Part 142

Land boundaries: total: 5,203 km border countries: Cameroon 797 km, Chad 1,197 km, Congo 467 km, Sudan 1,165 km, Zaire 1,577 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

International disputes: none

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

Terrain: vast, flat to rolling, monotonous plateau; scattered hills in northeast and southwest lowest point: Oubangui River 335 m highest point: Mount Gaou 1,420 m

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

Land use: arable land: 3% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 5% forest and woodland: 64% other: 28%

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Environment: current issues: tap water is not potable; poaching has diminished reputation as one of last great wildlife refuges; desertification natural hazards: hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds affect northern areas; floods are common international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified - Desertification, Law of the Sea

Geographic note: landlocked; almost the precise center of Africa

People ------

Population: 3,274,426 (July 1996 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 44% (male 724,914; female 718,423) 15-64 years: 52% (male 839,118; female 877,069) 65 years and over: 4% (male 53,418; female 61,484) (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.08% (1996 est.)

Birth rate: 39.97 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate: 17.64 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Net migration rate: -1.53 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female all ages: 0.98 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 111.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 45.86 years male: 45.03 years female: 46.71 years (1996 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.41 children born/woman (1996 est.)

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

Ethnic divisions: Baya 34%, Banda 27%, Sara 10%, Mandjia 21%, Mboum 4%, M'Baka 4%, Europeans 6,500 (including 3,600 French)

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

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

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1995 est.) total population: 60% male: 68.5% female: 52.4%

Government ----------