas; timber

-$179.5 million (2012 est.)

-$191.4 million (2011 est.)

$198.5 million (2012 est.)

$186.3 million (2011 est.)

diamonds, timber, cotton, coffee, tobacco

Belgium 30.4%, China 17.1%, Democratic Republic of the Congo 7.9%, France 7.1%, Indonesia 6.3%, Morocco 5.3% (2011)

$341.2 million (2012 est.)

$319.8 million (2011 est.)

food, textiles, petroleum products, machinery, electrical equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals

South Korea 45.8%, Netherlands 8.8%, France 7.2%, Cameroon 5.1% (2011)

$469.5 million (31 December 2012 est.)

$404.4 million (31 December 2011 est.)

Cooperation Financiere en Afrique Centrale francs (XAF) per US dollar -

160 million kWh (2009 est.)

148.8 million kWh (2009 est.)

46,000 kW (2009 est.)

45.7% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

54.3% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

0 bbl/day (2011 est.)

0 bbl/day (2009 est.)

0 bbl (1 January 2012 est.)

0 bbl/day (2008 est.)

3,175 bbl/day (2011 est.)

0 bbl/day (2008 est.)

2,481 bbl/day (2008 est.)

0 cu m (1 January 2012 est.)

227,400 Mt (2010 est.)

1.824 million (2011)

government-owned network, Radiodiffusion Television Centrafricaine, provides domestic TV broadcasting; licenses for 2 private TV stations are pending; state-owned radio network is supplemented by a small number of privately-owned broadcast stations as well as a few community radio stations; transmissions of at least 2 international broadcasters are available (2007)

2,800 km (the primary navigable river is the Ubangi, which joins the River Congo; it was the traditional route for the export of products because it connected with the Congo-Ocean railway at Brazzaville; because of the warfare on both sides of the River Congo from 1997, however, routes through Cameroon became preferred by importers and exporters) (2011)

Bangui, Nola, Salo, Nzinga

Central African Armed Forces (Forces Armees Centrafricaines, FACA): Ground Forces (includes Military Air Service), General Directorate of Gendarmerie Inspection (DGIG), National Police (2011)

18 years of age for selective military service; 2-year conscript service obligation (2010)

periodic skirmishes over water and grazing rights among related pastoral populations along the border with southern Sudan persist