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Location: Central Africa
Capital: Bangui
Population (2011): 4,950,027
Surface area: 622,984 sq km
Currency:
Cooperation Financiere en Afrique Centrale franc
GDP per capita (2009): US $ 448
Historical background:
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 the neighboring nations of Chad, Sudan, and the DRC continues to affect stability in the Central African Republic as well.
Economy – overview:
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 has accounted for about 16% of export earnings and the diamond industry, for 40%. 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. Distribution of income is extraordinarily unequal. Grants from France and the international community can only partially meet humanitarian needs.
Human Development Index ranking (2010): 159 out of 169
Net Official Development Assistance (ODA) (2009): US $ 237 million
Top Three Donors of gross ODA (2008-2009 average):
IDA, AfDF, EU institutions
Total External Debt (2010): US $ 396 million
HIPC Position (2011): Completion Point achieved
United Nations Membership date: 20 September 1960
New York Mission:
Address: Permanent Mission of the Central African Republic to the United Nations
866 United Nations Plaza, Suite 444, New York, N.Y. 10017
Telephone: (646) 415-9122, 9281
Telefax: (646) 415-9149
Correspondence: French
National holiday: 1 December
Sources:
Updated October 2011
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