Part 144

Industries: diamond mining, sawmills, breweries, textiles, footwear, assembly of bicycles and motorcycles

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity: capacity: 40,000 kW production: 100 million kWh consumption per capita: 29 kWh (1993)

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

Exports: $154 million (f.o.b., 1994 est.) commodities: diamonds, timber, cotton, coffee, tobacco partners: France, Belgium, Italy, Japan, US, Spain, Iran

Imports: $215 million (f.o.b., 1994 est.) commodities: food, textiles, petroleum products, machinery, electrical equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, industrial products partners: France, other EC countries, Japan, Algeria, Cameroon, Namibia

External debt: $904.3 million (1993 est.)

Economic aid: recipient: ODA, $NA

Currency: 1 Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes

Exchange rates: CFA francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 500.56 (January 1996), 499.15 (1995), 555.20 (1994), 283.16 (1993), 264.69 (1992), 282.11 (1991) note: beginning 12 January 1994, the CFA franc was devalued to CFAF 100 per French franc from CFAF 50 at which it had been fixed since 1948

Fiscal year: calendar year

Transportation --------------

Railways: 0 km

Highways: total: 23,738 km paved: 427 km unpaved: 23,311 km (1991 est.)

Waterways: 800 km; traditional trade carried on by means of shallow-draft dugouts; Oubangui is the most important river

Ports: Bangui, Nola

Airports: total: 48 with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 1 with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 2 with paved runways under 914 m: 11 with unpaved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 1 with unpaved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 9 with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 24 (1995 est.)

Communications --------------

Telephones: 16,867 (1992 est.)

Telephone system: fair system domestic: network consists principally of microwave radio relay and low-capacity, low-powered radiotelephone communication international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0

Radios: NA

Television broadcast stations: 1 (1987 est.)

Televisions: 7,500 (1993 est.)

Defense -------

Branches: Central African Army (includes Republican Guard), Air Force, National Gendarmerie, Police Force

Manpower availability: males age 15-49: 737,330 males fit for military service: 384,134 (1996 est.)

Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $30 million, 2.3% of GDP (1994)